Procrastination: A Hindrance to Success?

Successful people achieve the kind of success they have right now through hard work and patience. It is inevitable, though, that there were instances during their “striving moments” wherein luck played its cards and paved way their roads for success.  But, generally, it is just a matter of discipline and initiative if one really wants to achieve success.

According to most successful individuals, the best ingredient for a successful career is diligence.  Diligence is the human value of exerting efforts to fulfill a task without resorting to negligence or irresponsibleness. Surveys showed that not all successful people are highly intelligent with an above average IQ level. There are those who have not gone to the best universities or have not even finished schooling. There are those who are just high school graduates, yet they have the most booming businesses in the market. Hence, one can really say that success is defined mostly by attitude and passion – attitude to excel and be diligently passionate about it.

Not everybody, however, have the same mindsets when it comes to achieving success. There are those who are just too lazy to get up for work, while some lack the enthusiasm in their workplace. There are individuals who are contented not to do anything productive and, instead, prefer to do things, which are not only “unhealthy” but also adversely affecting their jobs such as sleeping too much, unimaginable hook-up time with the television, or too much partying.

Furthermore, there are individuals who love to procrastinate resulting to undone works and deadlines left in whim. Procrastinators like to do their tasks at the very last minute. They have this attitude of doing their tasks on a later date of the schedule which could result to low quality of work outputs due to cramming.  Accordingly, procrastination has now gained momentum as one of the favorite topics among recent research works, especially studies on human behavior. It is now becoming famous as a subject for study because some considered it as an interesting topic since procrastination is a natural part of human nature. If talked about, all people can relate to the state of procrastinating.

What is procrastination?

Studies showed that procrastination excuses no one. Everybody procrastinates – it is part of human nature. Accordingly, it is only natural among people to put aside their tasks and do it on a later time because for the simple reason of not wanting to do it at a specific time.  There are also those who love to cram and find cramming effective in fulfilling their various tasks. Meanwhile, procrastination does not necessarily mean that one is lazy or inefficient; they are just used to put off until the next day things that are supposed to be done now.

Scientific researches stated that procrastination is the act of postponing a certain thing to do (or task) to the point that one’s work becomes delayed.  There are many factors involve why people procrastinate. Firstly, some individuals lack self-confidence that they can really succeed in doing their work if they are just diligent enough to do it and finish it on time. There is a tendency among humans wherein, even from the very start, they are not confident enough that they can finish their tasks on time or to have it done flawlessly; hence, they resorted to intervening variables or “comforting things” around which can delay in the fulfillment of their jobs.

With all the latest technology and media’s influence, people easily get distracted from concentrating in their works.  This is often the reason why some people put aside their important tasks because they got tempted to do other things present in their surroundings that stirs their interest.  People lack focus in their workplace because of unnecessary interruptions brought by a fast-growing society.  Mood can also be another triggering factor why people procrastinate.  Individuals, especially artists, rely so much on their mood in order for their works to be effective. Painters, songwriters, novelists and dancers do not find it effective to do their crafts if their mood to do such is not present.  This often leads to put aside such work and save it for some other time when the mood is right.

If low self-esteem is one factor why people procrastinate, over confidence could also be deemed as another reason why people procrastinate. Notably, people with overzealous confidence often think of themselves as someone who can really beat the deadline at the same time producing high-quality work outputs. However, such case is not always applicable. Because of too much confidence that one can do his/her job even just for a short time often results to low-quality outputs because it is being done out in a hurry.

Too many workloads can sometimes lead to procrastination. Because of too much work, one cannot choose anymore which task should be accomplished first.  Because of frustration and pressure, one chooses not to do anything anymore. This is a perfect manifestation that one, instead, prefers to escape from the bulk of works that need to be done than face all of those.

Diligence is still the key

Although  some human behavioral experts claimed that procrastination has its own share of benefits because it gives time for men/women to relax and meditate before doing all their tasks, still it cannot be discounted that procrastination is generally not a healthy practice.  Although there are those who find it effective to have their jobs done in just a short time and loving the pressure of finishing such, still, procrastination should not be exercised regularly.

True enough that humans are all procrastinators in nature, but one should think that it is just a matter of managing your emotions and rising above from all the intervening factors around. One should take into mind, that if one really wants to succeed in life and in work, they should try to avoid procrastinating because, as tested by time, diligence is still the best key to success.

A Career After College

College graduation plays an important role in every student’s life.  It is the breaking free from the four corners of the classroom and paving goodbye to “student-hood”. No more school works to finish, no more to school projects and compulsory school club attendance, no more to research papers, and no more to mind-boggling examinations. Graduation is the main exit point from the routine which a college student has to go through for four years or more.  For others, however, college graduation is a start of a new beginning- the start of an endless journey.  It is the turning point wherein a student is not a student anymore, but a new professional who will be embarking on a fresh chapter in his/her life.  It is the first step of embracing the real world away from the comforts of school – the real world of a “working class.”

We should take into consideration that before entering the working class, we were able to decipher already during our college days the career we want to pursue after college graduation.  Of course, it is the general rule that one will likely settle with a career that fits his/her course in college such as Accountancy students will go for accountant jobs, Biology students for a medical-related profession, or a Journalism major student towards a mass media job.

Sometimes, however, it is not by default that a fresh college graduate will pursue a career in-line with his/her college course. There are some who chose a career far-out from what they studied in college – i.e., a Chemistry major running an Italian restaurant, a Business Management graduate as a successful fitness instructor, or a Biology graduate who is now a top-brass intelligence officer.

Hence, we ask – What drives people to choose a career that is off-tangent from the course they studied in college? What are the factors considered in choosing a career to pursue?

PASSION AND PRACTICALITY

Passion and practicality are two main factors that influence individuals what kind of career they will pursue. A combination of both makes a very idealistic well-being of a career oriented person. It is not all the time that one can savor these two very important things in a career. There are those who chose to follow their passion instead of wealth and fame that he/she can get from another job. There are some people, on the other hand, who chose the practical reasons in choosing a career, such as higher income, power and fame, and a less stressful job.

Passion.  During the time when we still students, we had this vision of what we want in the future. There were dreams of becoming a lawyer, a doctor, or to take good care of a one big happy family. Other dreams were drawn towards the limelight such as being a famous movie star or politician. Because of this vision, one chooses a career that will get him/her to that vision. In other words, this is what an individual really wants to do. This is passion.

Not all people passionately love their jobs. There are those who chose the other side of the fence rather than pursue their passion. There are some, however, who grow loving their jobs. Passion is something that is very important because if there is no passion and drive to do one’s job, every day will be a drag in going to the workplace.  Instead of enjoying work, one gets bored easily and shows no excitement in the workplace.  This can actually adversely affect someone’s performance in the job. Because he/she has no drive to do the job because of the lack of interest to it, there is a tendency that work outputs are sheer product of mediocrity.

Practicality. There are some graduates who get into a job which they do not like in the first place. Among the major reasons why people choose practicality over passion in their chosen fields is the fact of higher income from the job, simple job yet earning so high, the comfort offered in the job, and the prestige of the job.   Accordingly, choosing practical reasons over passion is, in itself, a practical thing to do. For others, one can still pursue the thing that he/she really wants to do after retirement.

In times like now wherein global financial crisis is at its hype, one should choose a job or career that is practical.

Looking the abovementioned scenario of what a fresh college graduate is likely to go through after graduation; one can say that it is not that easy to enter the “working class.” One has to make tough decisions on what career to pursue – on whether one will choose his/her passion or to pursue a career that is more practical, regardless if that is really what one wants.

Furthermore, the most important thing about in the working class is that one should be able to contribute in the society.  It is not necessarily something very expensive or material stuff. By simply being a good citizen and honest worker are enough contributions in the society. Furthermore, by paying taxes as well as observing environmental laws, one has contributed a significant part in the society.

Meanwhile, when it comes to choosing a career path, one should balance what is worth pursuing at – weighing the advantages and disadvantages because the corporate world is way bigger (and most of the time more cruel) than the world we have inside the school.  Furthermore, if one is caught in the situation that he/she has both passion and practicality on his/her side in choosing a career, then one should not waste time to grab that opportunity. If there is only the presence of one (whether passion or practical reasons), we should see to it that our decision will be for long-term results. Foresight is the key for success.