Procrastination

This essay was made for an assignment for Sustainable Electric Engineer Course at KTH

It is a common thing that people do tasks based on their justification of urgency. I usually do that too. However, sometimes, I have a bias in the way I evaluate my priority. It doesn’t mean that I purposely delay things I have to do; I do it unconsciously, thinking this might be a priority when actually it’s less critical. After reading the “How to Beat Procrastination” article[1], I realized that practising calculated procrastination results in myself cramming before the deadline. That happens for study and other things sometimes; making a priority scale is not always accurate. Procrastination is not only putting me under stress, unsatisfactory results, it also makes me less enjoying the process of doing something due to the limited amount of time still exists.

 

Before I came to KTH, I had a beautiful plan to read all the materials needed before the classes and revisit them after the classes. However, my early time here was filled with the excitement of being in Sweden, and I forgot my initial priority. I visited too many places and just realized how I procrastinated after assignments and exams were coming stressing me out. Then, I tried to be more diligent than before, but it seems it is not yet enough. I still end up doing my assignments more and barely preparing before the classes. Writing this essay also makes me reflect; probably there is something wrong with my time management, my method of learning, or I lack focus while doing my tasks, too many distractions; movies, the internet, Instagram, and other addictive activities. Actually, I started to stop my Netflix subscription and put away my phone until I could finish a specific task, which was really helping. Another method I’ve been practising recently, is that instead of doing a task based on only the deadline merit, I add another aspect: do the easiest task first. Once I finish something, it boosts my confidence to do the next more difficult thing; at least, this helps me stay motivated. And increase my focus is still a learning process for me now; I need to continuously practice to stay focused on finishing something. My homework is to be able preparing before the class and can do assignments earlier.

 

Like I mentioned before, the internet has changed the way I study and do things overall. I still remember when I was a kid without a phone; I enjoyed reading novels and magazines. I could focus on reading and diving into my imagination without any distractions. After I had my first phone, everything changed. And now, every single notification that pops up on my phone becomes a distraction. Too much information, too many sources, too much media sometimes hinder me for real. I will admit that the internet makes looking for information is so effective and fast, but it also makes me not used to reading thoroughly once I find a particular point. Social media should be a medium to get in touch with families and relatives, but it has become such a time-consuming agent for society. At the beginning of my time here, I started to limit my social media and internet activities and put my phone in silent mode to focus on studying or working on an assignment. That decision makes it easier for me now to focus without my phone. Thanks to the six parallel courses during this period, those really help me increase my productivity and appreciate leisure time with more meaningful things such as doing my hobbies or talking to my families.

References

[1]      lukeprog, “How to Beat Procrastination,”https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/RWo4LwFzpHNQCTcYt/how-to-beat-procrastination, Feb. 2011.