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Procrastination and How to Stop It

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UTSA chapter.

Let me just begin this by saying… I am so good at procrastination. Procrastination is my middle name—I am trying to fix this. But, somehow things are working out fine for me. So, is there really anything that needs to be fixed?

 

YES.

 

 

Procrastination: basically when you’re a lazy person that puts many things that need to be done on hold. As a fellow procrastinator, we are just insanely lazy. This is a worldwide issue that must be stopped. Want to know why?

 

Well let me tell you.

 

Imagine if a doctor procrastinated, and there is a patient on the table waiting to get their kidney transplant that they have been waiting for, for FIVE YEARS. What if the doctor just decided, “I’ll just start the surgery in an hour”. Then BOOM. The patient is dead. Although that may have been the worst example ever I could come up with, trust me—there is no time to waste!

 

 

First and foremost, time management is key. I am terrible at this, but hey, at least I know I need to figure it out. I have never been one to use a planner, so I discovered the great invention of sticky notes. At the beginning of every week, I check all my syllabi for my classes, then write down what is due for that week. Once everything is written down I just post the sticky note where I am the most… which is on my laptop. I KNOW, I KNOW. I really need to start going outside or something, but no college student really has time for that.

 

 

You do know what a college student always seems to have time for? A distraction! My phone is my own worst enemy, I am on that thing like it’s my boyfriend. Heck, I may even love it more than my boyfriend to be quite honest (sorry about that Thomas). When it’s really grind time, putting my phone as far away from me as possible helps a lot. I get locked and loaded with coffee, and completely forget that thing exists. But, when you have a Mac computer and receive notifications that appear on your phone and your computer screen, staying focused can be a challenge. In order to curb this, depending on what I am studying for or working on I either:

 

  • Turn off my WiFi, and download any books I need into a PDF

  • I put my laptop on “Do Not Disturb” mode (greatest invention ever, btw)

  • I use a paper copy of a book instead of my laptop

  • I print out my notes and work from that

 

There are many solutions to your “procrastination problem.” Of course, we are all different and know how we each function individually. So, by all means go off sis and fix this issue. Find something that works for you. It is never too late to throw away your nasty habits. As quoted by the great Jordan Sparks, it all just takes “one step at a time.”

 

 

A semi-funny and an outgoing gal that hopes to work for Refinery29 one day! Enjoys rollerskating and music. Believes that every opinion matters. Is an amateur writer for UTSA Her Campus.      
Lauren is currently a senior at UTSA who is obsessed with anything involving music and pop culture. She is one of the Campus Correspondents for HC UTSA, and is in charge of social media and editing. You can catch her traveling across the country for concerts, eating Whataburger fries, or constantly scrolling through her social media feeds.