I seem to live my life by the motto, “Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?”
The one time that procrastination paid off was when I dated a girl for 14 years and managed to avoid getting married to her, but that’s a subject for another day.
Last week, I made my Facebook status, “putting off procrastination until tomorrow.”
As you can see, this is kind of a problem for me that I’d really like to quit, but I seem to always procrastinate about quitting procrastinating.
Considering I’ve procrastinated writing this column, and I’m currently writing this column two days after I should have, I’m proudly stating that I now have less than 700 words left to write.
To be totally honest, the only reason I’m writing about procrastination is that Jessica Meyer, editor, stole my original idea for a column. I decided to be the good guy and start from scratch.
I know I’m not the only one on campus that procrastinates.
I’ve seen people on campus begging a classmate for their book to study 10 minutes before a test.
I’ve seen more than one person wait to pay their parking tickets until they are locked out of registering for classes for the next semester.
Speaking of procrastination, I just read in the chancellor’s campus update that the tobacco-free task force will probably take the rest of the spring semester to actually do any new enforcing. The task force was formed back in November 2009 to better enforce the enforcement.
It’s good to not be the only one on campus that is just getting around to doing something they started two years ago.
But this isn’t about other procrastinators. This is a column about me and how I put off everything that I can until the last minute.
If I had a dollar for every time I put off doing something, I’d probably never have to work again in my life.
That’s not something to be proud of. Trust me on that one.
Every week I draw at least two cartoons, write the Police Blotter and design at least one page for The Horizon.
I also seem to put doing all of those things until the last-possible minute.
This would be why I’m writing this column about procrastination.
While sitting at my desk writing my column, I told someone I probably spend more time putting off doing something than it would actually take me to do in the first place.
The entire staff — those who bothered to show up Friday night — said they agreed with me.
I’ve got to admit they have their reasons to agree with me about putting things off.
I guess writing about my problem with procrastinating is a good way for me to deal with it as a problem.
Admitting I have a problem is the first step to recovery, right?
So, what am I going to do to actually change this problem?
I can start doing my homework when I get home.
I can stop putting off studying until the last possible moment.
I could quit putting off the things that I wish I had done a few months ago that I still haven’t.
I could quit being stubborn and actually do things when someone asks me to, rather than avoid it because I’m mad or just being lazy.
In the end, I just need to be honest with myself and quit fooling around with life.
This is coming from a person that has been in college way too long, and although the end is in sight, I’m still not done.
At this point, I make a pledge to you the students, professors and administrators of IU Southeast.
I will stop putting things off until the last minute.
I will work harder to be the type of person that I know I can be.
I will quit avoiding my responsibilities to do something unproductive.
I will quit counting how many more words I need to finish this column.
I will put my best effort forward to not procrastinate anymore, and to get my work done before the last minute.
It’s a lot to do, but starting now, I’m turning over a new leaf.
Well, it is kind of late,
so maybe I’ll just start
tomorrow.
By SCOTT GILLESPIE
Editor
tsgilles@umail.iu.edu