How many times have you, or someone you know, waited until the very last minute to do something? With finals week approaching, I'm sure many of us find ourselves in the "last minute" boat, hastily bailing water to keep it from sinking. Or, we just act like (Captain) Jack Sparrow and calmly accept our fate.
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My point is, we've all been there or, at least, seen someone there at some point. If you're a student, it's all the more likely. I know in my four years of college and now as a grad student I find myself procrastinating almost constantly. Even if I tell myself this time will be different I end up waiting until the last minute anyway.
Why do we do this? I think some of us (I know I do) work better under pressure. It helps us actually get things done and produce something fairly good at the same time. If you're writing a paper, for instance, it flows better if you write it all at once rather than gradually working on it. That's my experience, at least.
On the other hand, it has some adverse side effects. Stress is probably the biggest one. You might know you need to do it in the back of your head, continuously reminding yourself of it, but that doesn't mean you're going to get to it any faster. And the more you think about it and how you should be doing it, the more stressed you become. Procrastinating creates a lot of stress. It will also leave you buried under a pile of assignments.
I've found myself procrastinating in the real world, too. That's when it starts getting bad. My to-do list runs into next year. My laundry overflows its basket into next week. Cleaning? Taking out the trash? You can imagine how that goes. Adulting is a really difficult thing to perfect. I'm not sure even adults have perfected it. How can you stay on top of everything? It just seems impossible. Thus, our friend procrastination comes to live with us, nagging on our shoulder like the little devil.
So in the midst of finals and stress galore (especially all those seniors working on thesis, my heart goes out to you), I wish you the best. Happy Finals Games and may the odds be ever in your favor. Try to procrastinate as little as possible (even though we both know you'll do it anyway). And in honor of Cap't Jack, give yourself some rum (...I mean...fun *cough cough*) after finals week is over.
