If You Procrastinate, You Aren’t the Only One

Everyone procrastinates. Everyone. At any given time, it’s estimated that 20% of people are procrastinating some aspect of their lives. Students often procrastinate studying, employees put off completing reports, and everyone lags in their housework sometimes. That means both on or off-duty life is being impacted by failure to take action. It’s pretty normal to put things off for a variety of reasons but when it becomes habitual, it can be a problem.

Why Do People Procrastinate?

There’s a broad range of reasons why people procrastinate, but the most important thing to remember is procrastination isn’t a time management issue. It’s much more. Procrastinators don’t put things off by hitting the snooze button too many times. They are usually driven by internal aversions that they may or may not be aware of.

People procrastinate for a variety of reasons, usually to avoid feeling afraid or overwhelmed. Sometimes they procrastinate because they don’t know what to do first, so they do nothing at all.

Is Procrastination Always a Bad Thing?

Nope. Not at all. Sometimes procrastination can be a positive thing, especially if you tend to be impulsive. Many times, it helps to wait a bit before taking action. Here are some great examples of procrastinating being beneficial-

Procrastination can sort out what’s important - We tend to take quick action on the things we love. It’s not hard to convince ourselves to get up off the couch and grab some ice cream. Procrastination can make you aware of tasks and activities that you simply don’t really need in your life. Consistently putting something off may be a clear indicator it isn’t a priority. If you discover that you repeatedly avoid a task it could mean you don’t need to clutter your schedule with it.

Procrastination reduces regret - Acting too soon on an impulse can cause problems. If you don’t sort things out you could end up sorry. Procrastination can be to your advantage if it buys you enough time to think things through and avoid making mistakes or regrettable decisions.

Procrastination may help you get more stuff done - If you’re an active procrastinator you may actually get more things done while you procrastinate. Active procrastinators fill their time with less important, but still meaningful, tasks in order to avoid doing the activity they don’t want to do. This can lead to a cleaner home, more calories burned, and other actions cleared from your to-do list.

Procrastination is an activity everyone engages in from time to time. It’s perfectly normal but it could become a habit if you’re not mindful. Be wary of putting things off and watch out for the warning signs that procrastination is starting to affect you in negative ways.