How to Stop Procrastinating

Aashruth and Aadhya went to play a game of golf. Aashruth challenged Aadhya’s ability to play the game. He told her that if she missed the first hole she would have to pay him one rupee; from there on it would be double for every hole that she missed.

Golf, being a game of eighteen holes, Aadhya had better be an exceptional golf player to accept this challenge.

S.NoAmountS.NoAmountHole 1₹ 1Hole 10₹ 512Hole 2₹ 2Hole 11₹ 1,024Hole 3₹ 4Hole 12₹ 2,048Hole 4₹ 8Hole 13₹ 4,096Hole 5₹ 16Hole 14₹ 8,192Hole 6₹ 32Hole 15₹ 16,384Hole 7₹ 64Hole 16₹ 32,768Hole 8₹ 128Hole 17₹ 65,536Hole 9₹ 256Hole 18₹ 1,31,072

As the table reveals, even at the 9th hole, the halfway mark, it is still only a trifling 256 rupees. Even at the 12th hole, three-fourth the way, it is still only a paltry 2048 rupees. This is exactly how we look at things in life and postpone everything.

Procrastination has become the most dreadful of psychological disease that is swallowing the potential of humanity. Metaphorically, what we do not realise is that when we postpone doing something in life even by a day, the gap, in the beginning, is only ‘2 minus 1’ but the gap later is ‘1,31,072 minus 65,536’.

Our procrastinations may not hurt us too much in the beginning but what we will be deprived of in the long run can be very damaging.

We understand the importance of health and fitness, but we postpone our efforts in that direction. We realise the importance of financial planning and investment, but we procrastinate our initiative in that direction. We comprehend the importance of our board exams but push our preparations till it becomes a crisis.

We are inspired to write an article, but the idea is still in the cold storage. We find pushing papers into the pending folder as the most convenient option.

All stress and tensions in life are nothing but the accrual of psychological pressure caused by the gap between when it should have been done and when it was eventually done.

Procrastination is the most certain way to shorten one’s lifespan. Postponement is the signature of under-achievers.

What we have to do tomorrow, let us do today; if we like it, we can do it again tomorrow. What has to be done today, let us do now; so that we can do more the next moment.

Life will not postpone our death. So, let us not postpone our life.

If tomorrow comes… I will tell tomorrow, I have already done it yesterday.