It’s been a good weekend. Hanging out with friends Friday and Saturday. Relaxing with the family on Sunday. It’s been great. Wait--what do I have for homework? Oh no, I forgot about the test in math on Monday. And the paper that’s due as well. Oh, and the other five subjects-worths of homework. Meh. . . .  I can do it later. 

    We’ve all been there. Cramming six hours of homework into two. Why do it now if I can panic about it later, right? It’s an exciting experience. Some say that procrastination is a bad habit to fall into. But I’m here to tell you that it’s actually good for you. After reading a lot of articles on procrastination, albeit just trying to avoid writing this essay, I’ve discovered that waiting until the last minute can actually make you smarter.

    It’s common knowledge that practice makes perfect. More repetition tends to lead to better performances. A chronic procrastinator, like twenty percent of people will set off tasks continually until he finally does it in a quarter of the time most others would set aside to do the same assignment (Scotti). Once graded, some realize that those delayed assignments will still have a fairly similar grade to the ones with excess time provided for them. Most, in that scenario, would just say that the procrastinator is smart and doesn’t apply himself. Or, on the other hand, he has just taken a different course to productivity.

    Temporarily putting off a task isn’t necessarily the archrival of productivity; it’s simply an unconventional route. Actually, it’s the biological route. The limbic system in the brain is the pleasure center of the brain. And it’s constantly in battle against the prefrontal cortex, the internal planner (Cooper). The prefrontal cortex is what separates humans from most other animals. However, using it involves a conscious decision. You have to choose not to do what comes naturally and look to the big picture side of things if you want to stop procrastinating. Choosing not to procrastinate is choosing against biology.

    Waiting until the last minute to accomplish the task actually helps your brain prepare for it. Subconsciously, we are always obtaining and retaining data that our brains pick up from casual observations. Later, this data can help us analyze the delayed tasks with perspectives unbeknownst to us earlier.

    Professional tennis players use this to their advantage quite often. Most assume that the professional players are faster, but that is only partially true. In tennis, the server has 500 milliseconds to return the ball. Research by Frank Partnoy has found that the experienced players will use as much as they can of that time adjusting small things like aim or spin (Gambino). They use only what they need to complete the task, and use the spare time beforehand working out the details subconsciously.

    Even in day-to-day life, procrastination is a useful tool. In today’s society, apologies are rushed. We are taught to say ‘I’m sorry’ right away. But, a delayed apology can tend to be more meaningful. Waiting after you’ve wronged someone, intentionally or unintentionally, can help both you and the wronged person think about what has happened (Gambino). A rushed apology intrudes on the other person’s realizations of the situation. Delaying an apology can show you have thought about it and still feel bad. Procrastination is really at the heart of caring for someone.

    Procrastination is a biological factor that all people have. It is an immediate, natural reaction to situations and tasks. Using it can help your brain subconsciously analyze observed data and process the set of circumstances currently taking place. It can help you be more meaningful in everyday life, and is proven to be used by professional athletes.

    Speed is the most common method to justify winning in a competition. Procrastination is the method of productivity that involves the least amount of time in action. Procrastination beats all other systems in speed. In other words, it’s the fastest.

    I suggest letting our brains do what they were made to do and wait. If it’s uncomfortable, you know what they say. Practice makes perfect. Or maybe--Netflix first.

Works Cited

Cooper, Belle Beth. “Why Procrastination Doesn't Need A Cure–And Might Even Make You

 More Productive.” Fast Company, 29 Dec. 2013, www.fastcompany.com/3021253/why-procrastination-doesnt-need-a-cure-and -might-even-make-you-more-productive. 

Gambino, Megan. “Why Procrastination Is Good for You.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian 

Institution, 12 July 2012, www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-procrastination-is-good-for-you-2102008/. 

 Scotti, Dan. “People Who Procrastinate Aren't Lazy: They're More Successful Than You.” Elite 

Daily, 3 Sept. 2014, www.elitedaily.com/life/culture/successful-people-procrastinate-meaning -behind-procrastination/736595.