Confession time: I’m writing this column way later than I should be, as I do with most of my assignments. Procrastination and I have been in a long-term relationship, a toxic one, but we just can’t break up. Every assignment seems to start the same way. I open up a blank document and then suddenly remember that scrolling on TikTok, reorganizing my room, or college transfer applications are things that also exist on my to-do list.

I know I am not the only one, right? Right before midterms or finals, you can feel the collective panic across campus. Nothing bonds students quite like staying up too late doing homework, bombing an exam you didn’t study for until the last minute, or cramming in three chapters of reading in between classes. I have made lots of friends through trauma bonding over the consequences of procrastination.

Over time, I have tried to outsmart it. Planners, phone reminders, color-coded to-do lists, none of it works for long. Sometimes I trick myself with fake deadlines or bribe myself with a reward after I finish something or snacks to get moving. However, most of the time, procrastination wins until panic finally pushes me to finish. The dancer in me works best under pressure, I guess.
At the end of the day, procrastination is like that toxic friend who talks you into bad decisions. You know it’s not good for you, but you still let it hang around. If procrastination was a class, I’d ace it. If anyone has any tips, my number is 815- kidding. But seriously, let me know.