Jared Lang

Escaping the summer doldrums

Jared Lang | Highlands Today
Published: July 11, 2012

As August rapidly approaches with school not too far behind, I've begun to realize just how fast this summer is going by. It feels like only days ago that I was running to my car after that last glorious bell.

With summer already halfway over, and each day passing faster and faster, I've been a little stressed lately. There are plans I made that haven't happened yet. Friends I haven't hung out with. What about the summer assignments I vowed to start a month ago? The clock is ticking.

Between friends, and sports, and school work, the rest of my summer is completely swamped. Somehow, though, I still manage to find time to procrastinate. In the back of my mind I know I should be doing something productive, yet I just can't help sitting around doing nothing. Summer has taken a hold of my body and wrung out all of the focus and drive, leaving behind a lazy corpse.

Each day spent in the doldrums is one wasted. I wake up — usually around ten o'clock — watch a little television, read the newspaper, eat whenever I get hungry, and walk the dog a few times; all while sporadically checking Facebook and Twitter. I occasionally lay down for an afternoon nap, which I always regret. Many a times I've fallen asleep on the couch around 4, only to wake up a few hours later with dinner cold on the dining room table. My family doesn't like to wake me up; they prefer to eat without me.

I recently heard a report on a local radio station that new research shows that Americans, on average, procrastinate for more than an hour a day. Though it sounds ridiculous, when I thought about it, it's about right. How often do we watch TV, not because we like what's on, but because we don't want to do anything else? How often do we use social media to pass the time instead of to utilize its tools? When you think about it, we waste a lot more of our day than we realize.

So far, my summer has been almost nothing but procrastination, and as a result, I have a very limited time to do the things I actually want and even need to. I have books to read and essays to write. I have friends to see and adventures to go on. Why waste time napping and watching TV when I have a summer to enjoy?

In school, I have sat through countless lectures on the importance of time management. "Procrastination is the enemy", I've been taught. I'm just starting to realize just how formidable an opponent he is though. He hides in the things you love like TV and social media; even napping! He sometimes disguises himself as a well-deserved, short break, and then stretches into hours of time-wasting. He is not confined to the school year, but instead hunts the innocent throughout summer as well. Laziness is a favorite tool of his and he uses it well. His victims are heavily outmatched.

We, however, have something he's never had. A secret weapon if you will. We have the drive to be productive; the motivation to wake up every day and use the most of our fleeting summer hours. I challenge all who read this to muster their will and enjoy their summer. Spend time with those friends! Finish those assignments! Embark on a few adventures!

All it takes is a little willpower to defeat procrastination and escape the summer doldrums.