Procrastination is a virus that infects many of us. We push away tasks into the future somehow believing that we’ll be able to deal with them effectively then. But when the future becomes the present, we find ourselves burdened with two or three times of the work that we would’ve otherwise had, and we continue to procrastinate to get out of the mess we ourselves create. Other than not being able to accomplish our work in the time that we’re supposed to, procrastination affects us in quite a few other ways, ultimately affecting our happiness.
1. Procrastination piles up the stress.
When you procrastinate on your tasks, you keep pushing them into the future. But over time, new tasks emerge and you’re left trying to work on them all, which builds pressure and stress and makes you feel low and weary.
2. You lose out on precious opportunities.
Not doing a particular thing on time can lead to lost opportunities. “If only I’d done that then…” becomes a recurring thought. Opportunities don’t knock on anyone’s door repeatedly. Avoid the regret of having missed out.
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3. You lose confidence in yourself.
Not only do others lose faith in your ability to do a certain thing in time, you yourself start feeling doubtful about whether you can do something in time. That’s a powerless position to be in since you’ve lost belief in yourself.
4. It affects your health adversely.
You’d wish that procrastination stopped at just a pile-up of stress. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. Stress is linked to anxiety, hypertension, high blood pressure, and weight gain, and can cause depression over time. Prolonged stress can be fatal.
5. Your career gets affected negatively.
When your boss thinks about giving you a promotion or salary raise, your procrastination habit will stick out like a sore thumb. If you procrastinate so much that it affects your company negatively, you may even get fired and face a bleak future.
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6. Procrastination damages relationships.
Your relationships are built on a foundation of promises and commitments you make to each other. If you’ll continually falter in this department because of your procrastination habit, your relationships, especially with dear ones, will fall apart.
7. You won’t get back lost time.
When you look back in time to how you spent your college years, your early twenties, your late twenties, and so on, you’ll begin to regret having wasted your time and chances. But then you’ll realize that you can’t get back that time. It’s done.
To sum up, procrastination is a habit that has terrible consequences for your life. Start managing your procrastination now to enhance the happiness quotient in your life.