Procrastinating My Way Through Life

I feel like my life revolves around procrastinating and personally, I feel that it is an art - a forgotten and undervalued art, that is.

On a Sunday I'll have three essays to write, four worksheets and coursework to plan and my solution will always be: "Well, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, so I'll just turn on my laptop and make myself feel a little motivated." The little angel in my head is whispering, "No, don't do it; it's not going to help" but the devil triumphs every time. Three hours later, after updating every social networking site, watching new YouTube videos and watching videos of McFly that I've seen a thousand times before, re-painting my nails, singing aimlessly to myself, phoning a friend and having eaten the kitchen cupboard, I sit at my table and sigh. At this point I'm wishing that I had just listened to the angel in my head and I'm wondering how I'm going to get motivated. Normally it'll take another hour of eating and humming before I get on with what must be done, a grimace on my face.

I don't believe that procrastination is a movement carried out by one particular age group and when my parents are warning me that I'll regret popping grapes into my mouth for an hour straight whilst watching the Eastenders omnibus of episodes I watched during the week, I feel a little shocked that they, of all people have suggested this. I watch my mum procrastinate all of the time. "I suppose I should organise my work now"... Before she's completed said task she has baked, completed a full online shop for the groceries, dusted (and my mum isn't the cleaning type) and read three chapters of a book before telling me why she loves the book. Procrastination is highly addictive and not possible to stare in the face and overcome. At the time of procrastination, I also find it somewhat satisfying.

Of course I see why procrastination is not desired: the late nights that exist of piles of homework and endless coffees; the deadlines that are just met; the sheer laziness that is incorporated into one's personality. It's frustrating and aggravating and for one annoying reason: once you start, it will be a long while before you knuckle down. Procrastination, for those moments of lack of motivation, is desirable.

I'm going to try so hard to lessen my procrastination by thinking about all of the advantages of just doing whatever it is that I'm pushing aside, e.g. having time afterwards without the worry of uncompleted homework. I wish I could shake procrastination completely, but do you ever really get rid of it? It may decrease (or increase) slightly, but there will always be distractions, and if there's not there will be the desire to search for a distraction.

I say, embrace procrastination!*

Typewriters & Fairy Lights,

The Girl in the Moonlight.

*P.s. The angel in my head is forcing me to say: "Don't listen to her. She's procrastinating right now!"