I needed to ask a classmate to read aloud my artist bio for 20 points. The task was so straightforward that it almost felt like a joke. But instead of knocking it out, I let procrastination get the best of me. Eventually, the weight of those 20 points started feeling heavier. Missing them wouldn’t even hurt my grade at all, and I wouldn’t say I liked the idea of losing points over something I could easily do. Still, getting myself to start was a struggle.
It wasn’t even a hard assignment I even had a one-page essay about issues of style. If I had just focused for an hour, maybe less, it would’ve been done. The topic wasn’t confusing; I understood it. But something about sitting down and starting felt impossible. I kept getting stuck into a spiral of not wanting to work on it from working for 2 seconds to looking at my phone.
I just kept thinking why is it so hard to focus and write. After a while, I realized I wasn’t stuck because the essay was difficult, as I was stuck because I was overthinking it. I kept imagining it needing to be perfect, and that pressure kept me from even starting.
Finally, I decided to write. No overthinking, no second guessing get words on the page. Once I began, everything clicked. I finished the essay in less than 30 minutes. It wasn’t bad at all.
I’ve learned that procrastination makes small tasks seem way bigger than they are. When I finally stopped putting it off it felt like I could breathe normally again.