All of us have procrastinated at one point or the other, and chances are that you have done the same. Procrastination is the act of delaying a certain action until later but the problem is that the ‘later’ in question never arrives. And while this is not a character trait that you should seek to emulate the fact remains that procrastination comes with its own negative effects that can have lifelong consequences for you as an individual.
- Loss of opportunities: As a result of procrastination, you are bound to lose out on several opportunities that come across your way. While at that point it may have seemed like a great idea to shelve the opportunity for later, the problem is that the ‘later’ never comes and you are bound to blow out a precious opportunity, one that could have helped to set your career on a new trajectory altogether.
- Loss of time: Often, you are bound to become aware that you are procrastinating and as a result, you realize that you have lost valuable time that you could have better utilized for something else altogether. While it is a good thing to become aware of when you are procrastinating, the fact remains that you cannot go back in time and any time you have lost as a result of your procrastination, is lost forever.
- Shoddy time management: If you happen to procrastinate regularly, then chances are that you would suck at time management or any activity that requires you to finish tasks in a given period.
- Goal setting: As a result of your tendency to procrastinate often, you would not be able to accomplish most of your goals. As a result of this action on your part, you would not be able to achieve your complete potential and would have to make do with what you can, for the moment.
- Career: If you continue to procrastinate regularly, then chances are that your career will take a hit. NO company likes to retain employees who cannot manage the most simple of tasks or schedules, and are not motivated enough to improve themselves or their career. A proven ability to meet deadlines on time or even monthly targets can result in your termination and soon it will only be a matter of time before you find it hard to land a job anywhere.
- Lowered self-esteem: Often when you procrastinate, you are bound to ask yourself why you feel that you cannot do a certain task and as a result, both desperation and lowered self-esteem sets in. And if you are a habitual procrastinator, then this can result in chronic depression and total lack of self-esteem.
These are some of the negative effects of procrastination; the fact remains that no one is immune to this and everyone would have procrastinated at one point of time or the other. You need to do all you can to combat the insidious effects of procrastination and take effective measures at the earliest.