Howdy, Houghton Street!

I haven’t written a post since I’ve been back from the winter holidays because I’ve been up to my neck in summative course work. It’s quite uncharacteristic of me to procrastinate, but I’ve been busy – with new courses, a trip to Cumberland Lodge with my MSc programme, and completing my dissertation proposal. I’ve learned the hard way that procrastination doesn’t quite suit me…

…But don’t worry! I’m not procrastinating now. I confidently handed in my completed essay last week! And now that that’s done, I can share my journey down the path of procrastination, and explain the lessons that I learned along the way.

The Path of Procrastination:

First stop: The Topic Tower – The essay prompt that I had received was fairly open-ended. I wasted days trying to choose a topic. The ones I was contemplating were at first too broad, then too narrow, but finally, I found one that was just right.

Second stop: The Tower Topic (again) – I was ready to proceed from the first stop but changed my mind and had to go back. Luckily, I found a new topic that was even better than the first, only having wasted a few hours in going back.

Third Stop: The Reading River – I took my sweet time here, perusing and reading many scholarly articles about my perfect topic. I was really quite enjoying myself for those few days by the river… until a sweeping gust of metaphorical wind came along and blew all of my ideas and my sources away.

Fourth Stop: The Tower Topic (not again!) –They say that “the third time’s the charm” – right?

Fifth Stop: The Reading River – Feeling refreshed, but a little bit pressured for time with my new pile of scholarly articles about my third perfect topic, I headed back to the river with a fresh pack of hi-lighters.

Sixth Stop: Panic Park – I had just a brief stop at panic park. I was unsure how I’d possibly meet my deadline after changing my topic three times. But luckily, I met some of my colleagues here and they assured me that I was not the only one unsure about how to proceed given such a tough subject area and so little time.

Seventh Stop: Outline Alley – Upon leaving “Panic Park” (by which I mean, upon calming myself down), I was able to put my thoughts down on paper. This was a pivotal stop. All I had left to do was to sit down and start writing…

Eight Stop: “Sleep on it for a few nights” Inn – To sit down and start writing proved to be the most difficult task. Although I had a solid outline and a pile of excellent academic sources, I was still unsure of myself. So I decided that I needed to sleep on it. Usually when one “sleeps on it,” it’s just for one night. I slept on it for three nights, which put me at a serious loss for time.

Ninth Step: Power Breakfast Cafe – On Sunday, less than two weeks before the deadline, I was feeling confident and ready to spend the whole day writing. I was well-rested, had cleaned up my desk, and had just finished a cup of coffee as I opened my computer… to a Facebook message from my girlfriends asking me to join them for brunch. Who can say “no” to mimosas? – not me! And thus, another day of potential writing was wasted (but the waffles I ate were delicious, so that must count for something!).

Tenth Stop: Writer’s Ranch – The next day, I finally sat down, distraction-free, and began to write. If I had known that this part would be so easy, I would’ve made a more serious effort to get here sooner.

Eleventh Stop: Dance Party Den – I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. So I turned on “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift and celebrated before I typed up the concluding remarks. It was liberating (anyone who’s heard the song will know that, though) and it helped me to power through those last few paragraphs.

Twelfth Stop: Old Building, Houghton Street – I wasn’t sure how I had made it, but I did. I triumphantly handed my course administrator my essay and ended my long, long, journey down the Path of Procrastination.

Lessons Learned Along the Path of Procrastination

I hope that my recounting my journey makes very clear that I don’t recommend taking the Path of Procrastination. In retrospect, the most important lesson I learned while writing this essay was that I should have listened to my gut and stuck with my original topic. I questioned my ability to research and write – and I found my answer only at the end of the stressful journey detailed above – that is, that questioning myself was silly!

Another lesson I learned is that I should, in the words of Nike, “just do it.” Once I had my sources read and my outline prepared, I should have opened up a blank Word document and just started typing. The decision that I made to “sleep on it” was the one really bad one along the path. And finally, the third lesson I learned is that a mimosa is not indeed an inspirational elixir.

Happy essay writing, friends!