PROCRASTINATION

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone”
― Pablo Picasso

It occurred to me recently that what I regret the most during quarantine are the things I  had put off doing (prior to lockdown), due to procrastination. Yes, I am a procrastinator, always thinking I can postpone doing something until a later date. It is one of my flaws that I have tried throughout the years to overcome. Many times I think I am on track and then find myself backpedalling. I think sometimes people procrastinate because they do not want to deal with an unpleasant or difficult task. But; here’s the thing – sooner or later, we must do whatever we have put off doing. And, don’t we feel so much better once we have finally completed whatever it was we had postponed?

This pandemic has forced me to take a long hard look at some of the things I delayed doing…putting off for a more convenient time. During these sombre times, we realize without a doubt, that we really do not know what is around the corner. No sooner had the year 2020 begun, before we could even decide if we would follow through on those New Year’s resolutions, this epidemic reared its ugly head. Months later, heading towards the end of May, we are still consumed with the same issue the year began with. I look back on the previous year…2019, and think of all the time I wasted. I am not talking about doing simple or leisurely things. I am referring to serious matters that needed to be taken care of, some unpleasant, that I just did not want to deal with.

Now that the whole world has paused, despite having loads of time on my hands; some of these issues still have to be postponed until life starts moving in earnest again. So; because of my procrastination, I have to sit and ponder and wait even longer to resolve matters that I should have dealt with as they arose. It is not that easy to admit to being a procrastinator. I hope I can learn from this time of Coronavirus, when the whole world came to a halt….to do all you can, when you can, and don’t matter how unpleasant a task may seem, do it today and stop procrastinating. Do not wait for tomorrow, because none of us knows what tomorrow may bring.