When you think about the day today, do you see a lot of tasks that have been there since yesterday? Are you stuck with tasks that you should have done yesterday, or maybe even a couple of days or weeks ago? That is procrastination. It is taking something and just sending it into the future, because it will, hopefully, be easier in the future, than right now. But, what is the problem with procrastination? Not only does it become a heavy backpack you will carry around, but it keeps on hunting you down and making you feel bad.
It is so tempting to delay tasks. Sometimes it is correct. For example, right now, I know that it is the time in which I should write some wisdom here. Often when I do tasks that I know I must do and want to do, I come up with all sorts of ideas about other tasks I have. Maybe I need to water some plants, or answer and email, or just check a funny video on YouTube. Those tasks will often take my attention and make me delay the task ahead. It is a big temptation to skip the task you know must be done, in order to do all the other things. But, the problem is that the task I am doing now needs to be done, and thus I am only delaying, and then it will become a burden that I carry along until it gets done. And in the end, it takes much more energy compared to if I would have done it immediately.
I also have a pen and paper next to me, which means I sometimes write down all those other tasks and ideas I get along the way (that also must be done), but then when I finished what comes first, then I continue with those tasks afterward.
I might sound like a professor and very wise right now, but that is far from the truth. I might be wise in words, but procrastination is something I fight each and every day. In fact, I remember now that I have some emails I should have answered a week ago that I still haven't answered...