Published: 2021-11-27
Do you often hear yourself saying "I'll do it later" or "Not now"? I practically hear it every other day. Now, everybody knows procrastination is a very bad habit and can sometimes be very hard to change. My siblings and I are all guilty of it, and it drives our parents crazy.
I'll have homework due tomorrow, but I'll tell myself I'll do it after I finish watching this show. Then the show ends, and I decide I'll do it after dinner. Then after dinner, I'm too tired, so I'll do it in the morning. Before I know it, it's the morning and I'm rushing to finish everything, stressed and panicking.
My parents have tried to help us break this habit. They've set deadlines, created schedules, and even tried to bribe us with rewards if we finish things early. But old habits die hard, and we always seem to find a way to put things off until the last possible minute.
I think part of the problem is that I overestimate how much time I have and underestimate how long things will take. I'll think, "Oh, that essay will only take 30 minutes," when really it needs at least two hours. Or I'll think I have plenty of time to study for a test, and suddenly it's the night before and I'm cramming everything in.
The worst part is the stress that comes with procrastination. When I finally sit down to do something I've been putting off, I'm already anxious about the deadline. I can't focus properly, I make mistakes, and I end up doing a worse job than if I had just done it when I was supposed to.
I'm trying to get better at this. I'm setting reminders on my phone, breaking big tasks into smaller ones, and trying to do things as soon as I think about them instead of putting them off. It's not easy, and I still slip up sometimes, but I'm making progress. And that's what matters recognizing the problem and working to fix it, one step at a time.