The Vicious Cycle Amongst Us

Besides political vicious cycles, there is another, less publicized version of the vicious cycle, one that haunts us here at UVa. We witness it every day, perhaps even take place in it. History has taught us that it is difficult to break a vicious cycle, but for their own sakes, the ones caught in this vicious cycle must try.

This is the vicious cycle of procrastination.

You’ve had a tough Monday, but the one bright spot of the week is your COLA. After all, it’s only once a week, it’s one credit, and everyone in the class is super awesome. You can push off that reading until Monday night. You can do that blog at 11:32pm on Sunday. Whew, you got it all done in time. Wow, that was a lot of work… You really don’t feel like doing anything else because you’ve just worked so hard, and- wow! A new meme! Wait, it’s Sunday again? Another blog? Oh dang…

And voila. You’ve begun your own vicious cycle of procrastination.

So where do we begin with breaking this cycle? Can it even be done? To answer this, we must understand where the problem stems from. Procrastination typically results from feeling overwhelmed, which is pretty easy to feel as a first year. Classes you may have every day, or every other day, pile up and take precedence over ‘minor things,’ which, a week later, somehow don’t feel so minor any more. However, fear not. There are ways to combat it. In fact, this article highlights 29 helpful ways to beat procrastination. They’re all hunky dory, but honestly I believe number 10 is the best. By carrying out the other methods, you’re actually probably just prolonging your procrastination.

If you want things done, just do them, and stick to your goals, no wayward paths, no YouTube, no Facebook, no email, no memes. Just do it. It’s easier said than done, but just take a deep breath, let yourself focus, see that it’s not the end of the world. You can do it! And if you stick to your course, you’ll find that the stress off your shoulders is well worth it in the end.