Procrastination, or putting things off

• This reflection looks at procrastination, the habit of leaving until tomorrow what could be done today, which does so much harm to achieving our goals.

“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today”

Once again we meet to share a Sip of Hope with you. This time we look at a part of life that attacks us almost as devastatingly as a highly harmful virus: procrastination, or putting things off, the act or habit of postponing activities or situations that need attention and replacing them with more trivial and pleasant ones.

Which of us has not suffered from this silent illness, sometimes with very harmful effects on achieving our goals in life? In other words, never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Often, when something is unpleasant or requires some effort, we keep putting it off until the last minute.

When the time comes, we want to do things in a rush, without proper planning and attention to detail, resulting in a big mistake. Or worse, we simply do nothing and therefore have to suffer the negative consequences of our lack of action and commitment.

That is how some people see the doctor when it is already too late: they put off the test for so long that by the time they had it, the cancer was very advanced.

Others start the project their boss gave them practically on the deadline, so they have no time to deal with unexpected problems; students leave assigned projects until the last day and get low marks; we never start the diet that was going to begin “next Monday”, so our waistlines keep growing with the extra pounds. We could list countless stories of procrastination that have taken many of our friends, acquaintances, loved ones and even ourselves down unwanted paths.

So what can we do? I’ll share some simple, practical tips that work. Don’t overcomplicate things: organise your time, but without complicated schedules, so it’s manageable.

First, it’s a matter of making up your mind. Right now, pick up your phone, diary or any piece of paper to hand and list all the activities you have been putting off, give each a date and make sure you spend at least a little time on them every day until you finish. It will help a lot if you start with the task or project you dislike most.

Make use of the automatic reminder tools offered by electronic calendars. Don’t forget to delete or tick off each activity as you complete it, so you can see your progress as the list gets shorter; this will give you a good feeling. Finally, don’t forget to reward yourself with something you like, and don’t punish yourself if you have to start again. Remember, achieving it is up to you.