There is no worse combination than being a perfectionist while also being afraid of failure and a procrastinator. That is exactly what I am, and I am sure a large majority of my fellow classmates also identify this way.
Every weekend I find myself starting homework at 8 p.m. on Sunday, even after telling myself I would start it on Saturday morning. For every assignment I have, I wait until a couple of days before it is due, and then realize why my teachers gave me weeks to do it. For every online story I have to write, I wait until the day before I have to turn it in, then panic to think of what to write about (sorry Dr. Kroeze and editors). The problem is that I always get stuff done on time and get pretty good grades on them, which is why I never learn my lesson. However, every time I procrastinate, I always feel stressed out and angry at myself for not starting tasks sooner. So then why do I procrastinate when I know how it makes me feel?
I do not just procrastinate on schoolwork, but in my daily life too. Whenever I get ready to go on a run, I put on my running clothes, tie my hair up and then…scroll on my phone for 30 minutes while “stretching.” Then I finally go downstairs to put my shoes on…but wait, I need a little snack. Then I realize I have not drank any water today, so I should probably do that or my run is not going to feel very good.
Shoot, my phone is at 20%? Nah, I am sure that will last me plenty of time. Now it is at 10%? I am still fine. 5%? Pfft. 1%? Where is the nearest charger? I need to plug this in right now!
My laundry basket, filled with clean clothes, always sits in my room for weeks until I finally find the time and energy to put my clothes away.
This is not just a problem I face though. According to University Affairs, “95% of people admit to procrastinating at least some of the time,” and 20% believe they are chronic procrastinators. Why do humans tend to procrastinate? Well, as Solving Procrastination states, it happens for a wide variety of reasons, such as feeling overwhelmed, lack of motivation, time-management issues, fear of being criticized and having low energy.
Are there any ways to stop procrastinating? Princeton University suggests that the first step is to be aware and to understand why you procrastinate. Here are some other ways to prevent procrastination:
- Stay motivated
- Commit to a task
- Reward yourself by completing tasks
- Place yourself in a beneficial working environment
- Set realistic goals
- Break down big tasks into little ones
Procrastination is an unhealthy habit I am trying to break, but I guess it can wait until tomorrow.
