Ever had something important to get done, yet you’ve found yourself wasting time doing something else? You were procrastinating. We’ve all been guilty of it. Whether you’re studying a logistic management course or a programme that offers you a different kind of advantage, it’s important to understand why we sabotage ourselves with poor time management.
When studying a logistic management course to pursue a career in supply chain, distribution or supply chain management, resisting the urge to procrastinate is imperative for success. So then, why do we put off things that we need to do in favour of things that hardly matter at all? The answer might surprise you.
Firstly, being a procrastinator doesn’t make you lazy…
If you’re delaying a huge task in order to work on something smaller, you can’t consider yourself slack by any means because you’re still doing something. The origin of the word “procrastination” stems from a Latin term that means “to put off until tomorrow.” Whilst this is fairly self-explanatory, the other half of the word comes from the Greek word “akrasia”. This refers to doing something that is against your better judgement. Could this perhaps describe what we do when we procrastinate?
When we’re aware that our delaying of a task is harmful yet we do it anyway, it becomes clear that the act of procrastination is in fact self-sabotage. This is why we feel as awful as we do when we do it. We know that we shouldn’t be putting off our work, deadlines or commitments and that doing so isn’t good for us. This makes the act of procrastinating an irrational choice that is bound to yield only negative consequences.
So why do we do it then? As it turns out, many psychologists maintain that we do this because we’re unable to navigate the negative moods that surround the tasks that we don’t want to do. Consider a difficult conversation that you know you need to have with someone. You’re afraid of the confrontation and of the consequences so you try to put it off for as long as you can. The longer you leave it, the worse the tension gets. This makes procrastination some kind of coping mechanism that we use to protect us from the challenging elements brought on by certain tasks.
The more you think about it, the more you’ll see that it’s more an emotional issue than a time management one. What we suggest is tapping into why you find yourself delaying when you’re faced with something that needs to get done. By working through these feelings, you’re more likely to understand and combat the urge to put things off. The sooner you can do this, the sooner you’ll be able to live a happier and more productive life. This is something that’s certainly good for success in your career.
Don’t procrastinate when it comes to your future
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