Why Fast Isn't Always Worse? Advantages of Procrastination

Anyone has delayed one of their tasks at least once. There are various reasons why we procrastinate things. In many cases, we don’t like the task, so it’s not easy to complete the assignment on time. Or some people like to work under the pressure of a deadline.

Although we experience fear when we procrastinate, we tend to continue with this action. Procrastination creates discomfort and negative feelings like stress, but people still prefer to complete their duties right before the deadline ends. Students are the ones who like to postpone their assignments because they think they have better things to do.

Psychology experts claim that active procrastination is a clever method that we can use in order to manage our tasks better, while passive procrastination isn’t that good.

It’s considered that people who procrastinate are lazy, unprofessional or disorganized. This may be true, but there are some benefits in procrastination that can improve your work. Let’s see what they are.

• You won’t expect much from your work

If you do fast writing, you won’t expect a good grade for it. You will use the excuse that you haven’t had enough time to do your best. So, in case you get a bad grade, you won’t be disappointed.

• It makes you work faster

When you do an urgent essay, you work faster than you usually do. The amount of work that you normally do in 2 or 3 hours will be done in one hour. This way, you will avoid a tedious task as long as it’s possible and you will still be able to do it before its deadline.

• It increases your energy

When we work under pressure or fear, our bodies relieve adrenaline which can produce energy. Sometimes, people procrastinate because they feel tired, so they delay their duties until the latest possible moment. This way, they will have an increased level of energy to finally solve the task. Moreover, people feel fear when they know that the deadline is close, and they didn’t finish what they had to. Also, fear triggers the production of adrenaline, which is a natural analgesic, so our negative feelings won’t interfere when we will try to complete the assignment.

• We focus better

When you know that you have 3 hours to do some kind of college writing, probably you won’t pay attention only to this task. Maybe you will frequently take breaks, or you will text, use Facebook, etc. But if you have one hour to write an essay, you will focus only on that. You won’t have time to see if someone called you or check your Instagram notifications.

• We learn that some things are simpler than others  

You probably know by now that some tasks are more difficult than others, and that’s why people avoid doing them. We focus on the assignments that are easier and that we like. Therefore, we learn to appreciate the little things.

• Someone else might do your task

There are times when you procrastinate something for a long time that someone else does the job for you. Let’s say that you have to do a group project and every member has to do research and then write the essential information in a time limit. If the deadline approaches and you don’t provide your work to the group, probably somebody else will complete that part for you. Or let’s suppose that you have to clean the house but you avoid doing it for a few days. It’s likely that your roommate or one of your parents will clean the house for you.

• When you procrastinate, you create a plan for your assignment

Sometimes, students have trouble when it comes to writing an academic paper because they don’t know where to begin. So, you can make the plan of your paper. For example, you can note what you want to write in the introduction, body and conclusion. This way, you will get the big picture and the writing will become easier.

• You can do something productive

If you don’t feel ready to do your task, then use the time to your advantage. For example, if you’re tired, drink a cup of coffee while you check your e-mails or write your groceries list. You can read something useful for your classes or your personal development. Instead of wasting your time, you will do something that will be beneficial later.

There are two types of procrastination

There is unstructured and structured procrastination. Unstructured procrastination means that you do something relaxing or creative in order to boost your energy. For example, you can read, take a nap, take a walk or exercise.

Structured procrastination refers to the fact that you delay your primary assignment in order to complete simpler tasks. For instance, you have to write an important and long essay, but before you start writing it, you do other things such as: wash the dishes, clean your room, organize all the materials you need for the essay, etc.

Procrastination can become a problem

When you procrastinate continuously, you can have some issues. Firstly, the quality of your work is affected. Why? Because when you procrastinate, pressure appears and this leads to stress. It’s well known that when you always work under pressure, you won’t get excellent results all the time. Sometimes, you won’t be able to focus under pressure. Besides, after adrenaline is gone, you won’t have much energy left.

It’s indicated to write or do a task under pressure if you have done that specific requirement regularly. You will need practice before you procrastinate your duties. Moreover, as already mentioned, working under pressure triggers stress. It’s hard to concentrate or produce something great when you’re stressed. Also, if you have to do something for the first time, it’s not recommended to procrastinate it. It’s better to use the time you have to your advantage. If you have to do an important presentation, write your thesis or present a project, don’t procrastinate. For this kind of work, you need time to do some research, read and analyze books or lecture notes, do some brainstorming, etc. It’s important to invest your time in things that can influence your future.

Constant procrastinators are used with having no goals. They don’t have motivation or ambition to achieve something. In fact, the only things that motivate them are deadlines. If you want to reach your goal, you need a positive attitude and an eagerness to conquer all that you’ve proposed. When you experience this feeling of joy, the body releases endorphins. Now, if you know how to combine the endorphins and the adrenaline, you can produce quality work, and you will have the necessary energy to complete all the tasks.

How to avoid bad procrastination

• Design a to-do list. You must write down everything you need to do in a day. This way, you will see what activities are important or challenging, and you will know what amount of time to allocate to each task. Once you finish a task, mark it. Maybe you will become more motivated when you see what you’ve achieved throughout the day.

• Eliminate distractions. It’s important that you work in a clean and quiet environment. Also, put your phone on silent (not on vibration) so you won’t be tempted to check if you have any missed calls or messages. Shut down your laptop, tablet or TV.

• Take breaks. You can’t work, study or write continually. Your brain needs to relax from time to time. It’s recommended to create a routine by making regular breaks. For example, if you study, work, and write for 45-50 minutes, take a break of 10-15 minutes.  It’s easier to respect the routine.

• Find some motivation. It’s essential to know what motivates you. When you’re setting your goal, you must also take into consideration the motivation that comes with it. Every person is stimulated by different things, so what works for others may not work for you. For example, some people are motivated by a good grade or a bonus added to their salary. It all depends on your personality.

• Don’t multitask. It’s hard to focus on more than one task, especially if they are difficult. Besides, you can provide more high-quality work if you pay attention to one task at a time.

If you need some urgent writing, and you don’t have enough time to do it, you can use a fast writing service.  These services provide academic papers for students in the shortest time possible.

Don’t become a chronic procrastinator because you will soon forget about your goals. It’s important to know what your limits are. Always remember that you can procrastinate the tasks that you have repeated for a long period and aren’t that important. On the other hand, use all the given time for an assignment that needs to be top-notch. Moreover, find a balance between adrenaline and endorphins so you can achieve great results. Remember that you can benefit from procrastination if you know how to take advantage of it.