Procrastinating

It’s a special time in the semester when students are scrambling to finish midterms. I happen to be one of them. Between papers and the flood of other assignments, it can be difficult to keep track of due dates and coursework. By this point in my college career think I know how to study but the mindset of procrastination still impacts how work is done. I don’t mean the typical procrastination someone gets when they put off an assignment to do something fun. I think there is a danger for students and professionals who think they can complete everything and forget to measure the timelines for projects.

Here’s a good example: I have three papers due the same week. Working piece-meal on each one helps to move all the assignments forward, but there are also journals, blogs, and other assignments throughout. Those little projects add up when I get tunnel-vision and some end up left behind. Part of this is just the workload and people have to make sacrifices to balance their responsibilities. One thing I’m grateful for is the grace of some professors.

Moving assignments around can be a double-edged sword for professors and students. Apart from a shift in the rest of the coursework, there is also the potential for people to push off certain work because they have other priorities. This puts some into the same position, scrambling to complete work they should have broken down. On the other hand, the number of professors and classes means assignments will add up regardless of the amount of work someone does. The main issue is timing.

PR Writing with Dr. Agozzino is an example of how frontloading projects can benefit everyone. Other classes tend to overlap major assignments because of course requirements or objectives. Spreading out due dates and considering the volume of work for a student should improve the quality of submissions. Maybe you disagree, but I remember at least three weeks this semester when I had no major deadlines to worry about. Now I have no end in sight and plan to take a mix of baby steps toward goals and far too much caffeine.