The assertion that “Procrastination is a thief of time” has been justified in the lives of some people who despite having goals, failed to achieve them or achieved them at a later date.
Among the disadvantages of procrastination are delayed success, missing deadlines, and demotivation – all of these cons serve to destroy a man and his destiny. However, if you realize your tendency to always procrastinate, you are better than someone who does not acknowledge they share a similar problem.
You are more likely going to do something about that tendency than someone who is in denial. People procrastinate for various reasons known to them, however, there’s a general effect of procrastination with more damaging effects than you know. It is quite possible to find out if you are a chronic procrastinator or not via Are You a Chronic Procrastinator?
So, we bring you eight effects of procrastination that will likely destroy you.
1. Losing Precious Time
In procrastinating, you postpone a set goal for a future date that is not even guaranteed. You may find yourself older without changing anything that you set out to do.
Losing precious time leaves you wishing but in all of it, you cannot turn back the hands of time. Meanwhile, the feeling of regret is one of the reasons some people delve into depression and also lose self-esteem.
Time waits for nobody, and so, if you fail to do what you ought to do now, you’d pay for it someday.
2. Blowing Opportunities
Opportunity only meets preparation – if you’re a procrastinator, either chronic or otherwise, opportunities are likely going to pass you by.
This is because you’d be unprepared when the opportunity comes lurking.
So you might lose self-esteem and feel disoriented at some life-changing opportunities that will present themselves to you.
If you prepare yourself, nature will conjure itself to give you more.
3. Not Meeting Goals
It is quite easy to set goals but procrastination comes to bear when you have the desire to score your goals but find it difficult to take the first step.
This can be quite puzzling. You might even take the first step but lost your motivation along the line of achieving your goals. Some people have the ability to dig deeper for resistance while others just back out instantly.
If you procrastinate on your goals, the chances of having a better life are somewhat reduced and you might just be on your way to being destroyed.
It is quite instructive that if you want to overcome procrastination, find out why you procrastinate.
4. Ruining a Career
Regardless of how fledgling your career is, if you’re a procrastinator, you’d be gradually ruining your career and destroying your life.
You may be unable to meet deadlines and targets that are set for you by your boss.
So, if you repeatedly fail to meet up the goal of your organization, you will likely be thrown out of the door.
And what is a good life without a career?
5. Lower Self-Esteem
Low self-esteem is a destroyer of man, and this is one of the reasons so many people fall into depression.
If you share similar goals with friends and they didn’t procrastinate when you did, you’d likely feel terrible about yourself if they’ve achieved them.
The more you procrastinate, the more you lose confidence in yourself. you’d feel that you’re unworthy of success and develop insecurities.
Should you find yourself losing self-esteem, focus on building the same instead of clinging to the illusion that you ought to be able to do something.
6. Making Poor Decisions
Procrastinators are poor decision-makers. They make easy decisions that do not require them to go through that route which made them procrastinate.
Emotion is part of what influences the decision of humans, and the moment you put on the procrastinator’s garment is when you have negative emotions – this will likely see you make a bad decision.
While procrastinating, do not make any decision but write out the possibilities of your decision before taking an action.
7. Damage to Your Reputation
Procrastinators do not keep to their word. They make promises and tarnish their reputation when they fail to keep to their bidding.
Another con of procrastination is that people get used to it until it becomes an attitude towards everything they do.
So if you have failed at a project at one time, the people around you would see you as someone who procrastinates.
Those depending on you might stop doing so and label you as such.
However, if you have been labelled as a procrastinator, you can still turn that perception around you if you keep to your word. Anytime you score a goal or fulfil a promise, you do not only feel good but your reputation increases.
8. Risking Your Health
Failure to meet your target is a recipe for mental stress and anxiety which can affect your mental health.
Whatever leaves you feeling sad with regrets can affect your state of mental health and lead to depression.
One more way that procrastination affects your health is in the short term like when you postpone exercise or medical checkups.
Final Thoughts
Procrastination is a social behaviour that is often neglected by people who are not aware of its negative effects. It has several effects that are not suitable for the mental well-being of any human as it is given that it shatters dreams, causes low self-esteem, brings about insecurities, breaks dreams and etc.
Nonetheless, the effect of this phenomenon is not irredeemable. There is cognitive-behavioural therapy that may be of great help if you are a chronic procrastinator.
