It’s 2059 and we’re drowning in water, It’s 20:59 and we’re drowning in work. It may seem like climate change and a mountain of homework and assignments due are now where near to being similar, but what they both have in common is the diseases many of use suffer from, procrastination. Just as many governments and states seem to be delaying taking action against climate change, we are delaying finishing that speech that is due on Tuesday.
The definition of procrastination, is the action of delaying or postponing something; to put off doing something. It’s funny how we can’t spell procrastination without the word ‘pro’ because I’ve really become a professional at it. I’ve mastered the art of watching YouTube from Friday to Sunday afternoon and scrambling through my homework on Sunday night. Most would call procrastinators lazy, I like to say we like pushing the boundaries on how quickly we can finish a week long project in a few hours.
I felt very comforted to find out that 80 to 95% of college students procrastinate on a regular basis, particularly when it came to completing assignments and coursework. It may seem alarming to some but after watching a season worth of videos on YouTube, endlessly scrolling on Instagram and looking through every meme of England’s loss on twitter; I came to a conclusion if university students are able to procrastination and get their work done on time, theirs no issue with me binge watching a series before my English speech... I mean Bio quiz. Because the work will always some how get done.
Procrastination for some unfit, unathletic people like me is a way to get your blood pumping. It’s similar to running a race but your only competitor is time. The immense stress and pressure, the pounding of your heart in your chest, the seat dripping down your forehead and the consistent thumbs of your fingertips on the keyboard. Will we finish the assignment before 11:00 or will we need to pull another all nighter. Its interesting to know that a gruesome experiment done by the infamous Nazi doctor Joseph Mengele found that the human body can survive 10 days without sleep before shutting down and causing death. So I guess we can pull a few more all nighters this week.
Procrastination, even to the most productive person is no stranger, maybe just an acquaintance but I believe that procrastination is just part of the human life processes. Maybe we could change the acronym to MRS. GRENP. Movement, respiration, senses, growth, reproduction, excretion, nutrition and procrastination . Though procrastination could be the driving factor to our high cholesterol in later life, due to stress. It’s also become our life style. And who cares if you procrastinate, the thing that matters most is getting the work done, even if it’s the morning of. As you can see, I was able to finish and present this speech for you today. I somehow got it done.
