If you're reading this article, chances are there's something a lot more pressing than shared headlines on your FaceBook newsfeed that requires your attention. It's rare that we find ourselves completely void of responsibility, in that it seems like even after we get home from school or work or wherever there's always something keeping us from turning our brains off the moment we kick off our shoes.
Whether it be a project for school due at the end of the week or an article that needs to be submitted by 5 p.m., deadlines are inescapable. However, we always manage to escape them for a little while, or at least we like tricking ourselves into thinking we are.
Procrastination: we're all guilty of it, and while it can feel borderline blissful scrolling through your Twitter timeline instead of stressing over the perfect thesis statement for your essay, there's always that icky feeling that lingers after you spend an hour or two doing absolutely nothing. While procrastination is arguably essential for maintaining a healthy level of stress, it rarely feels rewarding.
Even though it seems inevitable, it's possible to avoid that feeling while still dodging your more urgent responsibilities. I find that when I procrastinate in the form of binge-watching "Grace & Frankie" on Netflix, it's extremely difficult to pull myself from that mindset and find the motivation to actually get started on my work. However, when I procrastinate by doing other less essential tasks that I know I can tackle quickly, it's a lot easier to move onto the more important matters on my agenda.
The next time you find yourself faced with a deadline you can't even begin to wrap your head around, take a look at your workspace. Whether it be your bedroom or your entire apartment, chances are it could be cleaner.
Start there; clear your desk of old papers that need to be thrown away and your floor of clothes that need to be cleaned. Wash your sheets so that when you finish your work you can crawl into a bed without crumbs. Feed your cat-- trust me, she's been secretly hoping you would for hours now. Then make yourself to eat something too; how does anyone expect you to finish that bio presentation without a little brain food?
Wash your hair, because no matter how hard you try to convince yourself otherwise, it doesn't look better greasy. Call your grandma like you've been promising you would, she'll be so happy to hear from you and it'll eat up a good 15 minutes.
Do all the things you've been meaning to do but told yourself you could do later. I guarantee that when you run out of things to do, suddenly that term paper you've been dreading won't seem as impossible to start as it once did.
