OK. Let's start off by saying it together. Procrastination is real. There is no denying it! No matter who you are, where you're from, or what type of worker you are, procrastination has gripped you more than once in your lifetime. Now, it may not seem like a big deal to some. Maybe over stretching a deadline by a few hours or maybe even a day, but only the true procrastinators that inhabit this Earth will know what I am talking about. As an avid procrastinator, I have some experience in how these different stages of laziness play out.
1. Thinking you'll get to it later.
You only say this to make yourself feel like you're good at prioritizing. News flash: You're really sh***y at it!
2. Getting distracted.
Once you've begun to work on the project that you have been putting off for hours, days, weeks, etc. then you start to notice things that may not have been interesting to you before. For instance, a freckle on the back of your hand might have just become the most interesting freckle in the world. Yeah. A freckle.
3. The endless cycle of breaks.
Around now is when you really start to travel off the beaten path of determination. Feeling so accomplished after starting the heading of an essay, you feel like you deserve at least something for getting some working done, so you reward yourself with a small five minute10 minute 15 minute break!
3. The epiphany.
You've reached a point during the break where your thoughts go from the reddit article you're reading to realizing that you barely have anything done. You begin to panic at the thought of not finishing what you've started. Some unknown force plagues you with guilt, shame, and embarrassment and you end up pushing through.
4. The busy bee.
This is your most productive stage of the night. Your creative senses are in maximum overdrive. Knocking tasks out left and right, you feel on top of the world. All of this high-intensity working has you pretty worn out. With your eyes drooping, you sluggishly make your way to the other room to take a break.
5. The "Oh crap!" moment.
You wake up to the sound of a frantic alarm clock going off in the other room. On the computer screen are a collection of letters you don't remember typing. You go to look in the mirror and see that the imprint of your keyboard has been cast across your face. Oh crap. You must have fallen asleep during your break. This confusing realization sends you into a fit of disorientation. The overwhelming sense of not finishing makes you type faster than you've ever typed before.
6. Low power mode.
After pulling a semi all-nighter, your brain is fried. You feel like you could melt into a pool of stress at any moment due to sleep deprivation and the possibility of not getting your task done on time. You decide for the rest of the day that you deserve to take it easy.
PS: OK, I just want to make it known that I'm writing this at 9:14 p.m. when this article is due at midnight. Ironic. I know.
