Do you find yourself constantly putting important tasks on hold in order to do trivial things? Do you push deadlines right to their very limit? Have you ever been caught in a procrastination funk so profound that you just can’t seem to find your way out? Well, these amusing quotes might be the pick-me-up you need to kick-start your day and get yourself back on track.
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is a disorder that impacts countless people throughout their daily lives for a variety of reasons. It can be seen as a coping response, a way of processing stress and fear of failure, or it can also be a symptom of another disorder, such as ADHD.
There have been plenty of studies on procrastination, with several fascinating facts about it:
- According to an article by Balkis and Erdinç, there are several reasons for procrastination. These include, but are not limited to:
- Poor time management
- Anxiety
- Fear of failure
- Perfectionism and unrealistic expectations
- Lack of motivation
- Inability to organize oneself well enough
- In another article, Dr. Joseph Ferrari states that we all procrastinate, but 20% of U.S. men and women are chronic procrastinators, which is higher than the number of people who are diagnosed with clinical depression or phobias, and yet those diseases are more commonly accepted than procrastination.
- Although modern technology and the internet are blamed for this, Dr. Ferrari says that the snooze button was invented more than 50 years ago: the ultimate tool to put life on hold
- He recommended using tech to our advantage, like making it time us out of things or leaving our phone in a different room
- There are links between those chronic procrastinators and people who suffer from ADHD, passive-aggressive tendencies, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, to name but a few.
- Rewarding those who do things on time is a better method than punishing them when they don’t
- However, we all procrastinate to some degree, even those of us who find it easier to focus than others.
If you feel you have become a chronic procrastinator, seeking help to get this under control will help boost your productivity and, in turn, your self-esteem. For the rest of us who procrastinate but are not what Dr. Ferrari would call procrastinators, we can laugh at ourselves.
With such negative emotions and habits comprising a large part of our need to procrastinate, the ability to laugh at our bad habits, which can relieve stress and help us relax, is a vital part of helping us overcome our difficulties. For this reason, here are some quotes to help you laugh at your own need to procrastinate.
Why laugh at my own procrastination?
Laughter has many beneficial effects, and the very act of laughing can help give you the motivation you need to continue down this path.
Laughter:
- Improves your mood. When you laugh, your body releases endorphins. These can help reduce things such as depression, anxiety, and stress. This makes you feel happier, which can help reduce the pressure you’re feeling from that job you’ve put off.
- Stimulates your organs. The idea of stimulating your organs may sound strange, but when you laugh, you actually breathe in more oxygen. It also affects your heart, lungs, and muscles so that they react positively, and by activating and then relieving your stress response, it creates a calmer, more relaxed sensation.
- Increases your ability to cope. By triggering all these reactions in your body, laughter actually makes you more resilient. A relaxed, stimulated, happier person feels much more able to confront the problems they’ve been avoiding than the stressed or anxious person who’s feeling the pressure of a deadline.
So, without further ado, here are some quotes that will help you laugh at your own procrastination.
Some funny quotes about procrastination
- “I never put off till tomorrow what I can possibly do the day after.” – Oscar Wilde
- “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” – Douglas Adams
- “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
- “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.” – Chinese proverb
- “I can procrastinate with the best of them, but I always wait until the last minute to do it.” – Bill Kaulitz
- “Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.” – Don Marquis
- “I always put off procrastinating until the last minute.” – Anon
- “Why do today what you can do tomorrow? Because today is the tomorrow that you were worried about yesterday.” – Anon
- “Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.” – Christopher Parker
- “I’m not lazy, I’m just in energy-saving mode.” – Unknown
- “Procrastination is the thief of time, but at least it’s not the murderer of creativity.” – Unknown
- “I’m not procrastinating, I’m just letting my ideas marinate.” – Unknown
- “If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up.” – J.M. Power
- “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.” – Will Rogers
- “The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph!” – Marvin Phillips
- “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison
- “You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London
- “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
- “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
- “I’m not a procrastinator, I’m just extremely productive at unimportant things.” – Unknown
- “I’ll stop procrastinating tomorrow.” – Unknown
- “The sooner I fall behind, the more time I have to catch up.” – Unknown
- “Procrastination is the foundation of all disasters.” – Pandora Poikilos
- “Procrastination is like a warm bed. It’s nice and cozy until you have to get out of it.” – Unknown
- “I was going to procrastinate, but I never got around to it.” – Unknown
Keep going!
A little slice of humor can be enough to help us laugh, relieve some stress, and regain focus, all of which can make a huge difference to our feelings for and approach towards life and work.
Procrastination may feel impossible to beat at times, but taking time out to laugh can make a world of difference to your physical and mental health. Whether it’s a witty quote or a knock-knock joke, find a way to make yourself laugh. Your productivity will thank you for it.
Photo by Pedro Forester Da Silva on Unsplash
Daniel Hagon is a writer with a Bachelor’s degree in History and a work history spanning financial education, day trading, healthcare and English teaching across three different continents. When he’s not writing stories, Daniel can be found reading, swing or salsa dancing, or wine tasting in a sun-drenched vineyard on some remote part of the country. He currently lives in Canada with his girlfriend and their two cats.