Throughout high school, it has become clear that time management is not my area of expertise. However, it wasn’t until the college process that I finally came to terms with my procrastination, letting it help instead of hurt me.

After hours of compiling numerous lists and endlessly googling “college essay topics,” I still did not have a topic that I was really passionate about. Frustrated by the familiar feeling of “Why didn’t I start earlier?,” once again, I was defeated by my procrastination. But suddenly I had an epiphany: I should write my essay on procrastination.

The more I thought about it, the more enthralled I was with this ingenious topic. Who else is going to tell a board of college admission officers that they are a procrastinator? It describes who I am and gives insight into how I work, and at the very least, it seemed original.
So, being the optimist that I am, I felt confident in revealing that I am a procrastinator. It has helped me to achieve great results while consistently working under the pressure of a short deadline, and unfortunately it took me almost four years to embrace it.
I have been procrastinating for as long as I can remember. Surprisingly, I have remained successful even though I have a long history of completing things in the eleventh hour or later.

Sure I might spend seven hours one Sunday on an AP Environmental Science project due the next day, even though it was assigned a month earlier. I may have even put off the selection of a science class for my senior year which resulted in a reluctant AP Environmental placement. Or I may not make it a priority to turn in notes to excuse absences until I get that letter in the mail telling me that I am about to lose credit for one of my classes.

I even put off taking my senior picture for about three months. All of these things may imply that I am irresponsible or even unmotivated; however, you would never know that from the results that I ultimately produce.

I ended up getting a 100 percent on my science project, not losing credit for any of my classes (so far), and at the end of this year, my picture will be right there in the yearbook without any indication it was taken months later than my classmates’.

In all honestly, I do not pride myself on my procrastinating habits. As many people do, I often start a new project enthusiastically, committing to do a little bit of work each night, but quickly forgetting about this commitment a day later.

So what I’m trying to tell all of you underclassmen is to embrace your procrastination. Instead of stressing out about an impending deadline, just accept the fact that you will complete it at the last minute. Instead of letting this pesky habit weigh you down, let it free you.