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At this very moment, a mountain of unwashed dishes grows in my kitchen sink.
Every time I walk past my kitchen and catch the slightest glimpse of a frying pan teetering atop varying sizes of glassware, with utensils bursting in every direction, my heart skips a beat. I like to keep my personal space tidy, with every other area of my house resembling the cover of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Yet, the kitchen sink is a blemish on my spotless apartment - a constant reminder that there is always something to be cleaned.
I am not sure why I procrastinate washing the dishes. When I eventually give in and prepare the sudsy water, the entire process takes very little time. I actually find great satisfaction in transferring the dishes from the unwashed side to the drying rack, as if I had just completed the most strenuous task. I usually reward myself with a treat, which requires more dishes that I so readily throw into the sink.
And so the cycle continues...
Procrastination is a natural human trait. We all procrastinate, and if someone tells you that they never procrastinate, they are lying to you. Procrastination is a common and innate response to tasks, whether studying, working, or doing chores. We do not procrastinate because we are lazy or have poor time management skills. Instead, we procrastinate because we are human.
According to research by Tim Pychyl, a former associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, our emotional response to a task is the reason behind our procrastination. When I exchange washing the dishes for a walk outdoors, my mind is defending itself from the negative mood that will likely result from putting on my rubber cleaning gloves and scrubbing pots and pans until my arms hurt.
Often, most people push aside tasks for other activities because the act itself is associated with negative feelings like anxiety, frustration, or exhaustion. For instance, I have yet to take the screen door off my main entrance because it will require me to get tools, conduct manual labor, and find a place to store the darn thing. Even though it will take me ten minutes, can't I do it after this Friends episode? Even though I know I will eventually have to tackle the task, it can wait another day, week, or month... right?
While you may not be the procrastinating type, you can certainly sympathize with those rationalizing their procrastination. Ironically, when I do not feel like studying or need a break from writing, I will stress clean or fervently organize my living space - although I steer clear of the kitchen sink. I rationalize stress cleaning because it produces a result appealing to my state of being. Now that my living room is tidied up, I can better enjoy my time spent reading on the couch. While I likely could have studied in a messy living room, I tell myself the clean atmosphere will make my study time much more meaningful.
So, considering we all experience procrastination - and maybe even fear its grip on our daily lives - why can't we use it to our advantage? Considering I will procrastinate doing the dishes, whether I want to or not, I might as well complete tasks that are meaningful to me in the meantime.
My favorite way to procrastinate as of late is reading for fun. The past four years of my life have been suffocated by academic reading. Although it has been informative and thought-provoking, I have missed the days of getting lost in a great adventure novel. So, an hour spent reading before doing the dishes will not be the end of the world.
Therefore, to successfully overcome procrastination is to find balance. If we accept that procrastination is inevitable, learning to strike a healthy balance between leisure and chores (or whatever task we put off) will prevent us from becoming overwhelmed.
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Andie Balenger is a native of Gladstone and is currently attending Northern Michigan University. Her column addresses topics from the perspective of a young adult and runs Thursdays in the Daily Press.