By Zile Singh
Ambassador(Retd.)
Procrastination is ‘ putting off until tomorrow what you can do today’. In metaphorical terms, it is ‘the hardest handbrake on the runway to success’. It is a habit of putting off or delaying an action which requires immediate attention. Therefore a popular and helpful axiom, “ Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.” has developed. It is an intention – action gap. Procrastination invariably implies negativity, but once in a blue moon, it can be positive as well. Sometimes delay may truly be wise and the best course of action. Some synonyms of it are: defer, drag, hesitate, linger, pause, postpone, prolong, protract, suspend, stall etc. To understand it, it is necessary to know some of its antonyms also, for example: accelerate, complete, carry out, continue, finish, forward, onward, go ahead, hasten, hurry, persist, quicken, push, rush etc.
The habit of procrastination is common in all human beings. More often, we procrastinate because we do not like to do a particular act or delay it until it is too late to do anything at all. Though, more often than not, it is termed as ‘laziness’, sometimes, on the other hand, it is termed as ‘ to weigh the pros and cons’ before putting your body and mind in a particular situation and action. According to Publilius Syrus, “ Every vice has its excuse ready.” Some of the most common procrastination excuses are: “ I have got something else to do right now. Something came up. I do not have enough information to start. It is not really that important. It is not the right time. I will start later and I do not really need to do it right now.”
There are humorous quotes on Procrastination like: “ I just wait until the last second to do my work because I will be older, therefore wiser. It is called ‘hangry’. I procrastinate because I am stressed. I am stressed because I procrastinate. If good things come to those who wait, then why is procrastinating bad ?” In a lighter vein, , ‘carpe diem, which literally means “seize the day” has been used often with contrasting meanings to celebrate and approve procrastination with a focus on enjoying the present moment – eat, drink and be merry, who knows, tomorrow you may die.
It has also been used to express a feeling of regret when we do not pay attention to the pressing tasks at hand and miss the opportunity of “ make hay while the sun shines”. Dale Carnegie said, “ Do the hard job first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” However, a research conducted by Piers Steel of the University of Calgary has shown that procrastination is certainly never helpful and usually harmful to our performance.
There are several anecdotes to highlight procrastination and instruct man to do his work on time to avoid frustration, worry and last minute stress. At a butcher’s shop window, a sign reads as “ Today you pay and tomorrow you get it for free.” When the customers would come tomorrow for their free goods, the butcher would say , “Read the sign: Today you pay, tomorrow it is free”. Tomorrow is always a day away. It never becomes today. Similarly, another board we have often seen is “ Today cash, credit tomorrow.” Therefore, it is quite clear that successful business cannot afford to postpone cashing on the immediate cash.
Lack of ambition is one of the main reasons for procrastination. It is the absence of the desire to act toward achievement. Some people think that they are unable to perform a certain act with proficiency and while away their time postponing it. Some are even unable to set their goals to start with. Procrastination cannot stand against strong ambition and resolute determination. Lack of priority and clear goal also breeds procrastination. The evergreen saying, “ money makes the mare go” is surely relevant here. Until and unless one sees some greener pastures further ahead, one is hesitant to stand up and move forward. Wrong choices are also responsible for drifting people to procrastination. Every person has his own inner personal strength and weakness. Most of the time the voice of others mocks at us by laying down rules of the game making us sitting on the fence. To quote Osho here, “ The moment you are unafraid of the crowd, you are no longer a sheep. You become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom and success.” Then procrastination becomes a rat before a lion. Refusing to take responsibility is another way to take shelter in procrastination. Fear of success and blaming others for your inaction ultimately makes you defer things.
The following will inspire you to crush procrastination: Get, set and go. Get started. Shoot the arrow at the spur of the moment. A good beginning is half done and be realistic and plan for a miracle.
In the words of Bradley Whitford, “ Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope…. do not wait passively for grace to come down from above, but by doing what you can make grace happen .. yourself, right now…”
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” – Pablo Picasso.
Zile Singh is a former Ambassador(Retd.) of India and a Vipassana Meditator. He can be reached at [email protected] .
