By Susan Cherono

As we usher in the summer semester it’s important to put or align your focus, set goals for the semester and this will be defined when you set your foot on the right track. So, what is procrastination? Do you have trouble persuading yourself to do the things you should do or would like to do?

When you procrastinate, instead of working on important, meaningful tasks, you find yourself performing trivial activities. As a student at USIU-Africa, it’s important to draw lines on your daily activities, set targets measurable targets i.e. finish assignments on time, utilize library resources frequently because there is power in information and that’s acquired through knowledge and you can’t stay informed if you don’t consult the information.

Why fight procrastination? Seneca coined a famous quote: “while we waste our time hesitating and postponing, life is slipping away." Procrastination is one of the main barriers blocking you from getting up, making the right decisions and living the dream life you've thought of. Recent studies have shown that people are more likely to regret the things they haven't done than the things they have done. In addition, feelings of regret and guilt resulting from missed opportunities tend to stay with people much longer.

Sometimes all our opportunities seem to be at our fingertips, but we can't seem to reach them. When you procrastinate, you waste time that you could be investing in something meaningful. If you can overcome this fierce enemy, you will be able to accomplish more and in doing so better utilize the potential that life has to offer.

We have all procrastinated at some time in our lives. I know, I have, only to regret it later. Procrastination leads to a negative attitude and fatigues you more than the effort it takes to do it.

A completed task is fulfilling and energizing, an incomplete task drains energy. If you want to build and maintain a positive attitude, get into the habit of living in the present and doing it now. Some people practice procrastination by hiding behind high-sounding words, saying, “I’m analyzing” and six months later they are still analyzing.

What they don’t realize is that they are suffering from a disease called paralysis by analysis and they will never succeed. Then there is another breed of people who procrastinate by saying, “I’m getting ready” and a month later they are still getting ready. What they don’t realize is they are suffering from a disease called Excusitis and they keep making excuses. if you want to build a positive attitude, learn the phrase, “do it now and stop the habit of procrastination.”