A Battle Between Comfort and Responsibility

 A Battle Between Comfort and Responsibility

Salma Hreish

It is widely acknowledged that time management is an empowering life skill that enables individuals to take control of their priorities, set their goals straight, and make the road to achieving these goals straightforward, and attainable. It helps us make the most of the precious time we are granted, avoid time-wasting practices, and stay away from falling into the habit of procrastination.  

Procrastination is an experience that intertwines with many people's lives. It can get in the way of doing homework, chores, or just trying to achieve a goal. In the beginning, it may give you a sense of relief and a break from doing the task you were about to do, but its long term effects won't make up for it when you realize that you weren't able to get much done. 

Even though procrastination is often associated with laziness, it holds deeper meanings of self-harm. When we put off a task against our good judgment, we are not only negatively affected by the task being not completed in time, but even more by the sense of personal failure of raising up to the expectation of success in that task completion in a satisfactory manner. 

At the personal level, I have to admit that I have fallen into the trap of procrastination. I often delay completing tasks because of the negative feelings or moods I anticipate to be associated with these obligations. One role that procrastination plays in my life is the stress that it causes. I tend to push back assignments till the very last minute because having other things to do at the same time leaves me overwhelmed, so I just end up doing none of them. Instead of allowing time for planning and making a schedule, procrastination forces me to rush to conclusions and think that there is just too much and I should leave it for another time. 

I believe that individuals tend to procrastinate because they give momentary preference to their mental state. While this is not the best decision in all cases, I have come to the understanding that procrastination is more of an emotion control issue rather than a time management problem. In short, if it’s going to bother me, then I just decide I’m not yet ready to tackle it, and on the shelf it goes! 

Procrastination acts as a barrier to productivity and growth. It keeps us from getting tasks done in a timely manner and eventually ends up causing more stress than before. As deadlines approach, the pressure to get tasks done intensifies. This often ends up with low-quality work that overall leads to frustration and guilt. 

While procrastination is an unhealthy habit most of the time, there are very few cases where it could have potential benefits. Yes, it provides temporary relief, however it could also get you to do one task to avoid another. After finishing all of those tasks in hopes of the one you're avoiding magically disappearing, you will only be left with one more thing to do. This is a tactic known as productive procrastination. Instead of facing the task I am dreading, I can clean my room or do a chore. After that, having a clean room and an organized workspace may give me motivation to do the task that I had been dreading the most. 

Recently, I have been following a self reward system to encourage myself to get things done in a timely manner. I promise myself a little treat after the completion of less favorable tasks, such as lighting up a nice candle after cleaning my room, or going out for ice cream after completing a very complicated assignment. When I associate an unexciting event with an exciting reward, I start looking forward to completing the task at hand to get to the reward. The key here is never to compromise on quality, otherwise, that treat will not be granted!