By AUSTIN MORTON, Senior Reporter
Have you ever procrastinated? Of course you have. In my four years here at Northwestern, I do not think I have met a single person who has not.
This work you’re reading right now should have been done days ago. You have an episode from one of my favorite childhood cartoons to thank for being able to read this.
“Procrastination,” an older episode of “Spongebob Squarepants,” just happened to be on while I was getting ready for bed.
For those who are unaware, the episode follows Spongebob as he does everything except write his paper.
Just like Spongebob in the episode, I realized I also had a paper to write.
Why did I wait so long to write this? I have known about it for a week. I have set aside multiple times throughout the week to get it done, yet I have not.
I can also recall multiple times I have done the same thing with multiple papers, yet I still do it.
Googling “procrastination” will show multiple articles about how to overcome the issue, and even why you do it.
I have read a few of these, and they all tend to address the same issues.
First, it is not about being lazy. Most of the time we end up procrastinating, it’s more about our mood that we try to work in.
If you’re feeling down or angry, then your willingness to write a five-page paper is going to be nonexistent.
When I’m feeling down, I try to go outside and get some sun or even grab my favorite drink from Sonic.
Putting in the effort to focus on your mental health can help stop your procrastinating.
It can also improve your life in other ways, but that’s for another story.
The second reason that gets brought up relates to the environment that we work in.
Is the lighting in your workspace bright enough? Do you have any distractions? Do you have roommates who use the same workspace as you?
These are all factors that can play a part in how willing you are to work.
The library on campus is a great spot to get this work done. You get away from nearly all distractions, it’s quiet and you’ll have your own workspace.
It is obviously impossible to know exactly how each individual works well, but these are a few ideas to keep in mind the next time you have a deadline coming up.
Don’t be like Spongebob. Write that paper.