Especially around finals in college, the problem of
procrastination tends to be treated lightheartedly—I suspect by those who don’t
want to admit that they really do need to get off Facebook, stop watching their
movie or whatever they are currently doing or they are going to end up turning
in some mess of a paper the next morning, or doing poorly on a test that they
could have otherwise excelled on.
But procrastinating on something with a deadline that needs
to completed for work or school isn’t the only way procrastination can cost you. When it comes to buying
something, planning for gifts, and taking care of your finances, procrastination can come with a
big price tag.
In the past few years I have had to pay full retail price
for my foundation when it comes in at half the price on eBay because I ran out
and couldn’t wait for it to be shipped, I’ve had to spend money that was not
originally in the budget for gifts because I wasn’t planning ahead, and I’ve
lost the opportunity to get flights on sale because I thought that I would book
in the morning or call my parents later…
People procrastinate on paying bills, forget to check their
bank account and put off setting a budget only end up paying late fees,
overdraft fees, and for items and luxuries that they can’t afford.
This might dip into business motivation here—but you need to
be a planner, and you need to get in the habit of forcing yourself to do what
need to be done. If something takes less
than 5 minutes, as much as possible, do it when you think of it. If it’s going to be a longer task, set aside
specific time in your schedule for doing it later, and then take care of it
then.
Specifically: consider making a spreadsheet with gifts you need to get throughout the year, and maybe a list of things that you know you will need coming up, or that you always go through, so that you can keep an eye on them ahead of time. Both of these tools have really helped me!
Please feel free to share any ideas of your own about beating procrastination and saving the cost of it!
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