This is what a letter would like look to Bridget of August 2016, written by her future self, Bridget of December 2016.
To Bridget of August 2016:
I am writing this to you at the bitter end of the semester. I am almost there, which is crazy because it feels like just yesterday I was deciding what to wear as a Halloween costume. So now that is December, I got to thinking: what if there was a real life do-over button? Being not so thrilled with the way the semester turned out, what if it was possible for me to hit a button and be right to where you are now? So hopeful, so ambitious, and eager to go to class. I often think, if I had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything I ever wanted in one moment, would I capture it or just let it slip? Probably the latter because we both know we procrastinate like there is no tomorrow and would procrastinate starting over.
Procrastination. This fifteen-lettered little monster that has caused so much stress, frustration and tears over the years. The funny thing about it though is that it could be avoided! It is all about how you handle the time you have to get things done. So yes, time management is actually really important, not just as a skill you put down to polish up your resume, but an important skill needed to make life a lot easier.
Why do we do it, though? Why do we think it is okay to reorganize our sock drawer or sign onto AIM to see if anyone is still logged on, willing to chat, instead of doing a blog or getting a jump start on a research paper that is due in two weeks?
Maybe it is the rush of handing in something before the deadline, when we block out the world around us and type so fast smoke might come from the key board. Then we get that feeling of satisfaction when we submit something due at 11:59 and it is in at 11:59:58.
But there is a domino effect to think about when procrastinating: The longer I wait to do something, the more stress I have and the less time I have to give the assignment my best effort. Once it is finally in, the professor who gets my work must correct it way later then they intended to, messing up their work schedule. It is time for a change.
As someone who’s internal clock is perpetually ten minutes late,
it is time we learn to adjust to the rest of the world’s schedule. If that means leaving a little earlier to get somewhere or starting something earlier to get it in on time to be done, then so be it. If I changed my ways at the start of the semester, then maybe I could be a little more relaxed these last two weeks instead of having this stress cloud hovering over me and making the library my temporary new home.
Something really important to keep in mind: Deadlines mean dead end, as in everything submitted after that shouldn’t really exist in a grade book. Only so much time can go by before you’re really down the ”late work equals bad student” rabbit hole. It’s time to buckle down and actually stay on top of things.
So here’s to sticking to the motto, “new semester, new me.”
Love,
Stressed-out Bridget of December 2016
