Far too lazy to procrastinate

A FINAL draft of a 4,000 word essay, a physics problem set, a Spanish mock paper and a hundred other assignments lay waiting on my desk.

All of them are adorned with colourful post-its with nearly similar deadlines scrawled on them. I size them up, eye them resignedly and then proceed to pull out one, only to topple them into a waterfall and bury myself under a pile of work.

Well, at least it doesn't get worse than this, I thought. I reached for my mug and sadly looked into its hollow interior. I was out of coffee.

"You should have planned out your week better"

"Have you ever heard of time management?"

"You shouldn't wait for the last minute, really."

I wince, still swimming in my sea of work.

These are just some of the standard retorts, belittling us teenagers, reprimanding our lifestyles. The truth of the matter is that planning can get you only so far. No matter how many times you plan your day, life gets in the way.

So, is it our fault if we schedule our month to the dot only to find a report due in a week with no more available study time?

And with that promised Time Machine nowhere near completion, we seem to find ourselves back at square one; shuffling schedules, working up to deadlines and burning the midnight oil.

And honestly, is planning every second of our lives, the way we're supposed to live? Isn't already knowing exactly you're going to do for the next seven days a bit unsettling? Maybe it is human tendency to work up to the last minute. Procrastination is inbuilt into our systems. Why put off for tomorrow what you can do the day after?

Now don't get me wrong, I don't advocate procrastination nor do I campaign for it, as I am too lazy to do so. But I do know, from experience, that procrastination gets the nerves on end and unhinges a few hairs.

We can't plan ahead all the time or predict the future. It is good to have a goal, to know where you're going; but you can get sidetracked and all you have to do is get back on track again.

Now if you'll excuse me, I am off to go in search of my elusive coffee elixir as I head in to fight the forces of evil and conquer a pile of relentless homework.