Opinion
Procrastination causes unintended pitfalls
February 17, 2012
Imagine this scene: you are sitting in your room with a pile of homework that needs to be completed. You have writer’s block and have absolutely no idea how to start this paper that is due tomorrow morning and also not to mention, a test to study for. You’re about to rip your hair out when you open a new webpage on your computer to do a simple Facebook check and the next thing you know, it’s been an hour since you last looked at the document that is supposed to be your paper.
It’s a well-known scenario: procrastination gets the better of you. No thanks to social networking, we have Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, Pintrest and many other sites to distract us from our studies. The TV can also be a problem when it comes to being distracted. I always chuckle when professors say that the assignment the class is given will be impossible to finish the night before it’s due because too much work is involved. I know I’m not the only student that has the thought “challenge accepted” running through my head.
Although, I will proudly say that I have now gotten into the habit not to wait until the last minute to start things because I need sleep and pulling all nighters doing homework are just not something I like to do anymore. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get distracted. I seem to often find myself wandering around the Internet and the different social networking sites no matter how hard I try to stay away from them. One second I’m typing this column, the next I’m finding fun craft ideas on Pintrest. Yes, that is exactly what I was just doing. I’m a pro at procrastinating, if I do say so myself.
A few things that can help you from getting distracted are going to the library or even just relocating yourself out of your room and going to a study lounge. It helps some times too when you see other people doing homework and it can help you change your mindset from Facebook to your textbook. Sometimes a change in atmosphere such as isolating yourself from your friends can re-motivate you to finish your homework. I often see people with their friends and they have their notebooks and textbooks spread out across the table but they seem to be doing anything but their work.
It is important to have fun but buckling down and finishing what you need to will make hanging out with your friends more enjoyable because you won’t have that gray cloud labeled “homework” over your head.
Another way to keep yourself from being distracted is if your assignment doesn’t require using your computer, simply don’t use it. It is possible to write a rough draft of a paper in a notebook instead of typing it. As dreadful of an idea that may be, it will eliminate the computer from distracting you. A lot of professors upload documents onto D2L too and you are able print those off. Then you won’t have to look at your computer.
Finding yourself in an area where a TV is not present can help tremendously as well. It’s one thing to have background noise by having the TV on, but then there are times where you have it set to a channel and then a little while later you look up and realize that you actually like the show that is on and start to watch it. I am guilty of being distracted by the TV at times and I’ve learned that I won’t get anything done if it’s on.
If you are one of those people that don’t get distracted by the TV, props to you because I know first hand that it can be difficult. Having your TV off or even just removing yourself from an area with a TV will eliminate the temptation, just like having your computer off, you can get your homework done a lot faster.
We all have our own ways to study and do homework but procrastination and distraction can hit us at any time.
With technology these days, it’s easier than ever to put off homework in order to snoop around social networking sites or YouTube. But with determination, it is possible to be successful with completing assignments in a timely manner.
Samantha Mayberry is a junior and is majoring in journalism. She is from Rochester, Minn., and loves to read, listen to music and take pictures.