“Yes, I’ll get to it” I say and mentally place this new item into the ever growing to-do list in my head. I write things down and use all the memory techniques I teach others, yet still things get put off…until they absolutely HAVE to get done. Yes, procrastination has reared its ugly head again causing undue stress, inefficiency and disappointment. As we wind down our Mindful Winter Warm Up this week and next, let’s pause and discuss the pros and cons of procrastination.
Wondering what the upside of procrastination is? You’re correct: there isn’t any! Sure, maybe some amazing, miraculous help will arrive just in the nick of time to save us from the huge project, overflowing laundry or messy closet. But the chances of that are slim so we might as well dive in and stop procrastinating!
There are no pros and plenty of cons to procrastination in life. Defer, delay, restructure or whatever it’s called at the moment, it’s all still procrastination on some level. The cumulative effect of it can be detrimental. It causes forgetfulness, ineffectiveness and negative stress which can lead to physical disease manifestations.
Procrastination just doesn’t impact us, but extends its slimy grip to those around us as well. Coworkers, family and friends all feel the effect of our deferring actions. They are often burdened with waiting for us, sacrificing their own time to help and/or dealing with the consequences of our delay tactics.
If we allow it, procrastination can weave its destructive web into areas of our lives we may not have even thought of yet. It not only wreaks havoc in present productivity and well-being, but can lead to profound ramifications as we age. A recent study discussed how systemic inflammation seen in many neurodegenerative diseases may be occurring earlier in our brains than previously thought. This means we cannot keep procrastinating about wellness, including our mind wellness.
So how do we stop the invasive nature of procrastination in all areas of our lives, including brain wellness? That will be the focus of our last Mindful Winter Warm Up next week. Here’s a sneak peek…
At the heart of procrastination is a lack of organization. We’ll dive into this and other strategies to finally kick procrastination’s ugliness to the curb and grab onto wellness in our lives. Join me next Monday as we wrap up our Mindful Winter Warmup and prepare for fruitful Spring!