When that day arrives, when you realize that doing the work the day it’s assigned is worth putting off Netflix for another hour and a half, a new space in your life will open, you think. It seems that when you do the work early, your life will be stress-free.
What to do with all your new hours? Easy! You will not only do all your homework, but you will do it well. No more messing around at 2:00 a.m. trying desperately to BS another half a page. You will have everything prepared. You will watch more Netflix! Your repertoire of watched shows will double. Now is the time to catch up on Game of Thrones, on Orange is the New Black, on Bob’s Burgers and Friends.
Even more importantly, you will learn that skill you’ve always wanted to have Juggling or knitting, something like that. With all your free time and all your homework done during the week, your weekends will open up. You will go to all the parties. You will sleep till noon and not regret it. You will spend two hours on a Saturday afternoon chatting with your friends in Starbucks. With time to do your hair and coordinate your outfits every morning you will look glamorous and fabulous when you take that weekend trip to NYC with your new trendy friends you met at those parties. Everyone will be jealous.
You’ll devote more time to clubs. You’ll become the president of that service group. You’ll devote time to hobbies and impress. You’ll be the queen (or king) of campus. Everyone will respect you. They’ll be so impressed. “See that girl?” the tour guides will ask the visiting high school students looking for a college home. “That girl has conquered procrastination. That is who you want to be when you come here.” And the students will look at you in awe and admiration.
Hours and hours of undiscovered time will open before you. The weeks will feel longer. You will sleep better. Your health will be augmented by all your new stress-free sleeping. Your lifespan will increase. You will be the best and the greatest. Everything you’ve ever wanted to do will be available and easy. Your life will be a fairytale, and it will all be because you do your homework on the day it’s assigned instead of the night before its due. Congrats.
I have successfully done my work immediately for about a week under such delusions, and the fact of the matter is, not procrastinating does not create time. It does not fix your problems and it does not make your life significantly more glamorous and enviable. What it does is nearly eliminate excess stress and help you budget your time so when you DO decide to focus on Netflix or partying, there is no reason to regret it later. People may not be jealous or amazed, but they will be a little impressed, and it does make you more trustworthy. I feel calm and in control. Despite it not being quite the fantasy I had in mind, I recommend it.
