Procrastination is a fact of life, especially collegiate life. I’m actually writing this article as a way to ease my stress about the impending midterm season. Here’s my theory: procrastination might be a good thing.
I work better under pressure. I have hard evidence that the work I produce the morning the assignment is due is a lot better than the work I do a week before the due date. I swear, the pressure actually helps me.
If it wasn’t already clear, it’s terrible but I’m a chronic procrastinator. My roommate does everything 2.5 weeks before it’s due, and then there’s me who is more of a “night before” kinda gal. The thing is when I’m procrastinating it’s not even doing something fun that I would be doing if I didn’t actually have work to do. I’ll do anything to get out of doing my work – literally anything. I’ll clean, go into a Wikipedia hole, or spend an hour and a half curating the perfect study playlist (for when I eventually get started). But is this such a bad thing?
When I do things a week before they’re due, I feel like I deserve a medal for how responsible I am. But it just feels so much harder. The time that lies between the completion of the task and when the task is actually due makes it THAT much more daunting. However, when you wait until the last minute you don’t notice the difficulty because of the mind-numbing panic that has begun to set in. The tediousness of the job doesn’t even phase you anymore because the worry about getting the assignment in on time is your main priority. In my experience, the final product comes out better because you’re thinking more clearly. There’s that rush of adrenaline and extra blood flow to your brain.
Now I’m not saying that I turn things in late -I don’t; or that I don’t open my backpack until the morning my homework is due, but I’m a huge proponent of getting up early to do your work. You’re fresher, there are no distractions (probably because no one else is awake for you to talk to), and there’s more pressure: your work is bound to be better. This campus is really beautiful first thing in the morning. Get up, go to Kaldi’s and just pound it out. You have no other choice, and in that lies the beauty of it. In a couple of hours, you’ll have to turn it in.
Late nights aren’t necessarily horrible either. You ~zone~ out and just get it done because the draw of your bed is so powerful. I know that at midnight after being up for 20 hours I would do almost anything if it meant I would get to go to bed sooner. It’s just one more factor to get you motivated. However, I am unequivocally anti-stacks. Stay out of that hellhole for your own sanity.
Also, if you’re procrastinating, just own up to it. Don’t come to class the next day and say your homework took you eight hours. It didn’t. Two hours of the time was spent scrolling through two full years of @swoopdaddy memes. Be honest.
Ultimately, procrastinating isn’t the worst thing in the world. In Greek and Roman times procrastinating was revered. Both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have described themselves as chronic procrastinators. I learned both of these facts because I had a research paper to write but surfed the web for a bit.
P.S. I’m pretty sure this article is due in about 5 minutes so I’ll end it there. Also, get off Her Campus and go do your Chem homework!