Procrastination

If you're anything like me, procrastination comes easily. It is so easy to put off things you need to do and do something else instead. For example: you have an assignment or project due in 3 weeks, but instead of getting ahead, you wait until 2 days before its due to even begin.

Sounds familiar doesn't it?

A procrastinator does do their work, but they like to wait until the last moment to do it. Why? There are several possible reasons to this question. Some don't feel like doing their work at the moment and put it off, only to forget it and panic later. Some work better when they are under pressure and crunched for time: it's a very harsh cycle. And others plainly find other things more pleasurable than work so they choose to do this instead, only doing the required work when they absolutely have to (basically if their deadline is the next morning).

These are only a few examples as well. There are multiple reasons why procrastinators would put off their work. It could be seen as lazy, but to me, a fellow procrastinator, it isn't.

For me, if I try to do things really ahead of time to get on top of it, I don't do my best work. But when I have a deadline, am crunched on time to finish, and have to focus no matter what, I produce some of my finest work. I have no idea why, but my brain and mind function that way. So I'll put off papers and projects, and even studying sometimes, until a day or two before its due because I work so much better when I'm under pressure and I have to focus to get my work done. It is still procrastinating, but the reason I do it is because if I try to get ahead, I get distracted and am not as diligent in the work I produce.

Take this for instance: this semester in college, I had to write a midterm paper for my Modern World Literature class. It was due on a Friday, and I didn't start writing it until Thursday night around 10 (sorry Mom and Dad). I was up basically all night writing that confounded paper and making sure what I was saying made sense. After my 2 hours of sleep, I woke up and edited the paper before printing it out and going to class to hand it in. And you know what? I got a 94 on that midterm paper. Blows my mind, but it works for me. I have no idea how or why, because I don't like the stress, but apparently my brain does.

Now just because this procrastination works for me most of the times doesn't mean it works for every procrastinator. I've had times where my procrastination has gotten me in huge trouble (flopped planning events) and it's been a disaster. But every procrastinator has their own methods in how they do things, and likely they've figured out their own patterns that work for them.

Procrastinators find a rhythm of procrastination that works for them so they can use it to their advantage. Genius or just lazy? I don't know. Maybe a little bit of both. But one thing for sure is that we walk a very fine line between procrastinating and just being ignorant of our responsibilities. It's something we procrastinators juggle on a daily basis.

Whether it be hanging with friends, being with family, watching movies, or playing games, there's tons of reasons procrastinators find to use as their way out of doing something. If anything sounds more appealing than the work they have to do, they'll most likely go to it. It's just what they're drawn to. For me, I find it hard to turn down a movie night or a game night. And if I'm home with my family I never get any work done because I'm with them the entire time. I tried to get work done and I think I lasted five minutes before I put my work away and went back to my family.

While it may be easy to deem us procrastinators lazy or disengaged, consider that we may just function a different way than other people do. Yes, we are lazy at times, but hey, we still get things done in the end (98% of the time). So be patient with us procrastinators, because even though we get easily distracted or don't engage with our work as much as we should, we really try our best at the end of the day and we are trying to get better at not putting things off.

Oh, last thing. This blog post just now? Yeah, this was me procrastinating from finishing my paper...bye bye now! I got to get to work!