“Procrastination is like a credit card: It’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.” Christopher Parker. These words by this English actor may sound like a comical quote but they carry so much weight and power. Simply put: Procrastination is putting off until tomorrow, what should be done today.
I have tried to dig a bit deeper as to the reasons why people procrastinate and the two main reasons I found are: (1) People don’t want to undertake a certain task because it is not in their heart and they therefore think it’s too much of a bother or (2) People harbour a fear of failure.
Whichever reason one may give, we must all agree that procrastination is a killer disease and it has killed very many dreams.
It has a knack of lying to use that we are in charge of tomorrow. It also mutilates the most precious, scarce and nonrecoverable resource called time. Those who allow procrastination into their lives end up frustrated, miserable and bitter. They blame everyone but themselves for the woes they go through in life.
As it is with all diseases, there is always a vaccine, a form of treatment, an antidote or all the above. So the question we need to briefly answer is: what is the cure for procrastination?
The number one cure is commitment. If you commit to do something, it becomes your driving force and its completion becomes your guiding light. You are able to shut out all other distractions that would otherwise cause you to deviate from your path of destiny. The other thing is passion. If you don’t have passion for something, however easy it is to do, you will still have a tendency to postpone it. Last but not least, have a plan on what you want to do and give it a timeline. Get somebody neutral to evaluate your progress, somebody who will not sugarcoat things but tell you things as they are. These are just but a few important steps one can take in dealing with procrastination.
Remember this: “Procrastination always results in sorrowful regrets. Today’s duties put off until tomorrow, gives us a double burden to bear. The best way to deal with them is to do them at their proper time.” Idda Scott Tylor Click HERE to read more posts by Mwangi
