The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes procrastination as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” While we’re all well acquainted with the general idea of procrastination, that definition is critical to this essay. Everyone agrees that procrastination isn’t good. However, people still do it. Don’t misunderstand; I’m just as guilty of procrastination as the next guy. So, we’ve established what procrastination is and that everyone is guilty of it. However, the differentiator comes with what you do about it. Some people will shrug it off and bask in their unproductivity. Meanwhile, others will make a conscious decision to improve themselves. In this brief essay, I will explain why everyone should choose to kill procrastination.
Procrastination is like a virus. Once it gets a hold of us, it seeks to reproduce and destroy. The only thing it’s good for is feeding itself. There aren’t any benefits to procrastinating. Some speculated that procrastination decreased stress. The theory suggests that by intentionally putting off something, that individual won’t worry. However, the opposite is true, as reported by McLean Hospital. When thinking about it for a while, it makes sense. If you are approaching a deadline, you will be more stressed. It’s a classic example of opportunity costs. By choosing short-term relaxation, you’re losing long-term relaxation; or, to phrase it differently, short-term tranquility comes at the expense of long-term anxiety. What’s interesting is to find out that it doesn’t work both ways. While procrastinating leads to long-term stress, doing the work immediately doesn’t result in short-term stress. Remarkably, Timely reported that being productive makes us happier in the long and short term. That can be due to a sense of accomplishment and purpose: both of which productivity achieves. In 1997, Psychological Science reported the results of their studies. Those studies found that students who procrastinated received worse grades and suffered from more stress. The same results are true of those in and outside of the classroom. All of this can drive us to the conclusion that procrastination is dangerous.
While it’s clear that we should avoid procrastination, the next question is how? As cited earlier, McLean Hospital reported that ADHD, anxiety, and depression are all causes of procrastination. However, the Huffington Post reported that social media was the largest source of procrastination. (It would seem that all roads lead back to Mark Zuckerberg.) Those who desire to kill procrastination should consider quitting social media. Procrastination is the death of humanity.
Asher Sisneros 