Thahabu

Last weekend, I chose to buckle down and stay in my room to complete my homework in a timely manner, and avoid having a panic attack like I usually do when I let my deadlines pile up until the night before they’re due. As a result, I handed in 94 percent of my assignments on time. I was proud of myself, although it isn’t a grand achievement, I guess—I’m supposed to get assignments in on time. But baby steps, right?

I felt so responsible and productive. I finally get why people start assignments days or weeks before their deadlines. In the past, I struggled with that strategy because I thought I had to have everything ready when I began a project. The pressure of coming up with an idea, establishing key points, and then executing it all in one sitting is too much pressure for my fragile, anxious brain. Now I see that starting early doesn’t mean you have to have a concrete idea when you start. Putting your name down and preparing a few notes for a project may seem like you’ve only done 1/16 of the work, but throwing together those vague aspects of an assignment in its earlier stages gives you the free time to think about it more deeply when you’re doing something else.

Procrastination is something I’ve always battled, and often lost to, but this week showed me that I can be a productive person who has her shit (relatively) together. Also, getting assignments in on time or earlier leaves you with so much time for yourself; why have I been denying myself the joys that come with being a punctual and efficient human? Being on time makes life so much easier. I’m gonna try to keep this going. ♦