Chapter 54: To Pro-cras-ti-nate or Not: Is Procrastination Costing You Money?

Ladies, one thing that can hold you back in this life is Procrastination. 

Like kryptonite, Procrastination is “something that can seriously weaken or harm” someone (Oxford Languages, 2023). 

Procrastination can take you out and stop you from reaching the goals you wish to achieve in life. 

And, if I am being honest, we are all guilty of procrastinating. 

For example, we may need to work on filing our taxes, applying for a new job, moving away from our comfort zone, paying our bills, trying new hobbies, and going to the gym!

For some reason, our favorite line becomes, “I will do it later.” And, when later comes, we still don’t get up to do it. 

We will even set the alarm, trying to convince ourselves that we will do it by the specified time, but when the alarm goes off, we add twenty more minutes. 

Don’t get me wrong; sometimes, we are too tired and need to rest. But, in other situations, Procrastination costs us time, peace of mind, and money! 

And I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t like losing money! I like keeping all my dollars in my bank account, so sometimes I have to push myself even when I don’t want to.

Sometimes I can’t go out with friends because I must take care of things for IHateAdulthood, my future career, or my well-being. 

It does sometimes suck to miss out on my friends’ fun, but I am further than where I was last year. And your girl will go ghost anytime to make her goals come true!

So, I wanted to talk today about how we stop costing ourselves money by not practicing Procrastination as much as we do. 

First, let’s look at some ways it does cost us money. 

It can make your bills more expensive. 

For instance,  if your bills or credit card is on autopay, you spend less on the bill. 

Now, I understand it’s not easy to put all your bills on autopay when trying to make it through life one day at a time. 

But it does help you avoid late fee charges. For example, late fee charges can range from an extra $15 to $35, impacting your credit score. 

Who wants that?

Even further, if you put a bill on autopay, you don’t have to worry about procrastinating to pay the bill, as it will be deducted on the same day each month, and you will have peace of mind knowing the account is paid in full. 

It leads you to spend more money on trips. 

Listen, everyone should want to save money on the flights, hotels, and cars they have to book to enjoy their trip. 

But, when we procrastinate we end up spending more money than we budgeted for in the end, which does not help us. 

Instead, it frustrates us, and we consider canceling the trip and spending money we don’t have. 

Therefore, when planning a trip, we have to do it in advance. We must start saving money at least a month in advance and not book our things before the week of the vacation. 

I know I can be guilty of this, so please know you’re not alone. But we could save ourselves hundreds of dollars if we take care of it before the week off. 

It can lead us to make less money on the job.

Not applying to the job you know you’re qualified for and staying in your comfort zone costs you the most money. 

If your paycheck can increase, why procrastinate?

Yes, it will come with new responsibilities and challenges, but you’re ready!

You’ve been ready! You’ve been looking at those jobs on Indeed, second-guessing yourself, but sis, your name has already entered into rooms you can’t imagine!

Leap! Trust yourself! And know that the heavenly father above will handle the rest! 

Now that we’ve explored some ways it costs us money let’s talk about how we defeat our kryptonite! 

Get Organized, Sis!

Get yourself a budgeting book. You can even use the budgeting template we have included on our website in Chapter 24.

Make a to-do list. Therefore, you can break things into smaller tasks.

Look at your monthly budget and allocate where your money should go accordingly. 

Set up autopay on the bills you can. Try it for two months, and if you like it, keep it.

Finish Things You Start! 

Sis, how many times have you started that application for a credit card, a new job, a new apartment, or a new class and not finished it?

Keep your word to yourself and finish those applications! 

Yes, it is going to take time! Yes, you may be denied!

But you won’t know what you must improve on unless you try!

Don’t let fear stop you. Take the challenge!

Take Your Responsibility for Your Actions!

When we procrastinate, we have to hold ourselves accountable. 

The first way to change a negative behavior is to acknowledge that we’ve done something wrong. 

If we don’t hold ourselves accountable, how can we hold others?

If we don’t check ourselves, how can we check others?

Don’t be mean to yourself, but check in with yourself and remove any distractions trying to keep you from your goals. 

Reward Yourself!

When you don’t procrastinate and reach one of your goals, reward yourself, sis!

Be proud of the work you have completed!

Honor the work you’ve done!

It doesn’t have to be something significant it can be anything that makes you feel celebrated. 

Ladies, today’s post’s primary mission was not to let Procrastination stop you from getting the bag!

It’s already hard out here! You don’t need any other kryptonite stopping you from being the best version of yourself. 

If you need any other suggestions on how to practice less Procrastination, holla at your girl!

Until next time!

Peace & Prosperity, 

Jadis DeShong-Venay