It’s easy to procrastinate when I feel like I have a lot of time to complete a given task. The problem I often run into when I procrastinate is that when I finally start the task, I often feel rushed and like I’m not doing my best work. Yes, many people say they work better under pressure, but from my own experience, that just hasn’t been true for me.

When I wait until the last minute to begin, I don’t have time to consider alternative approaches or solutions. Because I’ve left myself little time for the task, I need to go with the quickest solution I can come up with and complete in a short time. There’s no room to ponder, to consider different options or even to change direction when I have an “ah-ha” moment. The time I could have dedicated to exploring options was instead spent procrastinating.

I’ve realized that I do my best work when I have time to think. This realization causes me to start projects and task sooner rather than putting them off. If waiting until the last minute to start tasks has been working for you, then who am I to tell you to change? But, if you’re a chronic procrastinator, who’s not always happy with the results you get, consider starting tasks earlier. It would be worth seeing if your output would benefit from having some additional time.