TEEN CENTER :: COLLEGE CENTER : FRESHMAN JOURNAL

FRESHMAN JOURNAL: MARCH 14, 2007
'I'll Do It Tomorrow'

Ashley C. Sawyer

I decided it is time to start making nursing home arrangements for my very dear friend, Procrastination. She had lots of nicknames in her prime: "Give me five more minutes mom" and "I'll do it tomorrow." We became friends when I was in seventh or eighth grade, and I must say she's been loyal to the end. Whenever I had a math test to study for, a paper to write, and I'll be honest, even a college-application essay to do, she was there reminding me that I still had time to do it later. She's been beneficial in many ways. She afforded me a few more minutes of sleep or an extra day of relaxation in my weekend before starting my homework.

I brought her with me from high school to college, and I thought we would continue to be the best of friends. Then I began to realize her disloyalty. At first I was able to complete five-page essays in two or three hours and still manage to earn an A. Then as the course work became more difficult, I realized she was becoming more of a burden than a friend. Some mornings, three hours before my class, I would find myself sweating in front of my laptop, with the lights off (because my roommate was still asleep) with my eyes burning and my heart racing, wondering if I would be able to finish the assignment on time. I often contemplated handing in the assignment late, but then I would be forced to remind myself that this was not high school and teachers did not accept late assignments nor did they accept excuses. In high school I might have had an assignment two or three times a week for some classes, so if on one I earned a B-, I would be able to make up for it with other assignments. However I have come to see that in college that is not the case, and I often have fewer assignments that count more toward my final grade.

So it is time to put my dear friend Procrastination away. To perform well academically I will need to not only plan ahead, but plan for now.

I didn't realize Procrastination was getting old out of the blue; I didn't wake up one morning thinking, "Whoa, Procrastination is 8 years old!" (Think dog years.) What actually happened was more powerful. Since I have come to college, I have become involved in several organizations, one of which I am in charge of planning community service events and projects. When I realized I had put off the planning of one of our projects--one that if we did not get done a little girl from a hospital might not get the joy of having her own "Dora the Explorer" banner for her room--I knew it was time to let Procrastination go.

When I took this position in my organization, I essentially promised to be on time and to coordinate events and projects in an organized fashion. I could not ask members of my organization to get together the night before the banner was due, which happened to be during midterms. I painted the banner with the help of one other person and it turned out to be a success. But who knows what might happen the next time Procrastination and I decide to hang out. It might not only affect my grades but also the reputation of my organization or the hopes of a little kid. As I walk closer and closer to adulthood, my responsibilities not only affect me, but they have an impact on other people. I am happy that I did not really have to learn this the hard way but was a little sad that I have to say goodbye to my friend.

Of course, I am not promising I will never visit her again, but I am hoping that in the future--no, make that right now--I will complete the things that I am responsible for ahead of time. This way I avoid the stress, my work is quality and no one is disappointed.