Last minute work
More often than not, we find ourselves in the bind of deadlines. We were given an assignment to do.
We have to submit the assignment in a week. Believing we have plenty of time to do it, we do not even glance at what it is. There is a week left, why bother? A few days go by, a few glances at your crush while
you are loitering on the ground, a dozen dreams about marrying her as a result of those few glances, and before you know it, today is the deadline and you have no idea what you have to do for the assignment.
If this is a strange phenomenon which does not happen to you, you are definitely in the minority. To be honest, I have a couple of questions. The first one, “Which planet are you from?” And the next question would be, “May I copy the assignment?”
This idea of procrastination is not a new one. We have various discussions about it. We talk about what is procrastination, what causes us to procrastinate, and what are the ways to remedy it. Most of these discussions usually happen while we are supposed to be doing something else, like that assignment. This is a problem. But, the important thing about this is that we acknowledge that it is indeed a problem. The first step in any rehabilitation program is to admit that one has a problem and
that is the start of the solution.
Here lies the crux of the matter, though. We do not admit that it’s a problem. We have had this habit of procrastinating for most of our lives, and we have gotten pretty good at it. We finish assignments last minute, uploading the documents at 11:59 when the deadline is at 12:00. And we usually do well in those assignments, surprisingly. This creates a negative feedback thinking. We believe that we can do well despite the time constraints and we work better under pressure. This becomes a habit which saves us although every time it feels like we are at the edge and it’s a little too close for comfort.
Although, at times, we do work better, there will always be times where we may not be able to work at all. This is when our thinking comes to bite us in the back. For example, one may think that one is good at writing and therefore one is able to write a wonderful piece which could be printed in the magazine of the college. One would even think it will be the best piece in the magazine. Filled with a little bit of information, a little bit of humor, a bit of banter, maybe a snark and a snide here and there. An overall lovely piece for the reader to digest.
But, as is with our old habits, they die hard. We are left thereafter with what we can create before the clock strikes the deadline. Looking back, one may wonder, “Maybe we would have done better if we started a little bit early.” Don’t you wonder the same?
