How Procrastinating Can Make Life Difficult

When it comes to getting things done, there are two types of people: those who plan and those who procrastinate. Planners make lists in order of priority, work incrementally to accomplish their goals, and easily complete them on time. Procrastinators put off starting work until just before it’s due, race to finish, and barely meet the deadline.

As you can imagine, the latter approach can significantly negatively impact various areas of life. Procrastination can affect everything, from mental state to physical health and feelings toward work. Here are a few key ways putting off responsibilities can make life more difficult.

You Lose Flexibility

Procrastination is a prime example of an imbalance in scheduling. You can’t commit to social plans because your assignment is due tomorrow. You must pass on timely opportunities to knock out work you’ve had for a week but are just starting. While you may enjoy the rush of an 11:59 p.m. submission, that path to getting there isn’t fun.

That may not seem like a big deal now, but it’s worth considering later. Procrastination takes advantage of instant gratification by robbing you of flexibility. So, you’re opting to have fun or be lazy now to push off your responsibilities until later. When later comes, you’re left handling a lot more work than if you’d spread it out.

Ultimately, if you want the freedom to do as you please, avoiding procrastination is the way to do it. One way to curb procrastination? When you get an assignment, immediately put its due date in your calendar — whether it’s Google Calendar or Calendar. Most digital calendars offer easy-to-use layouts that require only a minute of your time to input information. This small change to your process allows you to start working toward planning things out in advance.

You’re Forced to Rush

A midnight deadline or early morning presentation is very different when you procrastinate. Instead of something you’re preparing for, it’s something you’re fighting to finish. And that type of rushed feeling impacts you in more ways than one.

First off, you’re dealing with anxiety and working furiously. A racing heart, sweaty palms, and a sinking feeling in your stomach fuel your panic. You can’t help it; you’re a bit chaotic. The worst part? The only way to calm the chaos is by continuing to make progress.

You may have met the deadline, but at what cost? The adrenaline wears off, and you likely feel exhausted from the built-up tension you’ve created. If you continue this vicious cycle, you’re priming yourself for burnout and even less productivity. And it’s all because you couldn’t help but procrastinate.

You May Never Start Anything

Procrastinating too often can be a slippery slope. Before you know it, you realize you’ve failed to make any progress toward your goals. Without momentum on your side, you postpone starting further. A day becomes a week, which turns into a month. This pattern continues endlessly.

Take living a healthy lifestyle as an example. If you don’t work out or eat well, you may want to start making healthier changes. Come Sunday night, you’re motivated to get underway with a workout and meal plan in tow. When your alarm sounds on Monday morning for your workout, though, you continuously snooze it. After enough time has passed, you skip your workout and grab fast food on the way to work.

You may realize your existing habits aren’t all that bad. Your mindset shifts to believing you can always start tomorrow, but tomorrow never materializes. More time passes before you begin the cycle again.

Your Work Suffers

When you procrastinate, you’re motivated more by the drive to get things done than by doing them well. You’re watching the clock to figure out if completing everything is feasible. That creates room for errors you otherwise wouldn’t make.

Your content may have more grammatical errors than usual if you’re writing. If you’re creating a presentation, it may not have as many visuals as you need to tell the story. It may be carelessly thrown together if you’re making something with your hands. The common thread? Your output leaves something to be desired.

The kicker? You don’t have time to fix it even if you want to. You’re stuck with whatever you can throw together because you backed yourself into a corner with time not on your side. That in and of itself should serve as a deterrent for waiting until the last second.

You Get a Reputation

Whether meeting someone new at a party or interfacing with a client for the first time, your reputation precedes you. Your demeanor, notable personality traits, and general vibe are discussion points before you step foot in the room, and that reputation can greatly impact how you’re perceived.

In a work environment, mainly being known as a procrastinator is a significant con. You may not have access to new projects because you fear you won’t complete the work on time. You could run into problems getting even simple work done because the pre-work wasn’t done when needed. You might even be overlooked for promotions because reliability is necessary, and you don’t have that nailed down.

The same can be said in your personal life. Failing to plan in advance for get-togethers means people can’t fit it into their schedules. Running late or pushing reservations becomes a norm. These behaviors wear on relationships and make building solid foundations harder. Even if you feel you thrive in last-minute situations, your reputational damage begs to differ.

Your Health Can Suffer

Putting off tasks causes your cortisol levels to spike and adrenaline to course through your body. With both in high gear, you’re putting yourself in a high-stress state. Doing so consistently can significantly impact your physical and mental health.

Physically, you may experience the telltale signs of prolonged stress. These include trouble sleeping, headaches, and digestion problems, amongst others. Mentally, you’re more likely to have anxiety and depression. With as serious of implications as these, it’s no surprise that avoiding procrastination-induced stress is a priority.

If you’re looking to start reducing stress, aim to begin planning one thing. If an essay is due on Friday, plan to work on it starting on Wednesday instead of Thursday night. Follow the same approach with new tasks as you can manage it. Before long, you’ll get into a sustainable rhythm that prevents stress and improves productivity. It’ll pay dividends for your health and wellbeing.

You Can’t Pivot

Picture this: You’re running out the door trying to make an appointment when you remember a form you need to print. You’re running around to find paper, only to realize your printer is out of ink. Just when you need it, technology has failed you. If you make a habit of procrastinating, this scenario is probably a familiar one.

Putting off tasks you want or need to do leaves little room for error. You’re betting on everything working as it should to aid you in your efforts. However, that’s exactly when your car battery will die or your computer won’t turn on. At that point, you’re left with your back against the wall, trying to figure out your next move.

Unfortunately, your options are limited. So, you either continue rushing to find an alternate solution and hope for the best, or you give up altogether. You skip the appointment, eat the late cancellation fee, and go about your life. But it all could’ve been avoided had you done a bit of preparation ahead of time.

A Procrastinator No More

If you’ve always procrastinated and can’t help but leave things to the last minute, not all hope is lost. Working incrementally to plan ahead on one thing and then another gradually is maintainable. And the results will speak for themselves. Eventually, you’ll identify as a planner; it just takes time. For now, focus on fighting your procrastinator tendencies to put off getting started.

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