Berated by my writing cohorts for being the last to complete my article, I can't help but think why I've put it off for so long. Writing the code and tweaking the design for the site has been less than simple, but it didn't stop me from working on it. So what is it about writing an article that makes me wait until the last minute?
I doubt I'm alone on the procrastination yacht, slowly drifting out into deeper, darker waters, unbeknownst to its many occupants. In fact, I would venture a guess that every student procrastinates—frequently. Well, I'm sure that some people are able to finish most of their assignments before the majority has picked a topic, but I don't think many people think kindly of them. Secretly, these Early Birds may even feel like failures because they're so different from the Average Student. And yes, we procrastinators will continue to tell ourselves just that as long as possible to keep ourselves from crying.
What is it about procrastination that makes it irresistible? Not unlike the delightful sensations that some Scranton students will seek in the realm of drunken incoherence, procrastination provides an escape away from what needs to be done. It's not a perfect comparison, but the best I could come up with while incredibly drunk—with procrastination, that is. However, that explanation suggests that I need to write this article, and that is not the case. Granted, I should write this article; I said I would write this article; but these are not the same as "I need to write this article." This website is my creation. I thought of the idea and I convinced myself that it was good. I asked others to write for the Scranton Student to make it interesting and more important than just a list of links. I can destroy it just as fast as I created it; I don't need to do anything for it if I so choose.
Please realize that I am not filled with notions of grandeur. Sure, I'm proud of the site and pleased with all of the contributions I have received, but I realize that this is a very small site in the grand scheme of things. I'm hoping for thousands of hits where large publication websites receive millions of hits every day. But because I've invested a large portion of my time, and requested the time of others, I have a responsibility to continue working and writing. I think that is where procrastination steps into the picture. If I had invested a little bit of time by myself, I would feel no great urgency to complete anything; I could tell myself that I don't feel like writing and put the deadline off for another week. Procrastination is what happens when I don't quit.
Now this might not be the cause of procrastination for everyone, but I believe that this is what keeps me going. I may not get to the checkered flag first, but I still finish the race. The deadline—my responsibility to meet the deadline—is what motivates me to finish my article, my paper, my project, my work. If I didn't procrastinate, I wouldn't finish. Is my method the best method for producing high quality, finely polished pieces of writing? Absolutely not. Rewriting, editing, and rewriting again will yield articles of a caliber that a last minute literary fury cannot touch. However, my last minute article or essay is still better than the one that I never wrote.
Don't get me wrong. I really do wish I could start a project the minute I get an assignment—or at least 48 hours before it is due. I don't really think it has much to do with maturity levels, as some might suggest. There are plenty of respected, mature adults—dare I say, professors, even—who put off completing their work until the last minute. In the end, I think it boils down to convincing yourself that the work you are responsible for completing deserves your attention before it deserves a finished product. More important than watching that five-year old movie for the nth time when you have a ten-page paper due in less than twenty-four hours? Maybe, but I'll keep the TV on for company just the same; we've spent many a night together, you see.