Most respondents point out that procrastination does not pay. They urge that we try finishing responsibilities on time

It is said that procrastination is the thief of time, and I have practically experienced this in my life several times. Success in any field presupposes immediate attention and any delay in putting into effect the call of the moment might just result in either the loss of the original enthusiasm or oblivion of the matter altogether. It is for this reason that the sagacious have always advised us: “Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”G P Shrestha, teacher, Adhunik Rashtriya Madhyamik Vidyalaya It is interesting that in many economically developed societies the idea of procrastination has a pejorative connotation. Literally it means delaying, with no implied negative connotation. Such societies consider it “poor form”, “lazy” or a wasted opportunity to put off until tomorrow what could be accomplished today. Yet sometimes to ensure one truly appreciates the essence of life, one needs to procrastinate. Some things are better left until tomorrow. Important decisions are often best slept on, rather than acted upon immediately. When one becomes anxious over a task not completed today, one ends up being less useful tomorrow.

There will always be moments when we need to act in the present and finish the deeds of the day. However, with our increasingly busy lives, there will always be a rightful place for procrastination. Arguably, in some economically less developed societies — like Nepal, that true quality may have been retained more visibly. The way forward is for all societies to find the balance between delaying to retain one’s true humanity and sanity, and thoughtfully acting today to ensure that we ever strive to do what lies within our capabilities now and tomorrow.Michael P Leahy, The British School Everyone in the world can be wise at times, but those only are successful who are wise at the right time. This means one who doesn’t know the significance of time is a fool. One of the reasons of failure and then repentance in life is the negligence of right job at the right time. Every work has its proper time and it should be given due respect. Those who finish the right work at the right time do not have to carry it to another day. In fact, keeping work pending adds to the burden of work in this busy world of today. Doing things in time can only provide one with the leisure to think and plan the next jobs to execute them in a better way.

RP Sharma, Panipokhari,Kathmandu

Later on, tomorrow, next day, few days after are the most widely used terms. Immediate response to the order or plea of an individual is never found which shows the irresponsibility and laziness, especially in our bureaucrats. We too have similar habits. The responsibilities, which are placed on our shoulder are either transferred on to others’ or are prolonged with series of dates. This is the main cause for our country for becoming poor. So much so that, we are even taken as the most leisurely people in the world. We like to stay idle scratching our head but we never try to fulfil our duty. Therefore duties are to be fulfilled immediately to move ahead.Harihar Poudel, Pokhara

The habit of procrastinating can be the best virtue for slothful people, but is the worse habit of dynamic and successful people. The maxim “tomorrow never comes” is very true in itself. It is not that the act of doing now is hasting, it is the matter of initiating or inaugurating one’s obligation with patience. Some people practice procrastination by hiding behind high-sounding sentences akin to “I’m analysing” and after six months later he/she is still analysing. What they do not realise is that they are afflicted from disease called “paralysis of analysis” and they will never succeed. The relation of regret and procrastination is positive, more the person procrastinate more he regrets and vice-versa.

Milan Gurung, Tri Chandra College

Time once spent does not come again. It is the most precious resource available to those who want to accomplish any tasks efficiently and effectively. Since time is beyond control, we should adapt ourselves in accordance with its perennial flow. To let time elapse in vain is to shun us from relishing success. So, the perfect time to start any works is right now because that ‘contemptible’ tomorrow never comes. The more we linger to do anything the more we accumulate unnecessary tension and leave ourselves far behind in the path of progress. The most successful people in the world also did have the same amount of time and still they have done so many creative things that are being remembered for long even after their deaths. Hence, it is not the amount of time but how it is used that counts.

Hem B Chaulagai,Public Youth Campus

As we all know that, time is valuable than money. Time once gone in vain never comes back. People should understand the value of time and should always do what we can do today.  As we know that if we don’t do today even after having time, we may not have time to do tomorrow the same work. People should not have the habit of procrastinating. They should not say tomorrow and stay but instead of that they should say today and now. People should not depend on computer and man-made machine. People are being unaware about the value of time and are being intellectually lazy. We should understand the value of each and every second and should do everything today.

Sanjeev Thakali, Gyanodaya Bal Batika, Sanepa

Procrastination simply means putting off the works until the last possible moment but working only under pressure. And this forces these people to fabricate nuisance reasons for late work, and sometimes they feel ashamed of the last minute work. They think, “I will do it later or tomorrow”, but their tomorrow never comes. Who knows the tomorrow? Think about “If tomorrow never comes...” As I am a college student, I will talk about “procrastination at college”, among us, the college students. College work revolves around deadlines and long-range assignments. A tendency to put off work under these conditions is fairly natural. Is this only the reason? Not at all. Most off us believe the sequence — “Self worth = Ability = Performance”. That is we often equate our performance with our personal worth. By procrastinating we may blame “poor work on our late start”, rather than a lack of ability. After all, it wasn’t our best effort.Bhupal Sapkota, NSS, Lainchaur

The prospects of success lie on prompt and factual decisions, which are the future hopes of the country. Performing today’s work today make us more conscious about our daily routines. It saves our valuable time, which can be used in inventing something new. I remember the saying ‘Time and tide waits for no one’. Adjourning today’s work for tomorrow may result in poor performance. This doctrine of ‘tomorrow’ leads the country backward. Value of time is worth more today than tomorrow. Since everyday will be a new day and if every work is postponed for tomorrow then how can we prosper and achieve our target?

Ganga Parajuli, Baneshwor

Yes, we should finish today’s work today only because tomorrow never comes. There are so many examples that great people never say tomorrow otherwise they could not have been able to achieve things. We simply say that we will do it tomorrow therefore our country is counted in the list of least developed countries in the world. Procrastination makes us lethargic which could lead us to a boring life and we cannot be what we want to.

Ganesh Niraula

It is sometimes necessary and wise to postpone a decision, where hasty conclusions would be foolish; but “procrastination” always means putting things off to tomorrow which ought to be done today. It is the fault of dilatoriness that leads us to shrink the doing of present duties. The fault of procrastination is just reverse of the virtue of punctuality. When we put off the work, we are piling up work for “tomorrow” and we at last find that the arrears of undone work are too big to overtake. So, in the end, “lazy folks take most pains”.

Pratima Poudel,Himalayan White House College

Procrastination has already been common for people, particularly in our community. No one wants to perform his task in the certain time and keeps it for tomorrow. This bad tendency has planted its route to this community deeply. Hardly can we find any place where people don’t have a habit of procrastinating. I have an incidence relating to this issue. When I had to get my citizenship I had to take leave from my office for five days. Even having all the required documents I had to spend two days in municipality and three days in CDO office for no reason but the officials told me to come next day. Doesn’t this lead us backward?

Kritan Sapkota,Bhairahawa Multiple Campus

Every new dawn brings new dreams, challenges, struggles, and opportunities and these are gone without proper utilisation, they are gone forever. To grab the opportunities in time, one has to be attentive and conscious enough to set the priorities and performing them then and there. Lazy people wait for tomorrow which in fact never comes. Today is the day we have in our hand and we have to utilise the available today with optimum.

Kismat Gurung

Definitely, we should finish today’s work today. We know time and tide wait for no man. To achieve something, we should do right work in the right time in the right place. We should learn the lesson from past to work perfectly today, so the future will be lightened. We can only plan or imagine about future, which may or may not be fulfilled but we have our today within in our hand. Instead of spending doing nothing, why not utilise the time we have in our hand finishing the designated things. I’ve heard people saying “I don’t have time today”. But there is time and place for everything and the thing is that we should utilise it perfectly.

Dilip Dachhepati,

Capital College, Kathmandu

What happens if the severely bleeding patient is told to come tomorrow for the treatment by the doctor? If works are postponed for tomorrow, there will be a pile of work, which will be unmanageable later on. Postponing the work for tomorrow does not do good to anyone. Procrastination not only harms a single entity but also ruins the fate of community and whole country.

Anjan Koirala,Jayabageshwori, Kathmandu

Procrastination is a thief of time. No one has seen tomorrow. One’s life will be crowned with success only if he has a habit of being punctual. No doubt that those who procrastinate, lag behind in their life. Such people keep accumulating works, which ultimately turn into impossible. Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, poet Devkota, poet Bal Krishna and other great personalities of the world had the habit of finishing their jobs at right time, which made them stand atop. Let us form a punctual habit to do any work without postponing, if we want a sustainable achievement in our work and life.

Mohan Narshingh Shrestha,Kupondol

Many people have the habit of postponing things and accomplishing it at the last moment. Thus, the works lack productivity because the productivity of the work entirely depends upon the amount of time and toiling spent on it. Many people ignore their work because either they dislike them or due to laziness. Laziness and hatred play a vital role in postponing things, developing ignorance. According to successful people they have different views regarding work and also disallowing it from being postponed. If the given points below are followed than the work given to you can be accomplished in a smooth and a steady manner: Indulging in fixed routine affair, staying away from disturbances and giving utmost concentration, spending adequate amount of time but deriving gainful results, being punctual.

Pariwesh Lama, Class X, Modern Indian School

The better part of life is spent saying: “It’s too early” and then “It’s too late”. Tomorrow is beyond nature. The word tomorrow exists only in the lives of humans. Sun never says, “I’ll rise tomorrow”, water never says, “I’ll flow tomorrow” and so is air which never says tomorrow. It is only humans who say “tomorrow”. Actually who knows about tomorrow? Everything is easy and small if we do it at present. If we go on postponing things then problem arises. The past is no more and the future you never know. So, this is the moment when we can do anything. Existence is as perfect this moment, as it will never be. It is never going to be more so.

Samjhana Phuyal

I don’t believe in procrastination. It is this attitude that doesn’t take us anywhere. I’m not like that myself. If I had waited for tomorrow, I wouldn’t be here. My father was a doer and a dreamer; he went to India to make it because he saw no opportunity here. I am glad he took that step because it helped us become what we are.

Louis Banks, aka Godfather of jazz in India

It depends. I agree that delaying work for no reason or putting tasks off for tomorrow does not sound wise but I, while composing music or creating a new tune, do that at times. Sometimes, putting things off for tomorrow,especially while creating new tunes, have turned out to be fruitful for me. Procrastination is not good and one should not make this a habit but

sometimes it works well also.

Nabin K Bhattarai, singer

What I believe in is doing right things at the right time. Those who perform their job diligently without putting anything off for tomorrow succeed in life. And this is my principle. In fact, I plan the things much ahead and try to accomplish them before the deadline which helps me get up the next day with new flair to work with rejuvenated ideas. Procrastination is a bad habit which prods one much behind.

Nirvana Chaudhary,chief executive, CG-FINCO

Time waits for none. You should never wait for tomorrow to do something and what you want to do, you have to do today only. If you put off your work for the next day, you will tend to extend it forever. I don’t feel like extending my work and I dislike those who do procrastinate. I prefer doing things today and now.

Nalina Chitrakar, singer