According to the dictionary, to procrastinate is to “delay or postpone action; put off doing something.”  Procrastination has played a big role in my life, sometimes with severe consequences.

Around August 2013, I experienced a persistent thought to get in touch with my best friend and let her know that she was on my mind, to just say I love you. Every day I would say, “I need to call my friend and check on her,” but every day something else came up causing me to postpone the call.  I wasn’t too worried because I figured I could just call her the next day, but the next day turned into the next day, which turned into the next week, which turned into a call never made.

While on vacation  the following month, I received news that my dear friend had passed away.

My heart ached because if I had called like I planned to then I would have had an opportunity to say goodbye. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, so many things I wanted to share with her. I lost the chance to tell my best friend how much she meant to me all because I thought tomorrow would give me another chance to make the phone call.

While your story may not be as dramatic as mine, procrastination may still play a role in your life. Hopefully you are not living by the motto, “Why do today, what you can put off for tomorrow.” That kind of thinking can lead to big missed opportunities on the job, missed opportunities in school, missed opportunities with your loved ones, and missed opportunities in life!

Make a plan, envision its completion, and then go for it! Instead of being a procrastinator, commit to being an anti-procrastinator, someone who “expedites desired actions, in order to counteract habitual avoidance behavior.” Let’s start living by a new motto, “Do what we HAVE to do now, so we can do what we WANT to do later!”

Let me know how procrastination affects you and what you do to overcome it.

Mary Simmons is a columnist for The K-V Dispatch. Her email address is ABoxofLoveKVD@gmail.com.