During peak AP season – the end of April, beginning of May – I unknowingly found myself falling into a steep hole. I have a tendency to procrastinate; however, my procrastination does not typically take the shape of scrolling through my phone (something easy to identify), but rather as “productive” new hobbies. This particular time, I got really into gardening. The issue with this is that my family absolutely sucks at keeping things alive (as in, we are that family that kills succulents and cati). So this new “hobby” was rather easy to identify after my third trip to Home Depot, buying jalapeno plants (I hate spice) and even more seeds to add to the plentiful collection I have acquired in past ventures.
My new obsession (if you will), in my humble, non-biased opinion, as a form of procrastination is not a bad thing. Everyone procrastinates in their own way, and to try to stop it from happening completely is an unhealthy habit. Every student, especially in stressful times, needs an outlet; gardening as my outlet not only provided me tangible results, but also taught me patience, and gave me a sliver of peace as I spent time attending to my herb and flower garden. Another convenient piece of gardening is the lack of time commitment. Spend a few hours every once in a while planting new seeds and a few minutes watering everyday gives you abundant results without losing valuable studying time. Admittedly, it also causes me a little bit of stress. Thinking about the week-long durations I will be away during the summer, and my plant’s rather low rate of survival while in the hands of my sister, but alas, that is an issue for the future. For now, I use my garden as a reminder to take a break from the endless schoolwork awaiting my attention. When you procrastinate—and you will, I promise—instead of using your phone to distract you as you scroll through never ending reels, try to invest in a new hobby instead. Procrastination doesn’t have to be bad, it just has to work in your favor.