Procrastinators, I love you.
‘I’ve got plenty of time to do this, no need to rush.
(…)
Oh my, deadline is really close now, I need to hurry!’
Are you this kind of person?
Or does this sound like one of your loved ones, although you consider this to be one of their worst faults?
Then welcome to the fascinating world of procrastinators.
Sadly in our society, procrastinators are suffering from a bad image. Lazy, stressful for others, unreliable…
I’ve tutored countless procrastinators. And I know identifying as one is usually not positively affecting their self-esteem. Because, procrastinators are not teachers’ favorites.
But I disagree.
Dear procrastinators, it was time you get a love letter.
Here are your best assets:
You know your own limits.
Because, let’s face it, you are constantly testing them.
Wrote a 10-page essay in 2 hours and passed? Great, I’ll just give it 1 hour 45 minutes next time.
Still passed? Amazing! 1 hour 30 it will be!
Failed? Uh-oh, 1 hour 45 from now on, then.
Which actually is a perfect bridge to your next asset…
You are not afraid of failing.
You are not considered as the ‘perfect student’.
That’s one less pressure on your shoulders: people won’t be surprised if you fail. They will actually be more surprised if you pass.
And sometimes, you dedicated so little time to the task that you, too, would be surprised if you pass.
And yet, you pass. Because…
You learn efficiency.
Since you’re completely running out of time, efficiency is your only savior.
You focus only on the essential, and that works great on you.
Maybe you already noticed, or maybe you soon will, but people actually love you for your ability to condense information only to what matters.
You are not getting lost in details: you are amazing at analyzing the bigger picture.
And last but not least…
You learn how to work under pressure.
You will only get down to work when you have the ‘oh, shoot!’ feeling.
While other people, who need to plan a lot more in advance and be a lot more organized, would freak out having so much to do in so little time, you don’t.
Or at least, not too much.
You have a clear objective, you (finally) focus, and you go.
Dear procrastinator, if there’s one thing you should know:
Do not try to change.
Because you won't change. Trust me, I’m one of yours.
You won’t change who you are.
But you can get to know yourself better, and turn it into an asset.
Being a procrastinator can make you a reliable person who others know they can turn to when:
they are afraid of failing
they are clueless about how to fit so much work in so little time
they feel overwhelmed with the task.
And if you have a procrastinator amongst your family or friends, share this love letter with them.
It won’t mean you are not annoyed by it anymore. It will just mean that you are seeing their good sides too.