In high school, I was used to having a jam-packed schedule. I was required to take seven classes each semester on top of my extracurriculars and job. There was always pressure, either from my teachers and classmates or from my parents. The workload was also very heavy. It was rare to have a night with less than 2 hours of homework. I think I performed pretty well in school compared to the average student, but I knew I could have done better. Procrastinating has always been a bad habit that I hold, and though I promised not to allow myself to procrastinate in college, I still do from time to time.
I think I have great ideas, but often my ideas don’t fully manifest into what I want because I don’t prioritize my time well enough. I think that social media and spending time with friends are the two things that distract me from my work the most. It genuinely annoys me when I catch myself procrastinating. I feel that I’m self-aware, but I need I need to make conscious decisions to remove distractions and dial in.
The workload in college has certainly been a change of pace from high-school. I have less busy work and more free time. Although I have more time to complete my assignments, I don’t always work on them earlier than I should. It’s easier for me to complete assignments and projects when there’s pressure, especially in time, but I don’t think that’s a good excuse to procrastinate and procrastinating doesn’t allow me to produce my best work.
I want to commit myself to organizing my time and workload, as well as eliminating distracting and non-beneficial things in my life.
In terms of things that I am proud, I feel that I’ve been a great active listener and participant in class since being in college. In middle school and high school, I was more of a listener than a talker. I’m proud that I am more vocal in class and have leaned into my discomforts. I am also proud of my growth in writing. Going into my first-semester seminar class, I felt uncomfortable with storytelling. Although through reading works by writers such as Juno Diaz, Roxanne Gay, and Joan Didion and being under the guidance of my professor, Maya Samat, I now feel more confident with my writing abilities in general.
