Acharya Prashant explains that procrastination, which means delaying or postponing work, is not necessarily a bad thing in itself. He states that postponing a task is also an action, a karma. If someone asks what you just did, you can say, "I just postponed a task." The fundamental principle is to look at the doer (karta), not the action (karma). The actor is far more important than the action; the deed is far less important than the doer. Although the doer is hidden, their identity can be understood by examining their actions. The purpose of examining the action is to correctly identify the doer. Applying this to procrastination, which is also a karma, one must ask who the procrastinator is and why they are postponing the work. If the procrastinator within is a scared, self-harming, or violent entity, they will undoubtedly postpone something good. In such cases, procrastination is bad because the intention is to remain small, wicked, scared, and to protect the ego. The procrastinator is wrong, so they postpone the right thing. Conversely, if you are right from within, possessing truth, love, and understanding, you will know what is right and wrong for you. Because you know what is not right, you will postpone it. In this scenario, procrastination is not bad at all. For instance, if you have a thought to harm someone, it is better to postpone it. The speaker gives an example of telling lust to 'come tomorrow,' which is a form of procrastination. He further illustrates with an example: if you are sleepy but have an important task, you can either postpone the task or postpone sleep. In both situations, you have postponed something. Postponing is bad only if you postpone the work for the sake of sleep. However, if you postpone sleep for the sake of work, it is not bad at all. Therefore, one should focus on who the procrastinator is. If the doer is wrong, they will postpone every right thing. If the doer is right, their procrastination will also be auspicious. The question is not how to get rid of the habit of procrastination, but to understand who you are. The intention behind the postponement is what matters. If the intention is auspicious, then postponing is also auspicious.
