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For some, procrastination is a bad habit that can cause them some frustration or delay. A lot of people make jokes about procrastinating and don’t see it as a big deal. However, there are some serious effects that can occur as a result of constantly putting things off. If you are a chronic procrastinator, you may be experiencing some of these negative consequences already and know they can have a tremendous effect on your life. Continue reading to find out about the long-term cost of constant procrastination.

Poor Decision Making

Procrastination is a result of poor decision making all on its own. You decide to put off doing what needs to be done because doing so temporarily alleviates some sort of tension for you. Looking at the big picture, you’ll likely discover that waiting to get started can lead to decisions you might not otherwise have made. When you’re forced to rush to get something done after you’ve put it off, you probably won’t be performing at your very best. You’ll have to cut corners and won’t be able to check your work as thoroughly. Procrastinating an important task can also lead to you have to scramble to fix something that never should have been a problem in the first place. You end up putting yourself in tight spots that could have been avoided and then having to think on your feet to get yourself out of them.

Wasted Time

It seems logical that procrastination leads to wasted time. After all, procrastinating is the act of putting something off until a later time. What you might not have considered are the ramifications of that lost time. By procrastinating, you’re putting off so many things that could be enhancing your life, and you will never get that time back to try again. Who knows what great things you could have accomplished in those minutes, hours and even days? When you think of it that way, perhaps you will be more apt to start that next project right away.

Poor Performance

While it’s true that your work doesn’t define you, falling behind on career or academic duties can have disastrous effects on your livelihood and success. Employers and faculty alike have high expectations. When you fail to meet those consistently due to falling behind or not getting things done, that reflects poorly on you. Poor performance in these areas could lead to a lost promotion, poor grades, or even being fired. Procrastination also hurts your reputation and the way in which others see you.

These are some of the more common ways in which procrastination can have long-term effects on your life. The intent of sharing these with you isn’t to make you feel bad. Rather, I hope that this will give you food for thought when creating your own anti-procrastination plan and help to motivate you in the future.