I know what you’re thinking. Productive procrastination? That’s some oxymoron. People will always tell you to avoid procrastination, to get tasks done as soon as they’re assigned so you won’t have twenty things to do the night before the due date. But, believe it or not, putting things off until later can actually be a good thing–if you do it right.
In my experience here at Naz, one of the biggest differences between college and high school is the amount of time you have to manage. In college, you have a lot more control over your class schedule. Granted, there are still requirements for the kinds of classes you need to graduate, but after your freshman fall semester (in which your classes are assigned by advisors), you get to choose the courses you take, the professor you take them with, and most importantly, the days and times you go to class.
At Naz, classes meet either every other day or once a week, and oftentimes, you even have huge gaps of time between those classes. This semester on Wednesdays, for example, I have four hours between my first and second classes and another two hours before my third class, and, since I live on campus, I don’t have to worry about a commute time over the five minutes it takes to walk to Golisano. Basically, I have a lot of extra time to complete assignments, study for tests, hang out with friends, eat, take naps, play volleyball, and of course, procrastinate.
Extra time is like a double edged sword; the more time you have to complete a task, the more likely you are to procrastinate. Luckily, I’ve found that procrastination can actually be beneficial to you mentally, physically, and productively.
Productive procrastination isn’t doing nothing. It’s doing something other than what you’re supposed to be doing with a purpose. Procrastination is aimlessly scrolling through Twitter or Instagram instead of doing homework. Productive procrastination is running a mile, folding your laundry, or going out to eat with your friends instead of doing homework. You may not be doing academic work, but you’re still doing something that’s positively impacting your physical or mental wellbeing.
There are times when you just need to take a step back from the mental strain of classes and exams and grades, and redirect your focus on something else. I, personally, feel a lot better when that something else has a purpose in addition to distracting me from my academic responsibilities. If I feel like doing something active, I’ll go work out for an hour in the gym, make a trip to buy groceries at Wegmans, take a walk to take artsy pictures, or get a bite to eat off campus with my friends. If I just want some quiet time to relax in my dorm, I might read some poetry, clean my room, practice ukulele, or Facetime my family.
So if you need to take a break from academics and binge watching One Tree Hill or taking a nap makes you feel refreshed, then do it, but remember, the key to procrastinating in a positive way is to plan on finishing a task eventually. Taking a mental breather won’t benefit you as much if you’re simply condensing all the stress of rushing to complete a task into a short period of time.
I may not actually do the work when I’m procrastinating, but I do plan to put aside enough time to finish it before the deadline. It took time, but during these past two years at Naz, I’ve became more aware of how long it might take me to complete schoolwork: An hour to write a short essay, thirty minutes to finish a medium sized reading, two hours to outline for an exam and another to review my notes. I also tend to brainstorm or just mentally plan out how I’m going to get my work done. The Center for Student Success is also a great resource to help students organize their workload and plan out a time frame to finish a project or assignment.
No one can be “on” all the time without draining all their energy and motivation. Just thinking about it makes me exhausted. So it’s important to take breaks and do something that will make you feel relaxed, refreshed, and ready to take on your next assignment. Procrastination, despite the risks of work piling up, can be an important part of taking care of yourself as a responsible college student and learning to manage your time and energy well.