Nicole Blanchard
Editor-in-Chief
Sometime last semester I stumbled upon an article about procrastination that really changed the way I thought about my own procrastination and how to keep it to a minimum.
We’ve all seen magazine and internet self-help articles about how to stop procrastinating.
“Make working fun!” they proclaim, or “take a five minute break for every 15 minutes of work you do.” If they’re particularly helpful they dole out priceless advice such as “focus on the task at hand.”
How amazing. If only us chronic procrastinators had thought to focus, surely we wouldn’t be in such predicaments.
Let’s be real; most of these articles are utterly useless, and often a little insulting. Not to mention they can be downright confusing. How am I supposed to focus while also taking five minute breaks every fifteen minutes, and 30 minute breaks after every seventh short break or something similarly ridiculous? (I’m getting confused just pretending to make up some outrageous anti-time-wasting schedule)
Anyhow, back to the article that really makes a difference. I came across it again this weekend while I was (wait for it…) procrastinating on some homework.
I won’t go into too much detail, but the article essentially describes the origin of procrastination, not some poor excuse for a remedy.
According to this article, procrastination is the result of anxiety or worry about the task at hand. As an anxious person, this came as no surprise to me.
What the author explains is that, oftentimes when a person puts off a project or some other obligation, it’s due to nervousness over the outcome of said obligation.
Take school matters, for example. If a person is extremely nervous about understanding material for a big test, it may seem ridiculous for that individual to waste time procrastinating when he or she could be using that extra time to gain a handle on the subject matter.
Instead, he or she may put off studying to avoid facing the worst: the potential reality that she or he doesn’t get it, or doesn’t even know where to start.
It’s this kind of self-sabotage that almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
To go back to my previous example, the student in question might end up bombing that dreaded test. Instead of considering the poor performance a reflection on his or her worth, it suddenly makes sense to blame the bad grade on procrastination and the lack of preparation that went into the test.
When I first read about this explanation, it was like some sort of fog had cleared in my brain. All of a sudden it made sense why I waited until 1:30 a.m. to begin a project that was due just a few hours later, and why most of my friends and roommates did the same. But avoiding the situation for fear of the outcome doesn’t improve the circumstances.
I won’t lie; in some cases sheer laziness gets the best of me, as I’m sure it does everyone else, and procrastination can’t be blamed. But those times when it’s almost painful to crack down and get work done, it may be useful to consider the source.
If you’re worried about how you’ll perform, it’s important to remember that you’ll take much more pride in your work when you devote the necessary time and effort.
Nicole is a senior majoring in Mass Communication.
