As I sat in a Lau 3 cubicle, obviously a favorite because of the spinning chairs, I looked at the clock and realized that I had spent over 45 minutes there without doing an ounce of work. Therefore, in honor of the never-ending midterms, I want to share some of my favorite procrastination activities.

Call my Mom

While this option does not work on every floor of Lau, my favorite thing to do is text my mom during class and ask her if she has any free time to chat. Usually, she will give me a time frame, so I awkwardly sit in my room on my chair until she calls. This can generally help me procrastinate for about 30 minutes which is lovely. 

Make Oddly Specific Spotify Playlists

I am someone who needs a playlist for each niche mood. Whether that be for Tuesday afternoons in the fall, music that reminds me of my third-grade talent show or pretending I am in a music video, I have a playlist. This ritual can be very time-consuming and brings back oddly specific memories and emotions. 

Read my Emails

I don’t know if this option is procrastination, as it is an activity that a functioning human being should do, but catch me reading the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA)  and IMG (intramural sports) emails on Lau 3. 

Look at Classes for Next Semester

Ah, a personal favorite. While I refuse to finish my paper, I can figure out which other courses I want to take! This is great and can be incredibly time-consuming, especially when I begin crafting my dream schedule and start looking at Rate My Professor. 

Look for Jobs

On a similar premise to looking for classes for next semester, an even more unhelpful task is looking at jobs. I am a first-year who knows that all I will be doing this summer is working as a waitress. Despite these facts, I continue researching niche and exciting summer internships for which I am not qualified. 

Finish an Unrelated Homework (due Next Week) 

This one is dangerous, as you still feel productive, despite just pushing off the time-sensitive assignment. Sometimes I fall into the habit of getting ahead on a project that is not due for a while instead of completing the task due at midnight. Oops. 

Stare Blankly into Space

My final favorite procrastination activity is staring blankly into space. This one requires the least amount of effort. However, you risk creeping people out after looking in their general direction for three minutes with a dead expression on your face and the person awkwardly waving to you (totally not a story from personal experience). 

Well, this article may or may not have been a procrastination technique, as I do not want to write my ethics paper, but good luck, everyone, and happy procrastinating!