Why You Should Not Worry About Procrastination

Perhaps every person on Earth has at least once been in a situation when he or she has an urgent task to do, but instead of challenging it head on, he or she postpones working on this task for as long as possible. This delay can take various forms: from doing nothing, to doing a lot of work–just not the work that should be done. The phenomenon described here is called procrastination, and its roots go much deeper than mere laziness.

【小题1】. They invent dozens of strategies how to stop procrastinating and increase their efficiency, forgetting about the fact that like many other psychological mechanisms, procrastination serves its own purpose, and probably even carries a message worth decoding. So, instead of blaming yourself for being lazy, the next time you procrastinate, try to look past it, and figure out what is happening to you. Most likely, procrastination is your friend. Why?

There are several arguments proving this statement. First of all, it helps you figure out your most pressing priorities. Usually, you will not procrastinate over some minor task such as sharpening a pencil or drinking a glass of water. Problems start when there is something important or difficult that needs to be done. Reasons keeping you from doing work can be different, but here is a clue to remember: try to figure out what exactly makes you avoid–as a rule, it should be exactly what your top priority task is at the moment. 【小题2】. On the other hand, procrastination may serve you as an indicator that you are doing something wrong, or that you are pushing yourself too hard and need to take some time to rest. Either way, the means you use to overcome procrastination is a different story; so far, try seeing procrastination as a marker, an index–and you will discover that it can be quite useful.

Surprisingly enough, procrastination can even help you fix a relationship with another person. If you had a fight, for example, there is a period of time when whatever you say to each other will most likely be perceived with skepticism or even hostility. 【小题3】. In this case, procrastination may give you enough time to make up your mind, find your courage, and think of the proper words or actions for an apology. The same works for another person: after a cool down period, he or she will be more susceptible to what you have to say. Use this to your advantage.

As we can see, procrastination is not necessarily a bad thing. 【小题4】. But it is rather a psychological instrument, the main function of which is to slow you down and give you enough time to sort out your priorities, gather information before making an important decision, or finding proper words to make your amends with another person. Thus, instead of avoiding and denying procrastination, you might want to embrace it–at least sometimes.examly.cn