Courtesy: Hyperbole and a Half
As spring semester begins to pick up pace, the assignments have begun to pile up. If you know yourself well enough, you’ve already come to accept you will soon be putting things off like there’s weeks to be had. Forget the old days of procrastinating, full of scrolling through your favorite celeb’s tweets and finding yourself watching pimple popping videos (how you got there, we may never know) and find some ways to make procrastinating a bit more productive without touching a textbook!
Organize Your Life
A good way to keep your hands and mind busy without doing any actual school work is by tidying up your various collections of things! Make-up drawers, kitchen cabinets, bookshelves and (lord knows) your closet are just a few things you’ve probably been meaning to make more organized. This way you can go about your daily life and not have to worry about things like finding that one top that you haven’t seen since the summer semester last year.
Pamper Yourself
Chances are, if you have something to put off doing, you’re feeling a bit stressed out. Collegiettes are often so spread thin over a full semester of classes, internships, jobs, clubs and sports that we forget to treat ourselves sometimes! So break out your favorite body scrubs, face masks, shaving cream, bath salts, loofahs, leave-in conditioners and lotion and relax for a bit. Enjoy the serenity of having some alone time and unwind from your life as a busy bee.
Feed Your Body and Mind
If you don’t feel like getting out of bed to do your procrastinating, you can also go online to lay your responsibilities to rest for a while. Collegiettes need to eat well to maintain their endurance during the week, so make sure you’re eating to fuel your lifestyle! Millions of recipes lay past your fingertips online that can easily be made in your dorm’s kitchen. Make sure to incorporate fresh fruits and veggies into your diet. If you have limited access to a fridge, try things that can be kept in your dorm, like dried fruits, nuts, cereal and tortilla chips.
Though your mind may be running on ‘empty’ from your assigned readings and labs, your brain might benefit from a good book to keep your creative juices flowing. Check a book out from Strozier, find a cozy place in your dorm or on Landis Green and learn to appreciate reading for fun again! Trust me, it still exists. Maybe find an old favorite from middle school or even just pick a title that peaks your interest!
Exercise
This method of procrastination may be the most beneficial yet. Exercise is a fantastic way to release your body’s endorphins. It’s a natural way to lower your stress and feel happier! Find some inspirational ab and butt workout videos on Instagram. What you do with your body doesn’t have to be strenuous if you don’t want it to; always go at your own pace! You can go for a walk around campus with your headphones playing your favorite calm songs, or unplug from the digital world entirely and leave your phone at home, enjoying the sounds of this lively campus around you. Yoga is also an incredible form of exercise, believe it or not. Release those tight knots of stress as you flex and twist your limbs in ways you never thought you could. There are free classes at the Leach every day, all you have to do is show up!
Putting off your stressful assignments and papers doesn’t have to be a complete pointless waste of time anymore. There’s no time like the present to start procrastinating smarter.