The Art of Procrastination

Odds are, everyone one of you reading this has something else you should be doing right now whether it be picking up around the house, completing something for work or school, or commenting on one of my other articles. Instead you have all decided to procrastinate. Now this can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing; it depends which type of procrastinator you are.

The first type of procrastinator is what I would call the “the true procrastinator” or the successful procrastinator. They put things off till later but they actually complete whatever it is that has been required of them on time. This article is mainly focused on them. On the other hand the slacker is someone who slacks off and doesn’t do their work or fulfill their responsibilities. They are still technically a procrastinator as they put off their responsibilities but they either do not complete their work or they complete them very late. So if you are a slacker procrastination is not a good thing for you but if you are a “true procrastinator” then procrastination could possibly be beneficial.

Procrastination beneficial? You must think I’m a mad man but the truth is that it can be if you do it correctly and have the right personality. You must be hard working and focused or else procrastination will not work for you; during crunch time it is essential that you can work quickly and efficiently. 

One advantage of procrastinating, at least for me, is that  I work harder and am more focused last minute. Since I am more productive I am able to get more things done last minute and still have time to do things I’d rather do, beforehand. The other thing I find is that I do some of my best work last minute. If you are like me in this sense, procrastination is good for you and like me you will probably be a procrastinator for your whole life due to the fact that when you procrastinate you are pretty successful and can pull almost anything, if not anything, off no matter how much you procrastinate. 

In addition to doing better under pressure, the other reason I procrastinate is that I get easily distracted when working ahead. Why work now when I could do something more fun now, and work later? Many of you probably think something similar every once in a while. If you are a good procrastinator you can accomplish more and enjoy yourself more than you could if you worked ahead. I’m not saying don’t work ahead I’m just saying you may do better if you put things off till the last minute.

Another advantage of procrastinating is that it allows you time to think something over. If, for example, you have to write a persuasive essay or a some sort of an opinion piece, you will have more time to formulate a strong opinion and come up with good points if you procrastinate. You would also be able to find holes in your argument by testing it on others. If you had instead decided to work ahead, you wouldn’t have had that valuable time to come up with such a strong argument. 

Procrastinating can also help you accomplish the little tasks you’ve been meaning to do for a while. If you have some big project you need to do you will often find yourself willing to do almost anything else. This is the perfect way to accomplish those little things such as sweeping the driveway, dusting your house, or organizing your kitchen. 

To all of you who like to live life dangerously and procrastinate, good procrastinating and you don’t have to stop, there could be success for you. May we unite tomorrow!