Three presentations, two lab reports, two quizzes, and a chemistry exam. In the five days of this week, I have all of these assessments. With a presentation and a quiz down, I still have quite a bit left to accomplish by Friday but if you ask me what I did last night, I will present you with the approximately 50 Easter cookies I decorated. Why you may ask, did I spend three hours adorning sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles? I couldn't tell you. When I came home I wasn't even productive because I was busy showing off my beautiful creations and getting interrupted by hungry hallmates.
Finals season is definitely upon us here in Athens. As the downtown scene slooooooows down, the number of motivational quotes being posted to Instagram stories skyrockets. Everyone is sleeping less, eating less, and studying more which nobody wants to do. That tells me one thing about my fellow students: we are STRESSED. And when students stress, we have two modes: productivity and procrastination. I'm here to stand up and finally say it because it seems that no one else will; procrastination is damn important.
Procrastination has always been viewed as a really negative way to spend your time, but I've decided the opposite. In my experience, procrastination has been essential to my success as a student. The clearest positive to procrastination is that it gets you focused on what is most important. Since you've wasted all of the time you planned on using to tackle your to-do list at the gym, you now have to ask yourself what your priorities are. Do you really need to reorganize your desk? Or should you write the English paper that is currently just a blank Google Doc? Then, as the clock ticks down on your deadline, you find your grind. Most importantly, procrastination is a perfect stress reliever. Making cookies, laughing with my friends, and jamming out to Jonas Brothers' songs (comebacks AND throwbacks) was exactly what I needed yesterday to respark my work ethic for the week and to help me remember that while this week feels like too much to handle, I will make it through it.
When life just seems overwhelming, it's important to take time to relax and not be going at full speed all the time. Exclusively procrastinating isn't what will make you a 4.0 GPA or help you figure out the homework you stopped doing when you got confused. However, taking time to enjoy yourself in the midst of a hectic schedule allows you to be more concentrated and less stressed when you need to really work. Finals may seem like the death of you, but when they do go for a run or watch a movie. And with that being said…. time to get back to work.
