This I Believe

Adrian - San Antonio, Texas
Entered on October 24, 2007
Age Group: Under 18

I believe in putting things off up until the very last minute. I believe in the fear of getting things done on time. In my eyes, I see procrastination as a required attribute to success. Procrastinating, in other people’s eyes, results to laziness. Though that may be so, I also see it as a highly concentrated learning experience. That is, of course, if the procrastinating process is efficient.

For example, as a junior, the SAT’s obviously come to mind. Will I do as well as I need to? Do I have the memory of hundreds of complicated words as well as math equations? How is it possible for me to remember everything in order to fully prepare for the SAT?

I can’t say studying in middle school would help. My knowledge disallows me to remember advanced vocabulary words within a 3-5 year period. Unless I used words naturally in normal speech, it’s simply impossible. The only reason I would remember vocabulary words is if there happened to be a test the next week. Even so, I would probably forget almost all of those words after the test would go by…I mean, what good would it do for me in other classes anyway?

So plays the role of procrastination. How did I remember all of those words and ace that vocabulary test? I studied everything the night before and made little “tricks” to help me remember. The panic of not knowing anything the night before enabled the mighty adrenaline of concentration to play its role. Shortcuts in the brain are made, and the next day, those temporary shortcuts are forgotten as I used them for the test.

I aced a vocabulary test. Big deal, right? Well, what if I applied this concept to the SAT? Rather than starting now, what if I studied the 500 or more page book the week before?

I can’t say I’d know for sure what would happen. What I’m saying goes against all of what teachers suggest to do – to start now and study for something big in the future, rather than procrastinate. I don’t know about everyone else, but my mind doesn’t work that way. If I started studying now, I can guarantee my mind would wander off. I’d ask why I’m doing this now rather than later, where it matters the most. I have other things to do anyway, and on my free time I’d like to do something for myself rather than something for school.

So in a way, procrastinating done right can prove to be useful in many aspects. With 100% concentration, whatever needs to be done can be done within a short amount of time. It helps prepare temporarily for the near future. Instead of doing it long before it is needed to be done, something else could be done instead. My views of procrastination are probably much more different that most, but I see it as a helpful concept rather than a destructive one. I believe in procrastination.