Managing Writing Deadlines with Excessive Procrastination

Until high school, I had never really considered myself a procrastinator. However, when ninth grade rolled around, my priorities began to shift, and my attention became less focused on schoolwork. Sure, I had more assignments than I could keep track of, but my hobbies also began to develop in earnest, demanding more of my time, and friendships required more effort to sustain. Even so, I managed and continue to manage, slowly cultivating my own system of coping with the mental and physical commitments required of me. 

From my experience, the three greatest pieces of advice I can give to procrastinators are as follows: 

1. Channel the right mindset going into it. In other words, gaslight yourself. This might seem strange to some, but I found that convincing myself that the assignment is simple and breaking it down into parts is the best way to get over the mental burden of always thinking about upcoming due dates. I do this whenever the stress about an assignment first starts kicking in. I will tell myself that the assignment is nothing special. “I have written this type of essay before,” or “it only wants my opinion, so it can’t be wrong,” or even “as long as I turn in something, they will probably give me at least a 70.” This type of optimistic thinking builds confidence and sets you up for success well before pen ever hits paper. 

2. Analyze the instructions for the assignment you are given and plan ahead. This one specifically I have found to help a lot. When I am first alerted about an assignment, I will read the instructions and determine how easy or hard the assignment is. Then, I will break the assignment down into the parts I will need to complete and how long they will realistically take. Before doing this, I wouldn’t even look at the instructions until a week before it was due because I was too scared and wanted to forget about it. Now I realize that once I know what I’m getting into, it’s easier to plan around the time commitment that I know it will take of me. 

3. Think about what you want to write about in your free time and write some notes down. This is something I try to put into practice as often as possible, since it helps with both small and large writing assignments. I am sometimes hesitant to write at my desk because it feels like being sentenced to hours of work. I found that writing in bed or in between classes, whether on my iPad or even my phone is a simple and helpful way to organize my thoughts so that when I do sit down with my laptop, I have something to go off of, instead of starting with a blank document. In fact, I am writing this during one of those away from desk sessions. Sometimes you can surprise yourself and simple idea crafting can result in you getting a flash of inspiration and finishing your assignment early. 

The general takeaway is this, don’t wait around to get surprised by a deadline. Be proactive in your procrastination. There are many things you can do to aid in your writing before you even load up your computer and write in earnest. Think positive, know what is expected of you, and find some time to think about what you want to write.