Have you ever considered what a man’s most valuable asset is? It’s now or never. If you have time, you have a lot. On the other hand, if you waste time, you lose everything..
Losing time renders everything else useless. Such a loss is costly and absolutely unaffordable. How does this happen at all? Procrastination, nothing short of slow poison. It kills you little by little..
Procrastination is an addiction and the de-addiction will bring challenges to make your task difficult. However, it is not impossible!
The following may not be authentic solutions, but are definitely great starters.
First, respect and honor this invaluable asset. We never let go of anything that we respect. We strive hard to make meaning out of it. Squandering it is out of the question. Time is deserving of
such honour. Procrastination is unthinkable for anyone who values time the way it should be valued.
Second, give each task the attention it requires. Accelerating the task is perfectly acceptable. However, cutting it short to reduce time consumption is no good. Take the time good enough to
do it and you will reap excellent results. This in turn saves the time that we often invest on fixing all that went wrong.
Have you ever appreciated doing tasks that weren’t assigned to you? Never! This is exactly how time works too. What needs to be done today should be completed today. Tomorrow is irrelevant since it is preoccupied with its own set of duties. This is the kind of understanding we need. This principle will never lead us into the evil hands of procrastination.
The last but not least is planning, which is by far the most critical of all. The act of planning is a form of art in itself. Planning entails looking ahead and preparing the appropriate environment for the mission. With such a difficult job, it’s understandable that the most valuable resource, time, is prioritised. When you prepare, you don’t just delegate time to tasks; you respect the time they need and set goals for yourself. A plan need not necessarily be a sophisticated one. Something as simple as chalking out the next course of action in your mind will do. As long as the ‘looking forward’ element exists, the plan wins.
Though planning is important, sticking to the plan is the most important aspect. How many of us have made plans that have never been implemented? Make a plan and make sure you implement it. Every plan looks forward to the future, the finish line. But, what takes you there is the plan in action!
So, go ahead, make a plan, and bring it to life.
Returning to the subject, procrastination is unquestionably a bad thing. But, at the end of the day, it’s all a bad habit. Conquering this evil or rather giving up this habit demands a little bit of effort and patience. Such an investment is totally worth it. The results last a lifetime. The day you know you have conquered this bad habit, life will seem smoother and better than before!
-Sanjeevini Surendran