Procrastination. It’s every student’s best friend and every teacher’s worst nightmare. Most of us are familiar with the concept, whether it’s doing a project for school a day before it’s due or writing an essay a couple of hours before the deadline. And in this age of virtual school, procrastination has been affecting us more than ever.

Procrastinating is hard work—take it from me, the greatest procrastinator known to mankind. If you’re looking for some evidence to support that large claim of mine, here is a list of my qualifications. 

1. My procrastinating experiences date back to when I was old enough to have assignments to complete. This includes coloring sheets, hand turkeys, and all the standard preschool activities.
2. I have countless essays, numerous PowerPoints, and dozens of program applications to show in my procrastination portfolio (most of these assignments were completed in under two days, sometimes one).
3. As of Sunday, February 28, 2021, I have about 15 assignments and tasks to get done that are due within the next two days.
4. I am currently writing this opinion piece hours before it is due, even though I was given a full month to write it.

Now, one misconception I’d like to clear up about my procrastination tendencies is that I didn’t choose to live this way. I’ve essentially trapped myself in a procrastination cycle and can no longer get out of it. Every day, I try and complete the tasks that are due that day, putting off tasks due later because I have to meet the deadlines for today before I can think about tomorrow or next week’s deadlines. Then the next day, I complete the tasks that are due that day while putting off later tasks because, again, I’m more focused on the present than the future. This “focusing on the present” mindset is what traps me into my procrastination cycle. It is also one of the reasons why I end up completing tasks I’ve been given a lot of time for at a point very close to their deadlines.

Two other factors that play a large role in my life as a full-time procrastinator are time management and overcommitting. I have horrible time management skills and it’s something I’ve been working on for quite some time. Also, I tend to overanalyze basically everything which increases the time I take to complete tasks or assignments. Oftentimes, I even get distracted by random occurrences and thoughts which slows the process even more.

When it comes to overcommitting, it’s basically another hobby of mine. For some reason, I feel the need to engage in every opportunity that comes my way. Clubs, volunteering, other extracurriculars, projects, extra-credit assignments I really don’t need to do, these are just some of the activities that sneak into my daily life. I think my habit of grabbing any opportunity I can and refusing absolutely nothing has really contributed to my overcommitment issues.

So it’s not that I am consciously choosing to delay completing my tasks, it just happens because of the number of tasks I have to complete, the pace at which I work, and the other events that I have to consider in my life.

In spite of the constant mental, emotional, and physical suffering I deal with because of my procrastination, if I had the chance to go back and change my tendencies, I wouldn’t do it. It’s definitely not the best or most healthy lifestyle choice, but it’s my choice, and I think it has done a lot of good for me.

Because I am able to procrastinate and commit to so many activities, I’ve gained so many valuable skills and experiences. Each endeavor that I have participated in has been so meaningful to me, and I’m so glad that I was able to participate in them all. I’ve also learned how to work under pressure in extremely stressful situations without giving up or bursting into tears. I have a feeling I’m going to use that skill, in particular, very frequently in the future. Lastly, I’m always busy. I never feel like I’m doing nothing with my life and there is always something to stimulate my mind and to keep me interested in living. Quarantine and the pandemic have really confined people to the point of depression and boredom. With me, it’s the complete opposite as I always have so much to do all the time.

To all my fellow procrastinators out there who can relate to anything I’ve mentioned, remember you are not alone. Somewhere in the corner of her house is a sleep-deprived teenage girl with nothing but her computer and to-do list for company. If you ever want to get on a procrastinator group call with her where all you do is talk about all the things you’re not going to do, she’s always available. 

She wasn’t going to work on that assignment for next week until later anyway.