Why Do Today What You Can Put Off ‘Til Tomorrow?

Procrastination - do you cringe when you hear that word?
 

Does it trigger a familiar shame? What if procrastination was actually a strength?  “Like hell!” you’d say. “I have been getting sh%t for procrastinating my entire life! How on God’s green earth could it be a strength?”
 

Here’s where I would like you to put your thinking cap on (looks good!).  Think back to when an assignment was due in school; how many of you completed it the night before, or the morning that it was due? How many of you got sh%t and were told, “But you knew about this three weeks ago, and here you are at the last minute finally getting it done!” You knew that you had no problem with it, and for three weeks prior, you didn’t care about it, so there you were, in high gear. As you frantically completed the project, you may have wondered “Why do I keep doing this to myself?” Flash forward to present day, and you are still second-guessing yourself about your procrastination on a regular basis. 

the truth is, the reason that you “do this to yourself” is so that you can do your best work. 
 

By procrastinating like you do, you release your strengths to the forefront at the right time.  It’s what you have always done, and will continue to do.  Have you ever noticed that when you tackle a task at the last minute, you unleash your most creative energy, you get energized, and for some reason, you just come up with the best innovative thoughts, ideas, or solutions?  Even if you managed to get most of the work done ahead of time, you still find yourself changing things up, making additions, or moving things around in the final moments.   
 

For some of us, it’s that aspect of the instinctive part of our minds that spurs into action at crunch time.  It’s that part of our mind that loves the crisis, the challenge, and releases the energy to create something new. 
 

So, the truth is, you were never procrastinating by “their” definition, you were simply relying on yourself to do your best work.  It was your gut instinct to wait until the last minute to kick things into high gear and move into your greatest strength.  So, why do today what you can put off ‘til tomorrow? Because if the deadline is close, and you did the work early, you wouldn’t be doing your best work - that’s why!
 

Trust yourself, trust your gut, and if you are like me, keep procrastinating - it’s what makes you awesome!