Procrastination and Self-discipline
Recently, I go through hard days to do the final programming project. The
programming project is full of challenges and related with many new materials which
have to be learned by ourselves.
Realizing there would be a tight schedule for recent months, I stopped doing my
morning running exercise routine, delayed painting lessons to next semester and
seldom went to swimming so as to save time for all kinds of coming assignment in the
end of semester. However, time never seems enough for me; there are still a sequent
of assignments to be finished.
Why I spend time doing homework with no
efficiency?
Perhaps I just suffer from procrastination(拖延症).
I remembered a psychology professor said pursuing
perfection and being lazy all contributed to
procrastination. My initial intention was indeed
doing a good job either in programming project or
in PLUMS. However, because of a lack of self-discipline, I am accustomed to
generating assignment in the last minute. The results are often disappointing. I now
have about ten pages PLAMS essays to catch up. The other day, it did upset me and
made me feel stressful, when I cane close to the trouble I am encountering with, it
seems to be not such a headache. No wonder so many people say that the best way to
beat the thing we fear is to encounter the feared. What is more, in most cases, we
delay a task as possibly as we can and in the end, we need not to do it any more.
Though I knew this trick, I’d like to finish the PLUM essay because I enjoy the
process analyzing these little matters and understanding more about myself.
So this week, my PLUMS essay will start with procrastination.
After I canceled running, swimming, and painting activities, I should have enough
time to finish all kinds of tasks. However, I did not spend that time on studying. Last
weekend I wasted a whole day watching a TV play instead of writing PLUM essay or
programming project. Much I regretted I felt, I was unable to finish all of these
assignments on time. Facing the temptation of recreational activities, I lost intellect
and self-control. Marc had modeled the relationship of self-discipline with time and
the difficulty of the task. According to a logical thinking, a daunting task beyond our
ability to finish challenges us to devote more time and energy to exploring it.
However, in fact, it does not make sense to me why so many people (including me
myself) delay the challenging work to the last minute when we can only finish it in a
tight time?
Some of us believe in potentiality is inspired in an emergency when we become
surprisingly efficient. That is not reasonable at all. The more common result of
delaying a task is either we do it in a casual way or we do nothing about it at all.
If I intend to model the relationship of the self-discipline required to complete a
certain task and the factors related to the task, I will choose the degree of difficulty of
the task and the environment where the task would be carried out as the two key
factors to analyze.
Generally speaking, the more challenging our task is, the more self-discipline are
required to avoid inattention, distraction, drowsiness, falling asleep, and as well as
turning to entertainment for relax. As for the outside environment, we are more easily
to focus on our issue in the environment such as library, classroom and laboratory,
where we are seldom interrupted to do something else either willingly or unwillingly.
Maybe we can assume:
S e l
f D i s c i p l i nf e( D i f f i c u, El tnyv i r o n tm
) en
Because of lacking the virtue of self-discipline, seldom do I accomplish challenging
work in a satisfying way. Before the deadline of every issue, my only solution to the
delayed assignment is limiting myself in a environment where nothing else can be
done but studying. Though it is a compulsory measure, it does work for me. The
self-discipline required for fulfilling a certain task also has something to do with the
stage of completion. For example, the beginning and end is crucial point and people
often say that do everything with a good beginning and a good end (善始善终). Thus,
with work in progress, the self-discipline required changes with the work stage. Of
course, the difficulty of work also changes with it (usually decrease) because we are
more understanding about and familiar with our mission.
S e l
f D i s c i p l i nf 1
e( S t a g) e
D i f f i c yu l ift 2( S t a g) e
S e l
f D i s c i p l i nf e( D i f f i c yu, lEi nt v i r o n tm
, Set na g) e
For us college student, self-discipline can
be evaluated in terms of our attitude
towards skipping classes.
Reasons for us students skipping classes
vary from person to person. Some intend
to spend time doing what they really want to do; some happen to have what they think
more import matters to do; some just miss classes for their over sleeping or addiction
in game. One strange reason for our skipping class is having not finished homework.
The first time I delayed did weekly PLUMS essay to the last, I thought about skipping
the class next day. But quickly, I realized it stupid to skip a class for having not
finished homework. Fortunately, I accomplished the mission before the deadline, so I
attended class the next day. But several of my acquaintance in PLUMS class did not
show up. After class, I asked one of them why she did not attend class, she just had
the same thought as mine.
Jicheng Guo has ever said he skipped class because he thought some compulsory
common courses are so boring that taking such classes is totally a waste of time. If I
were a freshman, I could not agree more with what he said. But now, I do not think so
any more. The lack of self-discipline more likely contributes to our behaviour of
skipping class.
When it comes to compulsory common courses and optional courses, our attitude
towards them become more casual. Then a question occurs to me: the professional
courses and optional courses, which ones are more important? (optional courses we
choose simply for credit are not included) In other word, what we should do if we’d
like to devote energy and time to our preferred optional courses, however, there are
some compulsory assignment we have to finished first? After writing this question, I
realize the answer is apparent: accomplish every necessary and compulsory
assignment in a effective way and then we have enough time to do what we’d like to
do. More obviously, there should not exists such problem if I can finish all kinds of
task on time.
So be well self-disciplined and keep away from procrastination.