College might seem frightening at first, but the procrastination blues set in very quickly. It happens to all of us. You get caught up in hanging out with your friends, grabbing that quick coffee, or playing Frisbee. Even the essay elites, those who major in writing, face the monster we call procrastination. If you have a paper due in any of your classes, especially your writing classes, here’s how to procrastinate and run the risk of turning that paper in late:
1. Attempt writing your paper in your dorm room unless you’re very successful in blocking out your roommate, their friends, the thumping from the floor above you, or the temptation from the TV.
2. Wait until the night before you want to write the paper, or that night, to start doing your research, if you need to.
3. Think food, unless you are absolutely, seriously starving, will help you concentrate and then think it would be better to just take a break and watch a little TV while you eat your food.
4. Log onto any instant messenger.
5. Log into Facebook.
6. Keep your email open. You’ll find someone to email.
7. Keep your phone turned on ringer or vibrate, have it near you, or even have it turned on at all, especially if you constantly have people messaging you.
8. Wait until the last minute to try and figure out what the assignment is about.
9. Wait to start before hearing back from the professor from any emailed questions. It’s better to have something on paper to later take away than to do nothing and cram it on later.
10. Think that the first draft is your best draft.
11. Think your first draft doesn’t need to be read over or proofread. Most people have points taken off in papers because of silly errors.
12. Turn on the TV with the intent of doing work during commercials.
13. Turn your music up so loud you can’t concentrate anymore.
14. Save to a school’s computer. Most of the time, they are programmed to wipe clear of documents saved after a person logs off, resulting in you losing all of your work. Be sure to always save everything to your school thumb drive.
15. Wait until the last minute, period.
It’s very important to get good grades in your classes. College and graduate programs look at your transcripts to see how you did in your classes. If you do poorly on your work, your class grades will reflect that. That will also be reflected in your GPA, which employers will occasionally look at for jobs. All-in-all, you should want to write the best work that you can, and that starts days before the due date. Your best work is work that is read through a few times and proofread, which can’t be done when written and printed three hours before class.
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