The only thing more stress-relieving to me than making lists is breaking them. Whenever I feel overwhelmed with term papers, group presentations, and extracurricular obligations, I find I breathe easier when I can see all my problems jotted down on one simple list. More importantly, list-making allows me to do the one thing I love to do most when I’m working: procrastinate.
When I make lists, I’ll take my time prioritizing each task, marking up my planner with exact times and dates for them. While I could have spent those precious minutes actually completing some of the things on my list, in focusing on something unrelated, I can keep myself from being consumed by stress and anxiety. Stress has been proven to be helpful in doses, and I personally find myself most work-efficient when time is most precious. But stress can be a very slippery slope, and over-stressing is a dangerous pitfall many find themselves tumbling into. Giving in to our procrastination urges can help us moderate this stress, preventing the work we do get done from suffering due to our stress-addled brains.
The trick with procrastination isn’t to put everything off until the last second. It’s putting everything off until the right second. Starting a paper a week or two in advance is great, but if you end up shackled to your desk, you may miss out on the opportunities that define your college experience. Most of the time, we don’t procrastinate by doing anything we’ve seriously planned for. We waste our time spontaneously, getting takeout with a hall-mate or catching up on a season of our favorite shows with our friends.
One night, as I sat at my desk taking far too long to write my paper, one of my fraternity brothers knocked on my door, asking me if I’d like to join him for a late dinner at his mosque. At first, I gave excuses, citing the paper which was barely a paragraph in after an hour. Eventually, he wore down my defenses and, though I knew the paper was due at midnight, left with him and two other brothers. Having been my first time at a mosque, my brother was happy to show me around and teach me, especially when it came to the traditional Pakistani food that was being served. That night, I felt closer to him not only as a brother but as a friend. I was also able to finish my paper with time to spare.
I couldn’t tell you what that essay was about or even what class it was written for. But I could tell you everything about that night with my brothers, from the food to the prayer service to losing one of the brothers in the mosque. In my experience, I always misjudge the time I’ll actually need to complete any given activity when writing my lists. As a result, I’d miss out on so many experiences and opportunities if I followed them religiously. While it’s always nice to see all my assignments neatly arranged on my calendar, it’s oftentimes nicer to just put them off just one more minute.
