We’ve all been there. A big paper needs to be written and you would rather drag your nails across a chalk board instead of sit down and focus on the assignment. Part of the problem, for me at least, is that there are so many sources of information and entertainment available to me.
Instead of being productive I could do a number of other activities. I could scroll through social media, watch cute animal videos, play with Snapchat filters, read a fun novel, watch sports...the list goes on. Not to say that some of these pursuits are not productive or even educational, they are just not the most useful way to spend time when a school assignment needs to be completed. Sometimes my problem is academically related. For instance I will be at the library and find a book that looks interesting, but I don’t have time to read it because it is not related to my paper.
I feel like this problem is much more relevant to recent generations who have easy access to the internet. The internet is a powerful tool that facilitates access to vast amounts of information. However this is a double-edge sword. It is extremely easy to fall off track and end up accomplishing nothing that you set out to do. Earlier generations did not have this problem to such a large extent. Research was done sifting through books in the library. Friends were not constantly texting, snapchatting, and tweeting at you. Now all you have to do is log onto Facebook to see a clickbait headline and a political post that will stir up your emotions.
This is a problem that I have been calling “content oversaturation.” There are so many things trying to grab our attention when online. Advertisements are targeted and content is designed to be short and attention grabbing. The internet truly is over saturated. This is evident in social media sites like Facebook showing us posts that are deemed “popular” by an algorithm, rather than showing posts in chronological order. This content oversaturation is a special kind of hell for procrastinators.
I do procrastinate sometimes, but I believe that I have good judgement. I know that when a deadline is coming up it is crunch time. I have never pulled an academic related all-nighter before...yet. I do find it easier to procrastinate when there is so much content and things to do on the internet.
Here are a few tips for those suffering from content oversaturation procrastination. The first thing I would do is turn your phone off. I found recently that if I turn my phone off and put it out of sight, I’m less likely to check it every 30 seconds. Another idea is working on a public computer. You will be less likely to visit social media sites, because you are not automatically logged into your accounts. Finally, working in the library can be helpful. For reading many people need a quiet place. Libraries are also often associated with studying and academic work.
