Everybody and I mean everybody procrastinates. In fact, I'm procrastinating right now. Instead of studying for my AP Environmental Science test this week I'm writing an article about the biggest and hardest problem in my life. Why?
Because I have a "problem."
The reason why I put the word "problem" in quotations is not that I am in denial, but rather that I am aware of my procrastination. I choose to use it as a tool instead of a setback. A lot of people, especially adults, criticize the youth on their issue of not being able to focus or their inability to put in the work to do something. They say "It's because of that phone of yours" or "you're just being lazy." But contrary to their belief procrastination, although linked to, is not an excuse for just laziness.
1. We want a BREAK!
It's 2018 and the amount of responsibilities that we procrastinators have to endure is getting more intense by the seconds. If you're in school like me, you have clubs, volunteer work, homework, tests, college applications, jobs, a social life and so on. It can get pretty overwhelming to have to constantly deliver with our utmost amount of energy and effort. Everyone expects something from you.
It's liberating to just sit down and watch a Shane Dawson documentary or a new Netflix original instead of working on that essay or calculus homework. When you consider all of the work that we put in day in and day out, is a break really too much to ask?
2. It's actually a useful strategy.
OK, hear me out. When it comes to work, most of the time I don't even know where to start. It's just task, after, task, after task. Procrastination gives me a piece of mind. Think of procrastination as a tactic rather than a distraction.
For example, if I had a worksheet to turn in at 12 p.m., and it's due at 7 p.m., I could start working on it or... I could procrastinate. If I watch one or two Youtube videos now, then when I actually start working, I won't feel compelled to procrastinate later. It's not laziness if I'm being proactive. Trust me, it's science.
3. Most of us are oblivious.
Sometimes, I only know that I'm procrastinating after I'm done procrastinating. I'm completely oblivious to what I'm doing. Almost everyone can admit that they have said that they were just going to watch one video or just going to scroll through Instagram for just five minutes. But that one video turned into two and then three and you had been on Instagram for hours. It's not like we mean to waste six hours watching Buzzfeed videos, it just happened.
The crushing feeling of realizing that you need to finish 10 things on your to-do list in only just a couple of hours is one of the worst feelings in the world. What person would intentionally do that?
4. It helps you prioritize.
After your daily dose of procrastinating, have you ever stared at a task that you were supposed to be doing and realize that it either could be done at a later time, or it's completely unnecessary? Procrastinating helps you weed out the tasks that you only write down because if you got them done it would be good but not essential for the next day. It helps eliminate the minuscule tasks that take away from the biggest and most important tasks on your to-do list.
5. You end up creating the BEST work.
Leaving things to the last minute can make tasks that were once easy if they were done at an earlier time to become the heaviest weight on your shoulders. What most people don't know is that during the time that you're supposedly "wasting your time," your brain is subconsciously creating extra ideas for you to use when it's time to get to work. While you're reading your 15th article on the Odyssey, and you start to realize that you have homework due in a couple of hours and haven't even started, there's a sudden rush of urgency that consumes you.
It's like a giant second wind of creativity, and you will most likely end up creating the best work of your life.
Laziness and procrastination shouldn't even be correlated. Procrastination is a method of relaxation while being lazy is a complete disregard of all responsibilities. Now I'm not saying that procrastinating constantly is a good thing or even something that should be excusable, but what I'm trying to say is that procrastination is being mislabeled. Procrastinators shouldn't be chastised for their actions but understood.
- Definition Of Procrastination: I'll Tell You Later ›
- Procrastination: The Understated Affliction ›
- Procrastination Does Not Mean You're Lazy, Your Brain Is Just ... ›
- The Pros And Cons Of Procrastination ›
