(2:08 a.m. Tuesday morning, Oct. 7: I start writing)
Once I began thinking of a topic for this week's editorial on Sunday, Oct. 6, I came to the conclusion that I probably started thinking about it four or five days too late. A few minutes later I realized that I had been watching football and playing guitar all day. Then "The Simpsons" came on. Then "Family Guy" came on. Then my roommate wanted to talk about our awesometastic Oktoberfest. Then my topic was obvious: I should do an exploration of the skill that is procrastination. (2:15 a.m.)
If done correctly, it can allow you to do more enjoyable things while still getting your work done on time. If done incorrectly procrastination can lead to failure, which is obviously not a good thing. Those who know how to procrastinate correctly (myself included) don't hide from the fact that it can be considered a bad habit, but also don't hide from the fact that we do it. I am a procrastinator, and I bet plenty of you are as well.
(2:34 a.m. I watched something about the O.J. trial on CNN)
Let's face it, as college students we are asked to do things that we don't want to do and are presented with things that we enjoy doing all the time. Who wouldn't want to go to that party or watch a movie on TBS that we haven't seen in ages rather than write a paper or study for a test? I have learned over the years that procrastinating is OK if putting your mind and body through a considerable amount of strain doesn't scare you. For example, if you need a lot of sleep, don't procrastinate. If you are a high stress person, don't procrastinate. If you can't work around a deadline under pressure, don't procrastinate. If you can do all of these things, then procrastination isn't that bad.
(2:43 a.m.)
Yes, I realize that many faculty members will read this article and cringe. I also understand that I am completely revealing how I go about school work to teachers I have now, as well as ones I've had in the past. However, I don't turn things in late and I manage to get good grades. This means they can't hold the fact that I don't have the best study habits against me. I just hope that my parents have forgotten that The Rotunda is online now because they may have something to say about how I am spending my time and their money here. (For the record, I do not condone of procrastination unless you have the ability to do it correctly).
(3:04 a.m. I ate some Goldfish and found the fact that Pepperidge Farm gives a name to all the different types of goldfish slightly disturbing. I just ate like 38 ‘Finns' whose profile quote is "This is gonna be great." Umm…really?)
I also want to make clear the fact that procrastination is NOT another word for unproductive. I am productive while procrastinating all the time. Sometimes I clean my room, do my laundry or wash the dishes when I should be doing work. I call this facet of procrastination, "being productive while being unproductive." Meaning, I am doing things that are productive while avoiding the things that actually are timely.
(3:15 a.m.)
So by now you might be asking: "So Wes, how do I learn the skill of procrastinating?" My answer is simple yet complex. In short, you need to adapt to getting very few hours of sleep and doing high quality work in a short amount of time. I actually thrive under pressure and over think when I start something far in advance, thus bringing in the risk of getting a worse grade than if I wait until the last minute. Also, when I write papers I have to do them in one sitting (as a communications major, writing papers is the main contributor to my grade). If I start a paper and come back to it on another day I lose "the flow." So I have to wait till the last minute right? Anyways, those are my excuses and I'm sticking to them. In order to be a successful procrastinator you also need to figure out how fast you can actually finish things while still producing the aforementioned high quality work. Even if you are a super procrastinator, time management is definitely a necessary tool if you want to get things done on time. This takes experience but you have to learn quickly or else your GPA will suffer.
(4:02 a.m. "Scrubs" comes on Channel 5 from 3:30-4 a.m.)
Procrastination is defined by Dictionary.com as: to put off until another day or time; defer; delay. I would like to change this definition slightly. I would define procrastination as: the act of doing enjoyable things while avoiding the less enjoyable tasks and still understanding that you must do them eventually and when you do, you better get it right the first time or you will have to pull an all-nighter and drink many Red Bulls, [should not be performed by anyone who does not possess the skill of procrastinating]. (4:18 a.m. T-minus 20 minutes from sleep, and T-minus five hours from waking up)
Finally, I would like to use the forum that comes with being an editor for The Rotunda to suggest the creation of a ‘Procrastinators Club.' We could get together, talk about certain things we do to ensure our successful procrastination, tell ‘close call' stories and compare the number of all-nighters everyone in the club has had. We should meet in the student union tomorrow. Or the next day. Possibly next week…I'll get back to you.
Wes Organek, Features/Opinion Editor
