Procrastination

Ahh yes, our old nemesis and friend. We’ve all been there before… a big project at hand or an essay due tomorrow… it’s nearing midnight and all you seem to be able to do is sift through Youtube videos you’ve watched a hundred times already, resign yourself to stalking your friends’ photos some more, or chatting with anyone that pops online so you can complain about the work you have to do. And of course, reading blogs such as this because you have nothing better to do at the moment.

Maybe the title of the post should be renamed to “The Story of My Life.” I procrastinated a ton before I actually logged on and posted this. But don’t worry, I can make up for it because newbie blogger yours truly here has just made another killer realization: that blogs ALWAYS make posts with lists of some sort! So here you are.... “Tips to Fight Procrastination.”

1)     Turn off the TV. Yup, it’s the worst thing you can do if you told yourself you would sit down with your math homework in your lap and you would do it slowly while watching your favorite program. Nope! Believe me, I’ve tried that many times and I always ended up with a blank piece of homework in front of me at the end. (Commercial breaks are far too interesting these days. More interesting than math homework at least).

2)     Log out of Facebook. This one’s an obvious one, but so hard to do. Make sure you log out and not just exit the browser, especially if you have it set to “remember account” like I do. Handy because you don’t have to type in your password every time, but dangerous because an hour of procrastination is just two clicks away.

3)     Don’t Work and Text. Not quite as catchy as “Don’t Drink and Drive,” but it’s solid advice nonetheless. If it’s important, just call the person now. Otherwise you’ll be stealing glances at your phone every five seconds and losing your concentration whenever you hear that familiar buzz. Flirting and chit-chat can wait. Unless, of course, you don’t mind doing it in detention tomorrow for not finishing your homework.

4)     Close the Door. This wonderful tactic works against both annoying siblings and pestering parents. You see, the barrier of solid wood that you put up makes it harder for these annoying creatures to come disturb you while you’re working. If you’re on the computer in the family room, I like to put earbuds or headphones on (without the music) to let others know I’m not in the mood to talk. Or, you can just announce to everyone in the vicinity that you are not to be disturbed until you finish XYZ. (I’ve had varying success with that last one.)

5)     Curb your Hunger. First ask yourself if you really are hungry and not just wanting an excuse to get up and walk around the kitchen. Then ask yourself if you will survive the next task without getting a snack. I find that I tend to want to eat more when I’m working on something I don’t really don’t want to do. If you really are hungry, eat first and then work. Otherwise it’s just another excuse to procrastinate that your subconscious is urging you to do.

6)     Turn Music Off OR Make a Playlist. This one’s particular and varies from person to person and task to task. I like to listen to music when I’m working on math homework, creative projects (English posters), and other busywork (chemistry problems or French translations), but not during other tasks, such as writing essays or reading a textbook chapter. If you choose to listen to music, however, make sure you are doing so from an ipod or Youtube playlist (or radio, if you can switch easily between stations to avoid commercial breaks). Do NOT go Youtube song hunting as I am guilty of a lot of the time, where you open a song you really like, then find another one when it ends. I always find myself drifting away on those Youtube links and then end up watching an episode of CollegeHumor, or just spending way too much time looking for songs. Playlists are the way to go.

7)     Do NOT Listen to the Endless Loop of Nyan Cat.  For obvious reasons. You WILL go insane.

8)     Stop Reading This. I know, this blog is incredibly entertaining and interesting to read but if you’re supposed to be finishing your homework right now, STOP READING and get back to work =D. I’ve even found myself googling “How to Stop Procrastinating” occasionally while procrastinating… the only way to stop procrastinating is to have self-discipline. Lists like these are just entertaining to read.

9)     ADVANCED TIP- Reward Yourself (Sparingly) Do not attempt this until you have mastered the above list. I find myself being more productive when I set a goal and then promise myself a “reward” upon completion of the task. Rewards can range from ice cream to an episode of your favorite TV series to going to a friend’s house. Just make sure it is proportionate to the task. For example, don’t promise yourself an hour-long TV episode for a 10-minute math assignment. But having that goal in mind is sometimes a really good motivator for you to finish that dreaded DBQ or novel you have to read.

That’s it! Happy working, feel free to comment any other tips against procrastination below. One can never be too wary against procrastination. 

Senior schedule

A little half-sheet of paper in an innocuous, plain looking envelope arrived in the mail today. It's finally here... my senior schedule. My first reaction: "Oh cool, I get to know what classes and teachers I'll have this year. My second reaction: *checks calender* "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."

It's kind of a slap in the face, finally receiving the memo that signals the end of summer. It's hard to believe, as it probably is for other people who are still in summer mode. Wait, we're seniors now? Only a few weeks ago we were still juniors, suffering under loads of homework and extracurriculars, worrying about Junior Prom, shaking our fists at collegeboard and the plagues of APs and SAT tests alike. This summer was the first breath of reprieve that we've gotten in awhile. And now we have to deal with college applications?

Oh man. It's kind of hard to describe how I feel right now. I always knew this day was coming, the day when I would have to start thinking about colleges seriously. It reminds me of the summer before my sophomore year, when I took my first two AP classes. It had come too suddenly, and though I had known about it, it hadn't really registered in my mind. It was overwhelming to wrap my mind around the fact that I would be taking college-level courses already, daunting to think all that could go wrong. And now it's kind of like that for college applications... I was always aware of the work that I had to do, but now the fact that I actually have to starting doing it is enough to induce headaches. So yeah, I've taken a look at the Common Application and started drafting some of my essays, but as summer draws nearer to a close I feel like a giant iron gate is slowly closing in front of me, shutting out my carefree world- the glorified sunny field of Hakuna Matata and all things stress-free that I've been frolicking in so contentedly this summer.

To be honest, I'm still pretty excited. First day of school, I get to see all of my friends again, the soccer season is starting, I get to meet new teachers.... but much as I like that feeling of freshness and back to school-ness, I know that'll get old pretty quickly. Once the homework starts piling up and the sleep debt grows higher I know I won't enjoy it at all. My classes are okay in terms of workload this year, I purposefully dropped an AP or two because come on, who wants to slave away during senior year? I already had junioritis LAST year 2nd semester, there's no way I'd be able to keep my focus this year after my college applications are all sent out.

It's annoying to have that cloud-o-doom constantly hanging over your head, though. School was bad enough, but having to do extra work preparing essays and filling forms is simply I don't handle very well. Procrastination becomes my best friend, and I've used that approach pretty much this whole summer. And by this point, any conversation you have with an adult lasting longer than 5 minutes will probably gravitate towards the subject of college applications. "Where are you thinking of applying?" "Are you excited for your last year of high school?" "What are you thinking of majoring in?" (Like we haven't all heard that one before).

Bottom line for me: I'm excited for senior year, but as for life before I finish college applications.... not so much.