Category: Difficulty Paper

As I began to read this article in Tuesday’s lecture, I was going through many emotions at once, and just like the article stated on the first page “ There’s a good chance emotions are part of it.”, I listened to my emotions at that moment. I was full of emotions such as confusion, boredom, irritation and overall just did not even want to read this article. First thing I started to do was look over each of the article’s topics and eliminate those I did not find related to me at all. The first one was called “ I don’t know where to start!”, this was a maybe at first, because in certain topics in school i know exactly where to start whereas others it does take a while. I read the trick they had stated on the page, and actually did relate to it. It stated how it is important to start a list, which is something I do on a daily basis. Next two were related to the topic “The  assignment is not relevant to my interests (or my major)” and “ I don’t understand what my professor wants me to do!”. I thought these two were really boring, since we all know that core classes are required and if you don’t understand something your professor is saying, asking them is the easiest thing. I also found the slide shows really confusing on how all that unnecessary information would help with something we as human beings should already know.

After scrolling i fund the  “ This is Boring!” Topic that was probably the most relatable, since things these days can be pretty boring and so repetitive, but when looking over the next topic which touches on time management and procrastination, I actually was interested in what the author had to say. The author stated how “ Post- actional: because I spent more time worrying than working, i didn’t accomplish my task.”, this hit me since it describes exactly how i was feeling in the moment and it being something i struggle with i got mad at the article for pointing it out, but also glad because now i know what i need to work on. When it comes to difficulties I did not encounter any. Overall  i will probably not use this article again since it’s not something very convenient, but i have to say that it is full of great examples and real emotions us as students go through our whole life, not just in school.

It was hard for me to get into this article at first because I don’t really identify with procrastination. I’m not a procrastinator, I don’t like waiting until the last minute to do assignments or tasks. Cramming things gives me anxiety, and I don’t like the work I turn out when I cram. I guess that’s why I  found the subject matter boring, I didn’t connect with it. As I was reading it I found myself thinking, “James Surowiecki”, the author is really going in about the psychology of procrastination. As I continued reading what I actually found interesting about the article was the intro about the economist that took 6 months to mail his friends clothes to the united states, “the economist George Akerlof found himself faced with a simple task: mailing a box of clothes from India, where he was living, to the United States”. It made me think people that procrastinate may feel overwhelmed or they don’t want to deal with the hassle like, “George Akerlof” or people that procrastinate are just lazy!

When I finished the article I realized that laziness may not have anything to do with the problem and the purpose of the article was to help individuals that struggle with procrastination in a real way, and to highlight a very significant problem that is universal and can be extremely detrimental to all who deal with this issue. “According to Piers Steel, a business professor at the University of Calgary, the percentage of people who admitted to difficulties with procrastination quadrupled between 1978 and 2002. In that light, it’s possible to see procrastination as the quintessential modern problem.” The subject of procrastination has been researched extensively by multiple philosophers, psychologists, and economists. The article also highlighted the negative financial impact procrastination costs businesses as well as individuals. That was very surprising to me that big business like G.M deal with procrastination which, “exemplified by the bankruptcy of G.M., was due in part to executives’ penchant for delaying tough decisions. (In Alex Taylor’s recent history of G.M., “Sixty to Zero,” one of the key conclusions is “Procrastination doesn’t pay.”)”