They say everyone has a hidden talent. Some people can sing, some can dance, and some can do eyeliner wings in one swipe. Me? I’ve mastered the fine art of procrastination. Yes, I am a certified procrastinator, and you don’t need a certificate to prove it, just one look at my daily routine is enough evidence.
Take this: I recently took two to three holidays from college. Valid excuse, right? It was raining cats and dogs, and the area I live in had turned into a full-blown natural swimming pool for the entire public. But what did I do with this unexpected vacation? Absolutely nothing. I slept. I think I could sleep for 24 hours straight and still wake up tired. The plan was to study, catch up on lectures, and complete my pending CWS (our internal assignments). The reality? My study plans stayed safely in my head. Because let’s be honest execution only happens the night before exams, fuelled by chai, panic, and maybe divine mercy.
Step 0: The Cab Traveller Struggle
See, I’m a day scholar, aka cab traveller. Which technically means I have a full hour every morning to get ready. But what do I do with the first half-hour? Watch reels, obviously. Then in the remaining thirty minutes, I speed-run through life: taking a bath, attempting to tame my wavy, frizzy hair (which is basically a WWE match between my comb and my head every morning), throwing on clothes, and somehow stuff in breakfast. And people say hostellers have it tougher? Funny, right?
But hello? we day scholars leave home at 11 for a class at 1. That’s two hours early just to travel! And lunch? Poof. Gone. My cab schedule has deleted it from my life. Now I survive on two meals: breakfast before 11 and dinner after 8. Because at “lunch o’clock,” I’m in my traveller bouncing on Jaipur roads instead of eating dal chawal. Then 1 to 5:20 classes back-to-back, no break. By the time I reach home at 8, I’m half-dead. And that’s exactly when professors expect us to work on assignments. Half-dead + assignments = villain origin story.
Step 1: The “I’ll Start Tomorrow” Illusion
The cycle always begins with confidence. “It’s fine, I still have three days,” I whisper, already scrolling Instagram. Fast forward, and it’s 11:58 PM the night before, with my laptop glowing like the light of judgment. Spoiler: I never did start “tomorrow.”
Step 2: Suddenly, Everything Else Becomes Urgent
Procrastination isn’t just putting things off it’s replacing them with oddly specific distractions. Like reorganizing my makeup drawer (which, for the record, magically gets messed up every single week) or deep-cleaning my almirah. Because clearly, cleaning shelves I haven’t touched since 2018 is far more important than writing a 5000 words research paper.
Step 3: The Productivity Theater
This is where I pretend I’m working. Opening the assignment? Productive. Creating a to-do list in rainbow pens? Very productive. Spending two hours choosing a font for the title page? That’s practically research. The truth: I’ve spent more time formatting than writing.
Step 4: The Deadline Adrenaline
They say some people thrive under pressure. I say procrastinators survive under pressure. There’s an odd thrill in typing a research work with only 50 minutes left before the submission form closes. At this point, it’s not about perfection, it’s about survival. Typos? Who cares. References? I’ll wing it. My brain has only two speeds: sloth and Olympic sprinter.
Step 5: The Aftermath
The moment I hit submit, I fold my hands like a innocent child and whisper: “Bhagwan ji pls pls iss baar bacha lo… agli baar se time par karungi sab kuch.”
And the next time? Well, of course I do it again. The cycle repeats, like a toxic situationship I can’t quit.
Final Confession
Being a procrastinator isn’t laziness, it’s an art form. It’s balancing chaos with control, panic with productivity, and endless naps with last-minute brilliance. And while I don’t recommend this lifestyle, here’s the truth: the work always gets done. Eventually.
Now excuse me while I put off proofreading this article until, well, tomorrow.
Step into more articles crafted by this author – Sharishtha Lal | Her Campus.