The Hidden Costs of Delay Unmasking the Dangers of Procrastination [Part Two]

In part one we looked at the data analysis of procrastination with its impact on students, adults, and the general population. The definition and the causes of procrastination were also discussed ranging from fear of failure to emotional, behavioral, cognitive, environmental, economic, and physiological causes. Part two will deal with types of procrastination, the dangers, and strategies for overcoming them. Without any preamble let us jump right into it.

I would like to start this part two with a lovely story written by Mirabel George on procrastination. Here it is: Once upon a time, the devil decided to destroy humankind. He called in all his little devils to make the plans. Anger came first and asked to be allowed to do the job by setting brother against brother. He would make people angry with each other, and they would destroy themselves.

Lust also offered to go. He would defile minds and turn people into beasts by making love disappear. Next, Greed spoke and offered to destroy humankind with the most destructive of passions: uncontrolled desires. Idleness, Hate, Jealousy, and Envy each claimed in turn that they could do the job. But the devil was not satisfied with any of them.

Finally, the last assistant came forward. He said, “I will talk with people persuasively in terms of all that God wants them to be. I shall tell them how fine they plan to be honest, clean, and brave. I shall encourage them in good purposes of life!”

The devil was aghast at such talk. But then the assistant continued, “I shall tell them there is no hurry. They can do all of these things tomorrow. I shall advise them to wait until the condition becomes more favorable before they start!” The devil replied, “You are the one who shall go to earth to destroy humans!” The assistant’s name was PROCRASTINATION.

I leave the rest to your imagination. I too imagine how many destinies have been aborted, scuttled, and delayed because of procrastination. The powerful leader and Minister Myles Munroe used to say that the richest place in the world is the cemetery. Many have gone without manifesting their destiny. So many songs are not sung, films not produced, books not written, innovative inventions not done and so much more because the human species procrastinate. It’s time therefore to ask yourself what gifts and talents have I allowed to be buried denying the world of my contribution to it. No wonder the Lord Jesus was so displeased with the servant who buried his talent and could yield no dividend for his master with it. [Matthew 25:14–30]

Types of Procrastination:

There are many types of procrastination, but for this article, we will look at a few of them. Here then are some common types of procrastination:

1. Task Aversion Procrastination: Avoiding a specific task – Putting off tasks due to lack of interest, fear, or anxiety. Because of fear of the outcome of some decisions and tasks, they get delayed. Interest to pursue them gets diminished and ultimately life-changing projects gets abandoned.
2. Decisional Procrastination: Finding it difficult to make decisions – undecidedness makes people put off life-changing decisions for fear of making the wrong choice. People are mostly averse to taking any kind of risk even when there is a high probability of success. I like what Mark Zuckerberg said about taking risks, he said

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that is changing quickly, the only strategy guaranteed to fail is not taking risks”. Mark Zuckerberg

People delay from simple to life-threatening issues of life, from career choices to routine health check-ups that could help detect and prevent terminal sickness like cancer, etc.

3. Avoidant Procrastination: Avoiding emotions or situations: – Putting off tasks or situations that evoke unpleasant emotions. Running away from conflicts or unpleasant conversations. Many like me hate confrontations, especially with drama lovers. But it is more damaging when most issues that need to be dealt with are shelved because of how it will make us feel. What is never confronted and dealt with never gets resolved. They are like wounds that, if not treated, fester and breed worms and gangrene
4. Perfectionistic Procrastination: Fear of not meeting high standards- trying to be the very best in all you do can drive you to put off completing tasks, hoping to get them done perfectly to meet your standard. What will normally take people a few minutes can have a perfectionist working on it for days.
5. Time Management Procrastination: Poor time management skills – inability to manage time prudently. Technology, as good as it may be, has also impacted many people poorly. The wide variety of entertainment offered by social media has led to massive time killing. Productive hours have all been lost to entrainment, especially to hedonists, while the smart ones make a living off them.

3. Emotional Procrastination: Emotional sabotage – When our emotions rule us, we can be constantly short-changed. Creative people like writers are mostly susceptible to this, even I. Some moods enable writing while some are just downers, but many have devised ways of subduing their emotions and working no matter how they feel. Stress and feelings of depression are two dangerous time robbers; the good news is that the time to catch the thief and get back all that was stolen has come. [Pro. 6:30-31]
4. Intellectual Procrastination: This is when people overthink or analyze things and get stuck, not knowing how to proceed. Here, all the planned activities and strategies are in place, but executing them becomes a challenge. Inaction is really a killer of many a vision.
5. Motivational Procrastination: Here, there is just no zeal or drive of any sort to propel action. Everything simply grinds to a stop. Things one was so passionate about before lose their allure.
6. Habitual Procrastination: Procrastination as a habit – some people are just habitual, incurable procrastinators. It seems to be in their DNA. These ones will keep putting tasks off, even life-threatening ones. It is just in their nature. How sad.
7. Technological Procrastination: Using technology as a distraction – These are the GZ people. The social media addicts: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, Netflix, Game players, gambling betters, name it. Using technology, such as social media or email, as a distraction from tasks. They can spend hours watching, chatting, talking online, and burning resources of time and money.

Am sure there are many other types of procrastination, you can add the one peculiar to you as you read, but the most important thing is that once the cause of a thing is discovered, its solution is within reach.

In part three, which is the concluding part of this article, we will be exploring the consequences of procrastination and how to overcome them. Having identified the types of procrastination you are prone to, and their negative impact on your life, you can devise strategies that will help you overcome them and have a more productive life.

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