The image is mine
There’s a familiar feeling that comes every time I open my laptop, stare at a blank document, and think: “Oh, later. There’s still time!” And then, before I know it, that “later” turns into 11:55 p.m., accompanied by panic, a third cup of coffee, and a promise to myself: “Tomorrow, I’ll be more disciplined.” Tomorrow arrives, and the cycle repeats. I call myself a “Tomorrow Person”—someone who lives in the illusion that “tomorrow” is a more perfect, productive, and reality-ready version of myself.
Like the song from Annie, “Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow, you’re always a day away”—which, coincidentally, is also how I feel about all my deadlines. And right before the deadline hits, Europe perfectly describes the situation:
"It's the final countdown!"
My personal experience with the art of procrastination began in high school. Back then, I was convinced that doing a history assignment about the Diponegoro War exactly on that day was a genius strategy. “Pressure makes diamonds!” I thought to myself. In fact, what appeared was not a diamond, but a messy composition with typos from "Pangeran Diponegoro" to "Pangeran Donat Goreng" (autocorrect is indeed an enemy in disguise). Since then, I realized: procrastination is like borrowing money from a loan shark easily but with exorbitant interest.
But make no mistake, I am not an ordinary procrastinator, but a creative procrastinator. Why is that? Because, when I have to write a work report, suddenly I feel the need to clean the fan, the ceiling of the room, rearrange the desktop folders, or research why cats can get into cardboard boxes but can't get into gossip, haha. That’s what is called "productive procrastination": avoiding one task by doing another task that seems useful. But in the end, I still have to face a monster called a deadline.
That’s the tragic humor: we think we can outsmart time, but time always takes revenge with midnight alarms and puffy eyes like a sleep-deprived koala, hehe. Or, as The Bangles put it,
"It’s just another manic Monday"
—except it’s Tuesday, Wednesday, and every other day of the week too.
Why do we easily fall into the "tomorrow" trap? I think it has something to do with the illusion of control. Our brains believe that in the future, we’ll have more energy, time, or motivation—when in reality, tomorrow is just today in new clothes. As Mark Twain said, “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do tomorrow.” But Twain clearly never met Google Calendar.
On the flip side, procrastination also has a human side. It’s our way of rebelling against a boring routine or an overwhelming demand. When I put off writing this article until last night, for example, there was a little thrill in that little rebellion—like a kid stealing a cookie before dinner. But like that kid, the consequences were a stomachache and guilt. Or in my case: a PowerPoint presentation in Comic Sans because I didn’t have time to edit.
And just like Cyndi Lauper sings,
"If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me, time after time,"
except in this case, “lost” means drowning in unfinished tasks and “finding me” means in a panic at 11:59 p.m.
But let’s be honest: we’ve all been there. In the midst of a crisis, amidst a mountain of tasks and promises to ourselves, there are times when we just want to scream, “I’m exhausted, but I have to get this done!” and play a sad song on YouTube.
Music from YouTube
Yet, somehow, despite all the stress, the sleepless nights, and the panic-induced creativity, we survive. As Elton John said,
"I’m still standing better than I ever did"
—although in my case, barely, and with three cups of coffee.
And when we finally hit "submit" on that project, paper, or email at the very last minute, we feel like champions—just like Queen sings:
"And we’ll keep on fighting till the end!"
That’s the beauty of it: procrastination teaches us to laugh at ourselves. How can we possibly plan our “new life starting Monday” while munching on chips on the couch? That’s the human paradox—we want to thrive, but we also want to rest. And in the midst of all that tug-of-war, humor is a lifesaver.
So, to my fellow “Tomorrow Persons,” I have just one lesson to share: don’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes, procrastination isn’t laziness, but rather a sign that we need a break. But if that “break” has become a “month-long break,” it might be time to set an alarm, grab a coffee, and get writing—or at least, close TikTok.
[Image generated with the help of ChatGPT]
Tomorrow? Ah, later. 😉
"Lost time is never found again."
– Benjamin Franklin