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Photo taken from Business Cloud UK
By Vincent Tran
A lot of you will skip over this thinking you don’t have time to read an article about procrastination, but let’s be honest, every one of us has procrastinated. You may even be procrastinating right now by reading this. Whether it’s not doing homework, not planning a meet up, or forgetting to thaw that frozen chicken before mom gets home, it often causes some sort of consequence. But now that it’s the new year, let’s change those old habits. No longer will you get your phone taken away. No longer will you have to beg for late credit. No longer will there be awkward cancellations with your friends. The time is now to check off every task on the to-do list. You deserve the rewards, and you will earn it.
One of the largest humps people face and fail at when trying to end procrastination is having the mental willpower to endure the upcoming, agonizing weeks. It will become easier as better habits are developed. There are many ways you can begin your journey. William McRaven, U.S. Admiral, states, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” Ask some people who you know are doing well academically and start trying to imitate some habits they have. Persuading yourself into doing work is always a great start. Think about all the extra time you’ll have for your hobbies. More time hanging out with your friends, trying something new, sleeping, and so much more. You can also read this article to learn about habits and how they are formed or changed or watch this video of the master procrastinator himself.
To get all of these benefits, working hard is the main priority. Make a schedule. Hype yourself up and believe it’ll be over soon. Curse if needed. Inspire yourself to do more in the mornings. Challenge yourself to do more than yesterday. Get your friends and family to help you in your journey, not impede it. Simple motivation from others can be the difference between giving up and persevering - just like how a small compliment can change someone’s day. Watch a few motivational videos from your favorite speaker or pull up a photo of that Lamborghini you always wanted. You can do it. I believe in you. Productivity will only lead to more productivity. You’ll experience everything soon enough: better test scores, better health for that summer body, and overall more happiness. In a matter of a couple of hours, you will have achieved more than you could’ve done over the course of a full week. How crazy is that?
Now, let’s think of what you could’ve done instead of finishing everything. Scroll through YouTube and TikTok for hours? You can wait for a little. Text your friends about that new movie? Finish that work first. Want a little break? You can power through. Go back and forth to the fridge hoping that food you’re craving magically appears? Complete waste of your time.
By doing all of this repeatedly, you waste precious time in the only life you have. When you are on your deathbed, reflecting on life, you will only wish for more time to do what you wanted to do. So tell yourself whatever you’re doing to procrastinate right now is not worth it. You have choices in life, and it’s your duty to make the right one. Stop creating false lies in your head and look at the big picture. If you want that dream job, dream house, dream life, you have to work incredibly hard to do it. Let’s have less “there’s time” and more “there’s opportunity.” This will give you a significant advantage over everyone else with the same goals as you. You will not only work harder than them, but you will also feel better, more invigorated, and more determined- key factors in later life. Don’t screw it up now.
You have all the potential in the universe to do something that will change the Earth in a positive way forever. However, it all has to start now. Not next month, next week, or even tomorrow. Get it done today and move on to better things. Gain that respect from your peers. They will laugh at you until you are able to be successful. By then, only you will be laughing. The ones who don’t believe in you or don’t like what you’re doing will come back soon enough. Focus on you. Make it happen.