Lifestyle Opinions

By: Alyssa Velasquez

“The…..break time!”

Sometime between my 13th and 14th year on this planet, my brain chemistry altered, and I became one of the biggest procrastinators I know. Honestly, it’s probably because of my phone. I wasn’t allowed to have a mobile phone until I was 13. Before that, I had a flip phone, which I could only call my parents and occasionally play Tetris for 30 minutes until my flip phone died. I think it created a distraction, which built my procrastination.

I remember sitting and crying on my dining room table (I wasn’t allowed to do homework in my room until I was 17 years old, my parents are cool people, but they were super strict growing up), writing my essay a day before it was due and my parents yelling at me simultaneously, asking why I waited two weeks to get started on it. I turned it in and got a fairly good grade on it. From there, I told myself I would never do that again. I would remember the feeling of my inner panic and not repeat the same mistake.

I lied.

Time and time again, if I immediately didn’t want to do something and knew I had “time” to do it, it didn’t get done that day. Instead, I would do hobbies that interested me, like my phone, for instance.

Now that I am 22 years old, it’s gotten worse since I have more freedom and pay for my own phone bill. I just doom-scroll until I feel sick.

I recently noticed this was affecting my mental health and have decided it was best to put the phone down and figure out a way to fix this bad habit.

Procrastination Tools

I now suffer the serious consequences of not getting things done on time, like a real adult.

Now that graduation time is approaching for me, my time is crucial.

I drill that in my head every time I want to lie down and scroll. I dramatize my academic career is on the line, which is kind of true; I’ve been on academic probation before, and trust me, it’s an anxiety I don’t wish on my worst enemy.

Another strategy I use is telling myself good rewards to earn when everything is done. For instance, I told myself I couldn’t go out this past “Halloweekend” if my homework wasn’t finished.

Best believe, all my homework and responsibilities were done, so I had nothing to worry about for the next week.

Plan out your week. Of course, things change, but if you have deadlines, don’t slack! Stick to them, or better yet, finish it early and get it out of the way.

This blog is due tomorrow as an assignment, but instead of procrastinating on Wednesday morning, I now have the rest of today and tomorrow to not worry about it.

What I can do better is write the next blog on Thursday or Friday, so I can enjoy my weekend, but again, this is something I’m still working on, and I have other assignments that are a priority that require my attention, but if I have time to do it, then why not? Right?

If you have time to do it, then why not just take the time to do it?