There is No Better Time!

As we head into the long weekend, I am reminded of a phrase that Mr. Cooke (English teacher and IB Coordinator) used to say often to his students - There is no better time.  He is right.  There is no better time!

It is normal to tell ourselves that we will do an assignment, write an essay, or clean up our room later.  I suspect you are like me in telling yourself things like, "I have a lot of work to do tonight, I will work on it tomorrow" or "It's the weekend, I deserve to relax today, I will work on it tomorrow" or "It's for school, I will wait and do it during the week."  Whatever the phrases that you tell yourself, I encourage you to pause and really see this for what it is - a procrastination strategy.

Believe me, I do understand that this is common.  Unfortunately, I am seeing a great deal of it right now with students who need to be working on their college applications and especially with drafting their essays.  It becomes so easy to think that you will work on the essay tomorrow or next weekend, but there really is no better time.  The moment you have right now is the best time to begin working on your application.  Something else will always come up - a paper, more homework, something fun that you want to do with your friends, spending time with your family, sleeping, and the list goes on and on.

So, this weekend, while you have the extra time, please use it productively.  There is no better time than now.  Enjoy the long weekend, but try to enjoy it by making today productive.  It will be worth it in the long run!