The Art of Procrastination
by Hayes Bowman
Procrastination is something teenagers are all too familiar with. “I’ll just do it later” is something you’ve probably told yourself many times before. Maybe you were calling a friend, at soccer practice, or watching TV, but either way, you’ve probably put off doing something.
If you’re not familiar with procrastination, it means that you wait until the last minute to do things. Maybe it was a one-time thing and you overestimated the amount of time you had for a French project, or you simply didn’t want to do that one essay for your English class until the night before it was due (speaking from personal experience, I do not recommend it). Or maybe it happens frequently, and you are what I call a chronic procrastinator: you consistently avoid doing tasks and work until the last possible minute.
There is a big stigma surrounding procrastination, and most people think it’s just laziness. Most of the time, this isn’t even the case. Procrastination can happen for many reasons. Some people may have simply had a busy week. Some people procrastinate because they have ADHD, OCD, or depression. Oftentimes, procrastination is due to low self-esteem, burnout, a lack of motivation, or perfectionism. Procrastination takes the form of an out-of-sight, out-of-mind mindset. The longer you put it off, the longer you don’t have to worry about it!
However, this just isn’t the case. I am a champion procrastinator, to the point where I even procrastinated writing this article for months. When I was younger, I argued that my work was better when I procrastinated because I was under pressure due to a deadline, and that’s why I procrastinated. Maybe that was partially true, but that wasn’t all there was to it. I was (and still am) a perfectionist. I had a fear of failure, and procrastinating let me avoid confronting that fear. I did well in school and didn’t see any issue with procrastinating if it didn’t affect my grades. However, as the years went by, I didn’t realize how it was affecting me in other aspects of my life. I pushed myself to do everything and do it right. In middle school, I did soccer, speech and debate, mock trial, theatre, student council, and more, while maintaining A’s in all my classes. I loved all my activities, but it was too much. I was burnt out. I had absolutely no motivation to do my schoolwork. It made me procrastinate worse than ever before, and I had this constant cloud of dread looming over my head at all times. Work would pile up, and in the end, I was hurting myself more than I was helping.
I still struggle with procrastination a lot, and I think I always will. However, some things have made it more manageable. For instance, I like using calendars to help me visualize due dates and events. I also try not to have my phone right next to me if I am working on something because it always ends up becoming a distraction in the end. I think it’s important to note that procrastination isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes it gives you more time to think a decision through, and sometimes the pressure of something being due the next day really does help you get it done. If you’re going to procrastinate, it needs to be for the right reasons and in moderation.
The biggest difference I’ve made in my life to combat procrastination has been a mindset change. I try not to overload myself with commitments, and I make sure to take time for myself. It makes life less stressful, and I can take a step back and look at the situation from a different perspective. If I get the hard stuff done first, I am able to do the things that I love after, without all the stress. It has been so much better for my mental health and well-being, and I've been getting things done more efficiently because of it. If you “relax” first before doing an assignment or task because you’re procrastinating, you can’t actually relax since whatever it is you’re procrastinating is always in the back of your mind.
The next time you procrastinate, give yourself grace. Nobody’s perfect. Progress isn’t linear, and one bad, stressful day does not define you. It’s just one day. Life will move on, and so will you.
