Procrastination

Okay, can we just talk about something for a second?

There's a habit out there that's just as addictive and just as harmful as any drug, and I'm currently powerless to stop it. I'm just sitting here, sipping my tea and watching as it turns my life into a horrible train-wreck.

What is this habit, you ask?

If you know me, you know I'm a chronic procrastinator. And usually, I get things in on time, I just wait until the last minute to do them whenever possible. But lately, it's been getting worse.

Much worse.

I'm not just procrastinating my work now. Oh, no, I've moved on to bigger and more horrible things. I'm actually procrastinating my health.

I've been staying up later to finish things because "I can take a nap later" (which I never do). I've been forgetting to eat dinner until 8 or 9 pm. I've been procrastinating showers.

Granted, a majority of the reason I put things off is because I'm lazy or I get side-tracked. Just a couple of days ago, I bought a pack of socks at the store because I didn't want to take the time to do my laundry. Most of the things I procrastinate on are also fairly low on my priority list. I know, for instance, that I don't need to shower every day or that I can miss one week's blog post because I'm busy. I'm a junior in college; it's not like I have hours and hours of free time.

But still. It's getting a little out-of-hand.

So, let's look at this objectively. Why do people, in general, procrastinate?

They don't like the task.

Often, people will put off doing things they don't like. It makes sense. I mean, I know at this point that I'm not gonna need math for my career, so why would I jump at the chance to do math homework? Sometimes you just have to suck it up and do it anyway. I know that working in a distraction-free environment allows me to get my work done more quickly, but it's still easier said than done.


They don't have enough free time.

This, I've found, is the majority of my problem. When you don't have more than a few hours of free time per day, you don't have proper time to wind-down and do what it is that you want to do. This is why I don't sleep; if I know that I won't finish my work until bedtime, I'll end up doing things that I want to instead.

If I've been working for over twelve hours, I'd rather read than I would sleep. (Even if I regret it the next morning.)


They have too much free time.

Just the same as not having enough free time can be bad, having too much free time can be even worse. Sometimes people get into the habit of spending all day relaxing or doing whatever they please, and when they suddenly don't have that same  amount of leisure time, their priorities shift. I know, for instance, that I'm much less productive right after breaks because I'm coming back after having experienced the good life - a life free of responsibilities and anxieties.

The thing is, when you're busy, you're much more likely to be productive. An object in motion stays in motion, as they say.


Disorganization.

Can't find the thing? Don't do the thing.


The task, as a whole, is overwhelming.

This is especially true for large projects, like ones that require you to work in groups or ones that span the entire semester. It's overwhelming because it's a lot of work. How can I possibly finish all of that?

I understand that we're not supposed to finish everything in one go (and often, it's impossible to do so), but it's still very hard to break down the tasks and do them over a long period of time, especially when you don't have to submit things in increments.


They think they work better under a time-crunch / They underestimate the time it'll take to complete the task.

Everyone's dealt with this at some point. Frankly, sometimes being "passable" or "finished" is good enough.

I don't have a lot of solutions to these problems, and even if I do, it's definitely not easy to implement them. If you know how to fix this, please share. I'm reaching the point of no return, here. But, hey, at least knowing what's wrong is the first step to fixing the problem, right?

The older I get, the more I miss being a child.

Oh, God, I'm not even twenty-one. Taxes are on the horizon.

...

Can I be eight years old again?