It's that time in the semester. You've finally gotten in the swing of classes, but now all you want to do is be done with them. Of course, at the exact same time, you're being assigned all kinds of assignments. To finish or not finish, that is the question. If you're anything like me, I went through high school with the motto, "Due Tomorrow? Do Tomorrow." As we begin to see the real temptation of living by this motto, we also see some ramifications. So, here they are: your different types of procrastination.
1. The assignment was JUST assigned.. I have time.
So, right from the get go, we have the type where we believe we have all the time in the world, but really we don't. When a professor gives you a paper that's not due for a week, your first thought might be, "I have so much time, I'll do it this weekend!" Let me tell you, you're not going to do it this weekend. These due dates are there to allow you to not freak out, but if you're anything like me, you take advantage of this time a little to much, and push it off. Hey, if it's not due, I'm not doing it.
2. Oh, reading, that will be so easy! I'll do that in the morning.
As a literature major, I do this all the time, and the reading is never easy. I think that this type stems from high school where readings were short and so so easy, but college reading is not the same. Reading requires time and careful consideration, and although I could do it in the morning, the likelihood that I'll get up on time and do all that reading is slim to none.
3. It's not due yet. I don't need to do it yet.
You have your basic "Due Tomorrow, due tomorrow," here. If it's not due today, it doesn't seem as important or pressing, especially if it's not a big assignment.... but sometimes with those too.
4. I've done it the morning of before, and I did really well...
The success theory! If you did it before, you'll do it again. I once wrote my best paper at 6 am the day of. I think of that a lot when I don't want to write a paper for a class, or when I need to read a book. Sometimes, this is a fluke, so be aware.
5. Just one more minute/video/game/hour/week.
We try to push things back, but only just a little bit. If we could only have one more minute. Another part of this is the youtube hole. IT WILL SUCK YOU IN AND YOU WILL NEVER GET BACK OUT. You tell yourself, "Just one more video," and it seems okay, but one five minute video turns into 4 and then you find another one, and next thing you know, it's 3 hours later.
6. I'll just nap for five minutes.
Again, we push things back. 5 minute naps turn into 2 hour naps, and then you've lost a whole day.
7. I'll just do something seemingly more important.
I do this all the time. I'll instead organize my bookshelf, or I'll do my dishes, or I'll clean out my google docs when I should be writing my paper.
I guess I'll just end up like Spongebob when procrastinating.
