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Picture this: An assignment is due two weeks from now. You just shrug it off. A few days later, you look at your paper—it’s still blank. You still shrug it off. The night before the due date, you’re panicking, typing as fast as you can trying to finish the assignment and make it the best it can be. Good morning/afternoon everyone, my name’s David and today I’m going to be talking to you about procrastination.

	Well. What exactly is procrastination? Procrastination is a bad habit of delaying something or postponing it. I think we’ve all procrastinated at least once in our life—whether it’s that essay, speech, permission form, or if it’s Christmas shopping or anything, really. In contrary to popular belief, procrastination has been around for a very long time. People have struggled with procrastination since ancient civilizations—a Greek poet named Hesiod warned us not to “put your work off till tomorrow and the day after”. A Roman consul Cicero called procrastination “hateful” in the conduct of affairs.

Why do we procrastinate? Well, there are many reasons a person chooses to procrastinate. Common reasons include perfectionism, since perfectionists think they’re “not good” enough for the job, lack of time management, rebellion, lack of interest, skill deficits as well as lack of motivation.

	Since ancient civilizations, we’ve been warned about procrastination. But, is it really as bad as we think it is? Well, it can be beneficial for some people, but… for most people it’s not.

There are many harms of procrastination. Procrastination can literally destroy careers, relationships, lives, you name it. Well, that’s only if you let it and consistently procrastinate. Procrastination can lead to losing time—time that you can’t take back. Wasting time is a terrible feeling to live with, knowing that you can’t take time back and you could have done something way better with that time. Procrastination is directly linked to poor productivity, which can ruin your career and reputation. When you go around promising something, no one will believe you because they’ve already seen you procrastinate—it looks like you never finish what you promise. Procrastination not only affects your reputation, it also affects your health, both mental and physical. Procrastination has been shown to lead to high levels of stress and anxiety, as well as increase your chances of heart disease.

	For some people, procrastination can be beneficial. Some people need that adrenaline boost—it’s been shown that when procrastinating on purpose to get a low amount of time to finish something, it gives us an energy boost, forces us to focus, makes us work faster. One of the main reasons people procrastinate is because they don’t like the task. Well, if you have minimal time to do something, you’re not going to spend much time doing a dreaded task. Also, if distraction is an issue and the deadline is near, you’re less likely to get distracted—you have to get the job done. One of the problems with doing a task you don’t like is the lack of motivation and energy—you’re forced to use that adrenaline boost when you’re close to a deadline and have to finish. However, this limited time doesn’t enable for high quality work, deep thought or reviewing and is highly stressful—not exactly the best option.

If you’re a procrastinator, you’ve probably thought about how you can stop procrastinating. Well, this has only been recently researched, and there aren’t exactly simple methods to stop procrastinating—impulsivity and instant gratification have been hard-wired in the human brain for a long time.

However, there are things that can reduce your chances of having procrastination harm you though. Since we do things we like while procrastinating rather than dislike, we can remove those temptations temporarily. A lot of times we are motivated to finish close to a deadline because we don’t want to be embarrassed, so if it’s possible, making your plans public would add pressure to work at a steady and productive rate. Making a list is also helpful—it will limit your procrastination. Don’t feel scared or inferior because of a difficult task. There is always a reason you don’t want to finish something—if you can find that reason and eliminate it you can defeat procrastination.

Now you know a bit more about procrastination, what could happen if you procrastinate, how procrastination can be beneficial, why you procrastinate and some tips to stop procrastinating. Remember. Start it early. Don’t leave it last minute. Brainstorm. Think. Utilize your time wisely. Don’t give in to temptation. Do it for yourself, your future. Stop procrastinating. Thank you.