The Pro in Procrastination

Everybody's best friend during hell week: Procrastination.


Back in high school, one of our English teachers required us to practice public speaking by giving out speeches about certain topics the class agreed on. One of the topics was "a vocabulary word". I chose Sisyphean but that's not really my point. I'm going to babble right now because I know you're currently checking your on-hand dictionary for the term's definition.

Anyway, my classmate chose procrastination because 1) he wasn't able to prepare for his speech, 2) he already knew the meaning of that word so he could talk about it without much effort, and 3) it could actually elicit a response from the class.

You see, procrastination is a universal concept. It is our way of coping with the unease of having to do something we usually aren't enthusiastic about, like concept papers, otherworldly Physics projects and even enrollment matters (which, in my case, is a likely occurrence). So, instead of doing the significant stuff, we tend to pay more attention to little things that don't matter as much but give us immediate pleasure (such as eating.) The video above explains it more precisely, though.

Here are five ways how I procrastinate:

1. Internet
Most of my work gets done on virtual interfaces. I go to Wikipedia for research, but I get impatient waiting for the page to load (honestly, it only takes about five seconds) so I open a new tab and visit Facebook or Twitter. I don't open Tumblr because I know for sure I won't be able to get out of it. Instead of waiting five seconds for the Wikipedia page, I end up wasting almost an hour getting tangled in social networking sites and Charlie McDonnell videos.

2. Running down the stairs to the fridge
I always tell myself, "Mia, you've done your share of mental labor for this hour--" when in reality I have only finished one page of Calculus homework "--so reward yourself with some bagels." Bagels, as we know them, are evil. My limbic system doesn't care. It just takes over my whole body and uses my hands to shove all those calories down my throat.

3. Music
When I finally sit down and have my notebooks sprawled in front of me, I suddenly spot my iPod. With earphones attached. The next thing I know, I'm lying  face down and butt to the ceiling with Hayley Williams shouting in my ears. It's obvious that you're dying, dying...

4. Drake and Josh
"Where's my phone?" It so happens that I leave it somewhere in the living room, where the infamous idiot box is. I pass by, and Drake and Josh is showing. "To hell with work" is the last line I mutter before I get sucked into the black hole that is teenage mainstream entertainment.

5. Candy
I don't eat candy to procrastinate. I'm talking about girlish magazines my sister keeps. Of course I don't read them regularly! It's just that when you're in the midst of choosing between academic success and matters of the heart, you get desperate.

Well, I'd like to know how you guys waste time when you know you should be spending it for something important. Comment away!