Procrastination: Time Management

Have you ever felt time slip through your fingers before you could get a grip on reality? All of a sudden you find yourself in front of a blank paper, without a move planned? Procrastination is one of the most overlooked problems in our country when children are growing up through our education systems. My second grade teacher had me figured out when I she called me a brilliant 7 year old who will always wait until the last minute to accomplish the task at hand. While many of us have those fond memories of missing assignments at early ages up to now- believe it or not procrastination is not something you are born with. It’s all part of your development and your personality plays into it. Asking yourself if you’re just lazy or perhaps lack of motivation or discipline condemned you to an eternal battle with time. Procrastination can be beaten and there are intelligent ways to do so. Everyone’s different but that’s fine- the cure comes in a variety.

Stress is a big issue in procrastination. You may feel so much pressure to accomplish something that your work will ultimately pay the price. Benjamin Franklin suggested that you should split your time of the day into 1/3 work 1/3 rest and 1/3 play. Doing so will keep your brain in the best shape when it’s time to work, and you’ll feel relieved that you can still do the things you love and get a night’s sleep aswell. You should think of your brain as your best friend. To keep your stress levels down your brain will actually procrastinate! By following the 1/3 method your brain will allow you to work and for that work to flourish.

We often allow ourselves to become overwhelmed. That’s the next big issue for procrastinators worldwide. There’s often too many things on our plate as we tend to have crazy schedules. By reviewing your to do list and dropping the unnecessary tasks you’d be surprised to see your work time prosper. The best people in many work fields will finish their work with time for vacations or work less hours than the workaholics they have for co workers. You may not be as efficient as you think. My brother actually tested himself by seeing how much time he spent at his desk at home, and then how much time he actually worked while at the desk. I was interested to hear that he spent 10 hours at his desk one week and really only was working for about 2 of those hours. If you have less work time at a station you may find yourself more consistent and you won’t be tempted to procrastinate.

I’ve always been the “lazy” procrastinator. My senior year in high school I did a project the night before it was due. When I looked at the assignment date, it was assigned three months prior. I found it funny that while I was doing the unthinkable and actually finishing this project that night, I was getting a lot of texts from close friends asking if I was also working on it just then. I ended up getting an 80 on this project and I honestly considered it a success for a while. I would brag about that 80 to the people who got a 100 just to be annoying. Honestly if I took some time to work on it I feel like I could have gotten a perfect score. I settled for a night of no sleep and a good not great score. Only reason I regret it now is because it encouraged me to take my sweet ass time when I was assigned other projects. But I’ve also found I usually win the race against time. It’s almost like david versus goliath, and for once I’m david. Subconsciously I’m sure my brain likes the challenge of getting something done last minute. Or maybe that’s an excuse for being lazy.
Through research of my behaviors in high school I’ve found I procrastinated the most in the spring. I tried to give myself the winter off of sports to focus on school, but by not doing basketball my senior year I had way too much time on my hands. Some people overwhelm themselves but too much free time is the root of all evil. When I was most physically active in the fall and spring I felt like I had the perfect balance of when to do my work. Also believe it or not exercise will help your work because it raises your energy levels, while things like tv drains them. By sitting around all day you may think your resting yourself but your body will grow accustom to not using energy. You could find the littlest things too much work to do. Diet actually plays into this aswell because fueling your body will prevent your laziness when it’s time to get the job done.

In 1978, only about 5% of americans considered themselves procrastinators and in 2007 that number went up to about 26%. It’s a serious issue on the rise. Self esteem is playing to into also because people who doubt themselves are prone to self defeating behaviors like procrastination. By figuring out what kind of student or worker you are, you can discover many different ways to handle the problem that is procrastination. This beast can be caged by acknowledging the first, and looking within yourself to fix it. You should challenge yourself to be the best student you can be without subliminally destroying yourself through stress or overwhelming behaviors. Challenge yourself to take action, laziness is a behavior that enjoys being in the driver seat. Anyone can beat procrastination, and we all should. Let’s beat procrastination and teach our children to take the right steps so future generations won’t be damaging themselves like we have been. My hope is that you listened well enough to help yourselves as students. and If you don’t have a procrastination problem, recognize the seriousness of the issue and lend a helping hand in spreading the knowledge of taking the right steps in procrastination.