Procrastination: Time to change

For as long as I can remember I’ve been an awful procrastinator. I was able to cruise through high school just fine and get into a very prestigious university. My teachers and family would always tell me that I wouldn’t be able to maintain this work method into college. I always thought ‘no one knows better than me’ and just pushed their comments aside. I wish I wasn’t so arrogant, because lately I’ve been extremely stressed and now understand what they were trying to warn me about.

Now that we are almost a month into my first semester of college I realize that procrastination will not work in a sense that is good for me. While I’ve still been able to turn all work in on time, I’ve noticed a slight decrease in overall quality of life and just happiness. Having that constant pressure to get something done, and just saying ‘oh I’ll wait till the weekend’ to get it done has done nothing but just put constant stress on me. Stress is not good for the human body and can even weaken the immune system causing you to get sick more often. I keep questioning myself and asking why I always put stuff to the last minute, and while I haven’t found an answer to that problem I believe I’ve started to find a solution.

Distractions are my main reason for procrastination, there’s just so many better things I can be doing besides my homework. However after the past few weeks I’ve realized I can still do those things and my homework while eliminating this stress factor. I recently started using a planner to plan out each day to make sure I get what needs to be done on that day. While I haven’t been as successful as I would have hoped by sticking to the planner, It has definitely helped. It has made me more organized and has allowed me to space out my days which gives me the luxury of doing the stuff I want. I try to spend more time with my roommates or friends and less time on my phone. My phone has been a big problem for me, and while I don’t want to admit it, I spend an absurd amount of time on that small device. By taking these steps to realize that there was a problem I believe I will continue to better myself when it comes to putting the enjoyment behind my priorities.

While I was extremely arrogant throughout the course of highschool I finally realized what everyone was trying to tell me. It took longer than I’d like to realize but I’m glad that I was the one who made the decision to change. And while I’m no means procrastination free, I’m getting better and not getting my work done the night before. It’ll be a long time before the day comes when I’m procrastination free, but I’m looking forward to those days when I get myself together.