Virtual Learning as a Procrastinator by Claire Xue

This 2020-2021 school year has had a very interesting start. Rather than returning to classrooms with desks and whiteboards, we find ourselves remaining at home, attending school behind a screen. And while learning in the comfort of our own homes may be an upside to this global crisis, there are definitely struggles to online learning as well.

Personally, I have taken this once-in-a-lifetime experience as an opportunity to worsen my habit of procrastination. I do appreciate the later starting time of school, an uncommon chance to sleep longer before class. However, I have also seen it as an invitation to stay up later, a safety net of one more hour of rest. This has turned into an excuse to continue pushing work back with the idea that I can finish later, I still have more time. As draining as assignments may seem, waiting until the evening will likely lead to being in an already tired, less productive state. Rushing or putting less effort into my work is usually the result of that. I have recognized that at this point, but I cannot always bring myself to pick working over something more enjoyable, especially when it comes to big assignments with far-away deadlines. There is always a quick pleasure available to be chosen in lieu of that from completing a project.

Distractions have also become more present during distance learning. The internet can be utilised to communicate between teachers and students, to assign work and complete it, but it makes accessing non-school-related sites easy too. It’s like a double-edged sword. Spending even more time online offers more time for unproductive web browsing, not to mention it is outside the classroom and teacher supervision. Physical classrooms provide better learning environments than bedrooms and kitchen tables. With things like phones and other devices easily within reach, it isn’t hard to avoid focusing on homework.

Time management is an important skill to have. Image from Liquid Planner Blog.

Even though I recognize this bad habit, I find myself repeating all these actions and excuses. I say again and again that I’ll do better next time, but clearly if it keeps happening, something else has to change. The best idea would be to remove all distractions from the surrounding area, not allowing there to be a phone to check or any other reason to lose focus. Another idea is to devote set amounts of time to each task with short breaks in between (also known as the Pomodoro Technique), helping maintain focus and energy. A lot of self control will come into play as well, but the satisfaction of finishing a project or of sticking to a schedule can be very motivational.

Of course I have yet to put all those ideas into practice, seeing as I’m writing this as I near the due date of many assignments including this one. I don’t know if I’d be qualified enough to write this post if I wasn’t a terrible procrastinator. Then again, I can always take my own advice… but maybe later.