Q: What is one thing you have learned from this experience?
A: Not to procrastinate!
This is the answer I have heard time and time again while attending the many town celebration weekends this past summer from queen, princess and miss candidates as well as participants in other activities.
I am here to say, no matter how hard you try, you will never stop procrastinating!
I have gone through high school, college, and now a “real-life” job where I procrastinate every single day.
There will always be something — thanks to thinks like the internet, Pinterest, Facebook, television and many other activities — that seems much more fun than what you are doing.
So how does one overcome this problem?
I have found that if you procrastinate with something you are already procrastinating you will actually get something done through procrastination.
In other words, trick yourself into doing your to-do list.
Tribune reporter Jeanne Edson and I encountered just recently when we thought cleaning was a much better idea than beginning to write any more stories.
However, the office desperately did need to be cleaned and after our nice little break work continued.
Not to mention I think Jeanne scored a few points with all of us and who doesn’t want some of those in their pockets?
Just goes to show that sometimes procrastination can be productive as well as useful to us all.
Some tips I have received are to admit you are a procrastinator. Know this about yourself and work with it.
If it is a huge project (like a research paper, for example) do it in steps. Break it up.
Find a few sources one day, read through them the next, and after you believe you have plenty of material you can piece it together. This way even if the piecing it together happens the night before it is due you will be set!
Finally don’t aim for perfection! This is a list set by you and when you get done with it you’re the only one that has to be completely happy with it.
