Procrastination: the avoidance of doing a task which needs to be accomplished.
I have so much homework to do, but I need to unwind first. How about a movie?
I just got an email about something important that I need to address… I’ll answer it later.
Yes, I know I have a problem. I consider myself a chronic procrastinator. I hate to admit it, but it’s true. Hopefully people are right about the whole admitting-you-have-a-problem-is-the-first-step-to-recovery thing.
So here are four confessions of a procrastinator.
1. I make excuses to hide my procrastination.
“Procrastinator” and “college student” are not nouns that go together. Yet somehow, I seem to embody them both. Although I struggle with the common lack of desire to study and do homework, I usually finish smaller assignments on time. It’s the big research papers, presentations, speeches, projects, and such that I tend to leave until the last minute. I push those aside and focus on smaller assignments instead.
As the due dates approach, I come to that “oh crap” point when I realize that I barely have enough time to complete the assignment. I rush through the assignment and turn it in just in time. And sometimes, I don’t have assignments done on time.
When my procrastination leads to tardiness, I begin to make excuses.
If others are counting on me to do my part in a group project and I fail to do it in time, I bend the truth and make up excuses.
It’s the moments when I catch myself bending the truth to cover up my procrastination that I really suffer the consequences of my problem.
2. I slightly resent, but mostly envy, people who get things done ahead of time.
You know those people who are super organized, driven and are always a step ahead? Part of me resents that I am not like them. Seeing others accomplish things ahead of time makes me see that I have no real excuse for procrastinating. It’s very intimidating and irritating.
But I watch those kinds of people very closely. I attempt to learn from them, but it’s tiring to me. I get so overwhelmed at the mere thought of large tasks.
Maybe I shouldn’t just observe those kinds of people, but should have one as a mentor...
3. I know I have a problem, but I don’t change it.
According to my mom, saying that you don’t know how to stop procrastinating is like saying that you don’t know how to lose weight. Because the truth is, you know how to fix the problem, you just don’t want to go through the hassle of fixing it.
The true problem behind my procrastination is that I am afraid to face difficult tasks. I see a difficult task and I have no idea how to accomplish it, so I push it aside.
So when I think about how I need to change my procrastinativeness (yes, it’s a word, according to Dictionary.com), I see it as one more difficult task to push aside.
Therefore, I end up going on in my procrastinating ways.
I need to conquer my fear (and laziness, I’ll admit) and just get things over with.
The longer I wait to face a difficult task, the harder it becomes anyway.
4. I don’t procrastinate when it comes to something that I love.
When I am given a task that’s related to something I love, I start working on it right away. For example, I am a broadcasting major and I love to film and make videos. So, when I have a large project due for a class, like a short film, I don’t hesitate to start right away. I guess it’s because I’m not afraid of a difficult task when it’s something that I love to do.
I’m not totally sure if all procrastinators can relate to my confessions, but I hope we all learn a little from them. If we all procrastinate because we’re afraid of difficult tasks, then maybe we just need to overcome our fears. If you procrastinate, think about why you procrastinate. Maybe there’s hope for us yet.
