Planning Ahead is an Important Life Skill
Time management is a skill that everyone needs.
When you wait till the last minute to do anything, you’re putting yourself through torture. Everyone procrastinates to a certain extent, but if you consistently do it, you’re sabotaging yourself. You’re giving yourself less time and more stress to do something that you need to do, whether it’s an assignment for school or work, or a personal project.
If you turn in something late for school, you may lose points or worse, it might not get counted at all. If you miss deadlines at work, you may lose clients, customers, and ultimately your job. If you pay your bills late, you pay a late fee plus additional interest, which is basically just throwing away money. It’s definitely important to turn in everything on time.
If you constantly wait until the last minute, it becomes part of your reputation. You give yourself the reputation of being irresponsible and harder to work with. People don’t like to work with people who do everything at the last minute. By being timely, you are showing the world that you are responsible.
The way to deal with procrastination is to plan ahead. Planning ahead gives you more time to do the tasks you need to do and fulfill your responsibilities. Using a calendar, whether it’s a wall calendar, or the one installed in your phone, is one smart strategy. You need to be aware of upcoming events and deadlines. You are preparing not only for today, this week, or this month, but also for the future.
Roderick Conwi writes about personal and professional development at Nourishment Notes. He is an educator with a background in corporate training and project management. He is also the author of The Procrastinator’s Quick Guide To Getting It Done. To get powerful insights to enhance your day, join his FREE newsletter.
