Spring Break
Start the term off right and start something
The Daily Barometer Editorial Board
Issue date: 3/31/09 Section: Forum
It's official. Break is over. Spring term is here. Time for some advice from your favorite newspaper.
What's the biggest thing that can help you this term and make it the best term ever? Don't procrastinate!
Obviously this is simple advice, but the temptation to procrastinate is still there since putting off actual work is so much fun.
And we've all been doing it for years. Who didn't want to mess around with Pokémon cards and Giga Pets instead of finishing that difficult subtraction-laden math homework?
Though elementary school has ended, we've brought this habit with us all the way to college. Instead of starting that paper early, we watch marathons of "The Office." Or we put off those Bacc Core requirements by filling our schedules with PAC classes. Tumbling and salsa dancing sure sound more fun than BIO 103.
And procrastination isn't exactly uncommon after school. According to Psychology Today, 20 percent of people are identified as chronic procrastinators.
But deep down, we all know that procrastination isn't a good thing. We know that when we wait to the last minute to do assignments, our work sucks.
Crappy work isn't the only thing that results from procrastination. Psychology Today also said that college students who procrastinate are known to have problems with the cold and flu as well as gastrointestinal insomnia. Ick.
The problem is that the consequences of procrastinating are a little worse in college. When we were 11, we got a big red "U" for unsatisfactory on our math homework.
But now, if you stay up late working on that paper, you risk getting sick, which means you may miss other classes and get behind on other work. What a vicious cycle.
Some people live off high-pressure situations and wait until the last minute. However, most people can't do this, and the results of waiting to the last minute are pretty dismal.
But it's spring, a time for renewal, rebirth and all that good stuff. It's the perfect time to change our habits and not procrastinate for once. Only good things can happen.
So just do it - get things done now. Go to class. Take notes. Do your homework. Start papers and projects early. Take the classes you need to take. Sleep.
It sounds boring, but it works, and will save you a lot of time, sleep, energy and bodily embarrassment (those yucky gastrointestinal issues) in the long run.
Editorials serve as a platform for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale and diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board majority. Disagree? E-mail a letter to the editor or guest column to editor@dailybarometer.com.
What's the biggest thing that can help you this term and make it the best term ever? Don't procrastinate!
Obviously this is simple advice, but the temptation to procrastinate is still there since putting off actual work is so much fun.
And we've all been doing it for years. Who didn't want to mess around with Pokémon cards and Giga Pets instead of finishing that difficult subtraction-laden math homework?
Though elementary school has ended, we've brought this habit with us all the way to college. Instead of starting that paper early, we watch marathons of "The Office." Or we put off those Bacc Core requirements by filling our schedules with PAC classes. Tumbling and salsa dancing sure sound more fun than BIO 103.
And procrastination isn't exactly uncommon after school. According to Psychology Today, 20 percent of people are identified as chronic procrastinators.
But deep down, we all know that procrastination isn't a good thing. We know that when we wait to the last minute to do assignments, our work sucks.
Crappy work isn't the only thing that results from procrastination. Psychology Today also said that college students who procrastinate are known to have problems with the cold and flu as well as gastrointestinal insomnia. Ick.
The problem is that the consequences of procrastinating are a little worse in college. When we were 11, we got a big red "U" for unsatisfactory on our math homework.
But now, if you stay up late working on that paper, you risk getting sick, which means you may miss other classes and get behind on other work. What a vicious cycle.
Some people live off high-pressure situations and wait until the last minute. However, most people can't do this, and the results of waiting to the last minute are pretty dismal.
But it's spring, a time for renewal, rebirth and all that good stuff. It's the perfect time to change our habits and not procrastinate for once. Only good things can happen.
So just do it - get things done now. Go to class. Take notes. Do your homework. Start papers and projects early. Take the classes you need to take. Sleep.
It sounds boring, but it works, and will save you a lot of time, sleep, energy and bodily embarrassment (those yucky gastrointestinal issues) in the long run.
Editorials serve as a platform for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale and diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board majority. Disagree? E-mail a letter to the editor or guest column to editor@dailybarometer.com.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Be the first to comment on this story
Comments by registered users are approved by default.