The problem with procrastination is that we don't always realize that we are doing it. Yes, I may need to finish my homework or that last chapter I've been writing, but look at the state of my room! I need to clean that first...but the dog needs to be washed and fed. The list of "need to do's" keeps growing ahead of that one thing I'm dreading to do.
But here's the thing, that little task that could've been completed in an hour or so has now been postponed for four hours. And in the back of my mind, it's there...nagging at me to be completed. It begins weighing on me-- an emotionally draining mountain that adds more pressure until the panic sets in.
To some extent there is a positive note to procrastination. For some, like myself, I often work harder because I feel the pressure of the deadline, whether it be at work, in the home, or at school. Because I have put off an assignment, I know I can make very few errors, so I tend to work more carefully than I would normally.
Unfortunately, I know that this month, I can't actually do this anymore. This month is NaNoWriMo. The task of writing 50,000 quality words for a specific novel in a month is a feat unto itself, but on top of that add in the final month and a half of school has become challenging. November is the time when the final projects and 12-page papers begin to rear their ugly heads.
So, this month, I've learned had the unfortunate/fortunate task of learning how to break this fun little habit, schedule out a time for each task, and put in the work whether I want to or not. I can't call procrastination a friend or foe this month, but perhaps a frenemy that is always there, waiting for me to fail.