While looking for this month’s Flashback Friday subject, I came across some of my clippings when I was a writer for my high school newspaper, THE EXCLABILUR: The Sword of Truth.
It brought back lots of memories too. Plus, I didn’t know I had written so many short stories for the paper. It now dawns on me that I was probably known more as a writer in high school than I realized.
So here’s an excerpt from an article that I wrote when I was a 16 year-old aspiring journalist. Good advice that’s still applicable today:
Procrastinators Master The Art of Putting It Off
Do you wash the dishes when the suds are gone? Is your motto “‘I’ll do it later,” “I’m tired,” or “I’ll do it tomorrow?” Do you wait until the trash looks like furniture to take it out? Do people hate to ask you to do anything?
If you answered “yes” to at least one of these preceding questions, you could be a true blue procrastinator.
Believe it or not, many psychiatrists say that people procrastinate because they aspire to the ideal of doing everything perfectly.
So what should a true blue procrastinator do? These ten tips should help:
1. Plan tasks. Do the difficult tasks when you have the most energy.
2. Double up. Do two things at one time. An example may be talking on the phone and doing paperwork or exercising and watching T.V.
3. Set deadlines. Give yourself a specific date on which a task must be completed.
4. Get organized. A lot of people lose time looking for things, so set up a shelf, counter, table, etc. for important things.
5. Do it now. If something needs to be done, do it then not later. You’ll feel better if you do.
6. Make a schedule. Block out a time for each specific things os you won’t waste time figuring out what to do next
7. Ask for help. If something is too hard or not easy to understand — ask for help!
8. Set priorities. Of all the things you have to do, figure out what should be done and what must be done.
9. Learn to say no. Don’t accept too many tasks from other people. Let them do it themselves if you’re too busy.
10. Get rest. This may sound tempting. Just don’t overdo it. Be realistic. Procrastinators need rest too!
No one can change overnight, of course. However, putting things in order and doing your tasks on time will make a big difference. You will notice a sense of relief when you finish something.
Okay, these are not bad tips coming from a 16-year old. Though #2 is sort of suspect. But I wonder what my younger self would say about my habits now?
Hmm…
But I think she would be happy that I’m still writing and almost finished with my novel project.
I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!
Love it! I wrote a lot in high school, but never shared it with anyone. We didn’t have writing as part of our English classes, just essays and reports. Didn’t have a newspaper either – very small school!
Jemi: You know I always thought our school was small but now I realize that maybe it wasn’t. We had a lot of good extra stuff students could join.
We also had a literary magazine though I can’t remember the name of it. I think the Menagerie or something like that.
How fun to go back and read something you wrote when you were a teenager! There’s some great stuff in there.
Heather: Ha, being a pack rat has its advantages. I do remember when this article came out that I was little miffed that it was buried in the back pages. Ha, ha. But I finally made the front page with a community service project. Ah memories!
This is some sensible stuff here. I wish more sixteen-year-olds would think like this!
How fun to look back on one’s old writing. Sometimes I dig up my high school poems.
These tips are still relevant. I think I am going to print this list out and share it with my thirteen year old god daughter. Organization (#4) should add to her street cred. After all, she is always encouraging her Aunt Sherry to do things to keep her cred tight on the streets. Ha!
Enjoyed the post!
Sherry: Street cred huh? Ha, too funny. I tried really hard to remember writing this article but my mind is drawing a blank. I actually need to listen to my 16-year-old self when it comes to procrastination.