Papers put off for Internet

At 2:30 a.m. Sunday, I sat at my computer trying hopelessly to finish a paper. While I hammered away on Microsoft Word, I wanted to kick myself for waiting until the last minute. As I tried to keep my eyes open, I read over my paper, and much to my dismay, realized that it sounded like my six-year-old cousin had written it. Procrastinating has always been my forte, but you think I would have learned by now.\nAlthough I have always put things off until later, I'm not so sure if I'm the only one at fault here. I take partial responsibility for my motivational shortcomings, but my computer is the one to blame. \nThis so-called educational tool provides more time-wasting activities than late night shopping at Wal-Mart. From checking e-mail to playing Family Feud online, part of my problem is the wealth of procrastination possibilities on the Internet.\nIn high school, watching television and talking on the phone were my favorite procrastination techniques. But ever since I came to IU, I know that a quick game of Snood is only a mouse-click away. Fortunately, I'm not the only one. In a survey released last year by Questia Media, Inc., over 75 percent of university participants ranked Internet surfing as the number one choice of procrastination. \nOn the other hand, some students are able to resist the pull of technological procrastination. I applaud these people, and I wish I could be more like them. I know why they do their work on time, I just wish I knew how. I think maybe procrastination is a disease or some sort of defect. Do you think they make drugs for this? Maybe they have a 12-step program.\nIn fact, I am procrastinating writing this column right now. I just managed to spend $22.67 at Jcrew.com and I checked my e-mail eight times (I counted). One of my favorite pastimes involves downloading songs, and then burning a myriad of CDs that I generally never listen to.\nI always procrastinate, but at this time of year, it gets even worse. With spring break only three days away, instead of learning about marketing tools, I'd much rather daydream about next week when I'll be attempting to snowboard in the Rocky Mountains. And of course, there's a Web site for that. I've turned procrastination into an art form, let me know if you need lessons.\nProfessionals, non-procrastinators, and all of my professors believe that the act of putting off assignments has something to due with laziness, denial, or self-doubts. Although sometimes this may be the case, I generally wait until the last minute because of all the cool things I can do online. I know I'll get my work done eventually, I just have other things to do, like instant message my roommate, before it gets finished.\n No matter where you are, in the dorms, a house or an apartment, you still have access to this wonderful technological instrument. You can run, you can hide but you can never escape the allure of a computer, especially when you weigh it against studying for a midterm, or in this case, writing a weekly column.\nFor those of you who do things when they need to be done, job well done. But I bet my all time best score in Snood is higher than yours and my e-mail correspondence puts yours to shame.