Procrastination is a habit that requires a lot of effort and self-discipline to overcome. Sometimes, it cannot be completely eliminated but rather reduced. This habit makes a person delay or postpone a task or decision, and in the long run, if not addressed, it leads to a loss of productivity, which in turn brings feelings of guilt.
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I have experienced this a lot, and in fact, I am still experiencing it. The only difference is that it has reduced compared to how I used to experience it in the past. In fact, I would not say it has been long since I reduced it or got rid of it. I was still deeply into it until two years ago when I had an experience that restructured my way of thinking.
I was in school, in my final year, for that matter, and I had the habit of doing things at the last minute. Yes, almost every school task was done at the last minute. Exams were fast approaching, and I had not paid my school fees. There had been consecutive warnings that anyone without a school fee receipt would not be allowed to sit for the examination. I knew that this had always been the school’s policy, yet I usually paid a day before the exam. Although I did not always get the money to pay early, even if it came a week before the exam, I would still wait until the last day before paying.
That semester, my dad sent the money to me two weeks before the deadline, and as usual, I decided to keep it until my usual payment time. Even when I got close to the bank, I would simply brush it off, refuse to enter, and tell myself I would pay on my set day. The spirit of procrastination was just too strong in me. I found it entertaining to harbor the habit, and I saw going to the bank as tiring because, normally, it would take up to 20 minutes to get through the long queue. I was not ready to use a regular day for that. I wanted to use the rushing day, where even though it would be stressful, I would know that it did not clash with any of my relaxing or lazy days.
The exam was to start on Tuesday, and Monday was the last day I had to pay the school fees. However, malaria struck, and I could not leave the house. It all felt like a joke, why would malaria attack me on such an important day?
Well, I took medication and hoped I would be fine before the next day so I could rush to the bank and make the payment before my exam, which was scheduled for 11 AM.
Fortunately, I felt relieved the next morning. I rushed to the bank as early as 7:30 AM, but when I got there, they had yet to start operations. We were made to wait outside until around 8:30 AM before we were allowed in. Even after entering, we had to queue again before accessing the bank hall, as was their custom.
To cut the story short, I finished making the payment around 11:10 AM, and by then, the examination had already started. I rushed back to school, but the supervisors refused to allow me in because, according to them, I might have gotten the answers while I was away. I had to plead and beg, explaining to them that I had gone to pay my school fees. I was later allowed in, but by then, almost an hour had been lost. The only thing that saved me that day was the fact that the exam questions were simple, and I was able to write well.
Since then, I make sure to handle my tasks, especially sensitive ones, as soon as possible. I only procrastinate when the task is not a big deal.
Thanks.
I wrote this in response to Scifi multiverse prompt.
Posted Using INLEO
It's a pity to learnt the hard way, procrastination is bad .
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STOPTo learn the hard wasn't funny, but thank God the lesson learnt. Making sure your task are handle is a way to go. Thank you for sharing this