My Greatest Challenge

When a serial procrastinator is confronted by a backlog of more tasks than can fit in an A6-planner and a constricting time crunch, first, she panics. Then, she tearfully crawls onto her feet to face the impending deadlines.

My greatest battle fought is not against something or someone else, rather, with my idle mind and persistent inclination to waste time. It took procrastinating till I realised a very real possibility of failure to finally kickstart my sense of urgency.

That night, I sat at my desk sorting tasks into dates like a puzzle. Stressed and overwhelmed, I resolved to reset my lifestyle.

Change was eventual, albeit not overnight. Self-regulation grew from micro-decisions. It was shifting my sleep schedule forward in 15-minute intervals till I was waking up at 4am to study instead of watching shows till 4am. It was choosing to study SAT questions while travelling, queueing, and waiting, instead of scrolling through social media. These minute time fragments accumulated to 60-hours in 2 months. Learning about Parkinson's Law– work expands to the time available for its completion– also inspired me to set earlier personal deadlines. Through this, I blocked leeway for procrastination, increasing my efficiency.

By reflecting regularly, I constantly improved my workflow and developed mindfulness. I stopped multi-tasking, wholeheartedly working or resting. This strengthened my concentration, and established work-life balance. Consequently, I had more energy to engage in passion projects, publishing a book and running a freelance design business– all while managing 6 extracurriculars and taking IB.

However, if I said procrastination is a challenge I have fully overcome, I would be lying. In seasons of exhaustion and lack of motivation, it still creeps up upon me. Nonetheless, it is a challenge I continue to undertake daily. And watching my ideas become reality, I know it is a battle I am winning.