Procrastination Leads to Nothing by Chloe

Procrastination Leads to Nothing by Chloe - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I could go back and give one piece of advice to my past self, it would be simple: Don’t procrastinate. It leads to nothing. I wish I could say I’ve always been the type of person who finishes everything early, but that wouldn’t be honest. Like a lot of students, I used to tell myself that I “work better under pressure.” I’d convince myself that waiting until the last minute somehow sparked my creativity, or that I’d save time by not starting too early. In reality, all procrastination ever gave me was stress, exhaustion, and a lot of late nights staring at a blinking cursor on my laptop screen.

One moment that stands out is when I had a big research paper due sophomore year. I kept pushing it off, thinking I had plenty of time. Suddenly, it was two days before the deadline, and I hadn’t even picked my topic. I ended up pulling an all-nighter, panicking over every sentence, and submitting something I knew wasn’t my best work. The worst part was that I knew I could have done better if I’d just started earlier. My grade reflected it, and I felt like I’d let myself down.

That’s the thing about procrastination—it steals your peace of mind and your potential. It makes everything feel heavier than it needs to be. I’ve learned that the stress of rushing isn’t worth it, especially when I have big dreams I’m working toward, like earning my degree from Spelman College and eventually pursuing a career in international business and healthcare administration. Those goals require discipline and time management, not last-minute scrambling.

If I could talk to my past self, I’d tell her that starting early doesn’t mean you have to finish everything in one sitting. It just means giving yourself space to think, plan, and breathe. I’d tell her that even working on something for fifteen minutes a day can add up to big progress. I’d remind her that she deserves to show up as her best self, and that her ideas and work deserve time to develop and shine.

These days, I’m working 4-5 times a week to save up for college. Between my job, my family responsibilities, and preparing for Spelman, I don’t have time to waste. I’ve gotten much better at tackling things as they come instead of putting them off. And while I’m not perfect, I’ve seen how much more confident and calm I feel when I manage my time well.

If I could leave my past self with one piece of advice, it would be this: Don’t procrastinate. It doesn’t make life easier; it only makes it harder. You’re capable, and you’re worthy of giving yourself the time you need to do your best work. The future you’re working toward is too important to leave it up to the last minute.