Procrastination, according to merriam-webster, is “to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.” As college students, we all do it. We always have friends to hang out with, places to go, things to do. There is always that one class where you just can not stand to do the work. Procrastination to college students is like honey to bees, it is our specialty. In fact, according to the Huffington Post, 88 percent of college students end up procrastinating their school assignments. There is one thing I know for certain, and that is the fact that we need to stop.
Procrastination feels awesome. You lay back, relax, think about all the work that you should be doing but aren’t. We know the paper isn’t due for a month, so why should we start it now? The fact of the matter is, you get a month for a reason. In class we wrote a paper on how the SUNY Geneseo Code of Conduct could be seen as a written response to Descartes’ Discourse on Method, which was due on Friday. If you’re anything like me, you wrote the paper on Thursday night hoping to get it over with. And if you’re anything like me, you didn’t write to your full potential.
A paper has steps to follow when writing. You’ve got to first read the pieces you are responding to. You have to understand them. You have to brainstorm ideas on what the paper is about. You need evidence to support your claims. You have to make your claims. You need to get your ideas organized. You have to make sure there is enough evidence in order to make your claim feasible. Then you can start your rough draft.
What I am saying here is that taking one night to do everything for a paper is an obstacle you shouldn’t have to get over. Writing a paper takes willpower, thoughts (lots of them), time, and efficiency. Taking one stab at it often leads you worn out, tired, and usually doesn’t give your best effort into it, because at that point it is just about getting it done, not about quality.
Critical reading and writing is a process. It takes time to read a story and understand them, but it takes even longer to make your ideas about them fair and valid. You can’t just make something up in one night and hope it sticks. You have got to make sure to do everything in your power to stop the slacking, and to get a move on things. And I am taking the first step right now with writing this blog post. You know what they say, ‘The first step is acceptance.’