The Author Invents Excuses for Her Dangerously Low Efficiency
CAPTION: Time goes on endlessly, and so do deadlines.
Procrastination: The action of delaying or postponing something. (Oxford Languages)
To that definition, I would add without valid reasoning.
If you knew me but didn't know me that well, like a newer friend or acquaintance, you wouldn't think I was one to procrastinate. But just because I get my work done on time (helped by how much free time I have outside of school) doesn't mean there aren't other consequences.
Procrastination can be imagined as a tempting outer voice, dragging you away from your goals and achievements, but it's important to remember that it's your voice - and sometimes, it has a point. I think procrastination is the product of an endless conflict between your past, present and future - a present "self" that wants to be happy, an uncertain future self that is too willing to take over the work, and the wise, haunting memories of your past self reminding you that no, this does not usually go that well.
The whole cycle starts with discomfort when faced with a task you have to do. Maybe fear creeps up when you think of starting; making the first definitive move or choice can be hard, especially if you're a perfectionist. Then your mind creates mini "excuses" - for example, "I shouldn't do [this chore] because I have to go to [this thing] in a while, and I might not be able to finish what I've started." The thing about these excuses is that they're borderline reasonable, and therefore easier to convince yourself of. Or you try to believe that you have more time than you really do - which becomes an uncomfortable feeling called cognitive dissonance, which can happen when you do something contradictory to your beliefs (because yes, you probably know exactly how much time you have left). Sometimes I find myself unwilling to work because what I have to do doesn't feel productive, like the mental strain of organising my thoughts or the endlessness of cleaning a desk that will get dusty again.
Getting out of procrastinating when you've already started is even more of a struggle. It's easy to think, if I'm already under a mountain of work, why should I start to climb up it now? but this does nothing for your situation, only sending things spiralling into a loss of control of the situation. Eventually it will no longer be your choice whether you "climb" the "mountain of work" established. You will have to move or be pinned under it.
Most tasks are finished, and most work is inevitably suffered through. This questions the whole point of procrastinating, if it only brings a level of increased panic to the situation. Work produced when stressed is generally of a lower quality, even if there is greater motivation. The ability to plan ahead and make better choices is lost when there is little time left. There is a brief spell of relief when the task is done, but it won't last for long.
The troubles of procrastinating begins with the question of "Living in moment" versus "living in the future." If we spend all our present time devoted to improving an unknown future (which could never arrive, if your workload is heavy enough), then are we truly seeking happiness and living for ourselves? Is there a way to find joy in both the present and the future? Maybe these questions don't feel pertinent when we decide when to do homework, but they decide how we live life.
-Tomatobean
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