Fall semester is coming up. It's the start of a new era. Everyone is fresh-faced and thinking "this year will be different!" I've seen it (and done it) a million times. In the weeks leading up to a new semester, my boyfriend and I make a pact to do all of our homework as soon as it's assigned and to find regular times every day to study so we never get behind. I get pumped up and by index cards and new pens and promise myself that this time I really will make it to that 8 a.m. class every. single. day!
It sounds good on paper, I know it does. The thought of using a planner and the calendar not being two months behind for once is like a dream come true.
But here's the truth.
That's not how it goes. That's not how it ever goes. For one or two weeks I try to stick to a schedule and try to start my work ahead of time, but everything unravels slowly at first and then all at once. Like unrolling toilet paper, the longer it unrolls, the faster it shrinks. And just like that, my whole plan is right down the toilet and I'm back at square one. It took me years to realize this, but I've finally been able to learn a valuable lesson about procrastination: there's no use in running from it.
Everyone procrastinates sometimes. It's human nature to put things off that our subconscious deems as less important. It isn't food/shelter/water? It can wait. The key to "overcoming" procrastination is to accept and embrace it, instead of trying to force yourself into something unnatural. If you know you force yourself to stop procrastinating, it leads to feelings of dread for upcoming work and guilt when something does get accidentally put off. That guilt can then lead to further and even worse procrastination! I don't know how many times I've totally missed an assignment because I felt guilty for waiting until the last minute to do it, leading me to not want to do it at all.
Embracing procrastination doesn't mean being proud of rushing through that entire physics assignment five minutes before midnight or doing your online exam from your phone in the gas station parking lot. It's just about accepting that procrastination is something to be worked around rather than something to be torn down.
One skill that I'll be employing this upcoming school year to work on my procrastination habits includes keeping upcoming assignments at the forefront of my mind. That way, even if I haven't started yet, the ideas are flowing in my head and my mind is ready to tackle it when I do start. Also, truly utilizing the occasional opportunities where I really do feel motivated. Instead of planning out a rigid study schedule, I try to take the moments where I feel on top of the world and run with it. I might not study for an hour every day, but every few days I may have a burst of energy for a few hours where I can get caught up on things.
Being a procrastinator doesn't have to be something to be scared of or a sign of a student doomed to never graduate. It's something common to almost everyone in the world, and although it isn't the most user-friendly trait, it doesn't have to be eradicated before you can live a productive life.
