Speech About Procrastination

The clock is ticking; time is becoming of the essence. With each thump, you feel your heart rate accelerate. A cold sweat breaks out across your forehead, causing both hands to curl into tight fists. Thoughts race through your mind. Will I ever get this done? What am I doing? Why can’t I get started? Flustered from the turmoil brewing inside, the clock yet again calls your attention. One hour left. Seemingly enough time to finish the assignment that had been given to you almost a week ago. For some reason doing it now seems like one of the toughest obstacles you’ve had to face in a while. Coming up with an extensive list in your mind, you think of numerous things you’d rather be doing. Many procrastinators find themselves stuck in scenarios such as this one. Although tricky to deal with, procrastination is an extremely complex concept that might just have its benefits.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines procrastination as deliberately postponing a task that needs to be done (“Procrastinate”). Basically, it could be thought of as self-sabotage, although certainly not intentional. In the Association for Psychological Science Website, it states, “True procrastination is a

One of the earliest known instances of procrastination was written, in approximately 700 B.C. by Hesiod, an ancient Greek poet, who wrote in his poem “Work and Days” about Perses, his brother. Perses wasted his inheritance and came back to Hesiod to ask for more money. In his poem, he says, “Do not put your work off till tomorrow and the day after; for a sluggish worker does not fill his barn, nor one who puts off his work: industry makes work go well, but a man who puts off work is always at hand-grips with ruin” (Stodola). Even before the dawn of the internet and all of its diverting distractions, procrastination was still prevalent in the lives of