TVD and procrastination

No worries! This won't be a post about me watching The Vampire Diaries all the time to procrastinate. Because that would be lame, right?! ;-P (But seriously, if you haven't watched season 4 yet and plan on doing so, you better not read on.)

As a student, you might know this inner struggle for motivation. There is this part of you, which I would like to call 'lazy bones'. It's the part of you, who just wants to lie in bed and watch TV-shows all day long. This other self that clings on to you with the heavy weight of laziness and pulls you back into your bed in the morning. "It's so warm and cosy, here. You can't just leave! Just a few more minutes!" (A few more minutes that turn into an hour or two!)

'Lazy bones' is also the one, who makes you clean your room, the bathroom and the kitchen before you get to write even one word of your essay or paper that is due in two days. (Okay, I have to admit the cleaning can actually be good, but not for your assignment!) We all know the unnecessary duties that suddenly pop up only to avoid sitting down at the desk.

"Wait! I have to sort my paper clips according to their colour and size first!"

"I have to watch the latest episode of [insert favourite TV-show here] first. Surely, I'll be more motivated after I got my weekly fix!"

"Sure! I can go down to the pub - it'll be just one pint."

Or my personal favourite:

"No, I can't start working now. I have to check quickly on Facebook, if anyone commented on my new status about how much it sucks to write a paper!"

And then there's the other one: Let's call him 'the efficient nerd'! He would be the one to save the day. This guy gets your brain a coffee in the morning and makes you sit down, concentrate and write for hours. Unfortunately, he rarely comes out or should I say he is locked up by your lazy self, who seems to win the fight over and over again.

So, for all who've been waiting for it (and those who haven't ;-P), here comes the TVD reference: Remember the ending of Season 4? Just a quick recap to help you:

Silas: "Hello, my shadow self!"

Stefan: (gasp) "Silas!"

Silas shoves Stefan in a metal box, locks it with a huge chain and padlock, and throws him into a lake where he has to drown over and over again for three months. (For those of you who have no clue about vampire lore: A stack in the heart, ripping of the head or burning the vampire will do the job - drowning not so much.)

Just like that you have the fight that goes on inside of me every day and sometimes it works even faster than the vampire speed used in TVD:

Lazy self: "Hello, my efficient self! Let's lock you up! It's time to watch TVD/clean/go down to the pub/check Facebook!"

Efficient nerd: (gasps followed by facepalm) "Lazy self! No, not again!"

And before you can say "procrastinate", the efficient nerd is locked up and drowning over and over again at the bottom of the lake until the next time an assignment is due and the whole scenario is repeated.

Obviously, at some point the efficient nerd has to take over and clean up the mess. (Despite everything I still get things done. ;-P) This is the time when he releases himself with the full force of fear before the deadline to save the day. 'Lazy self', in the meantime, lies down in a corner to cry.

Now for my BA paper, I wish that the situation will be different and the efficient nerd will say with the greatest confidence: "Hello, my lazy self! It's time to lock you up and you won't get out again until this BA is finished! May you drown over and over again and I hope that I won't see you as long as I live."

But as we know everyone can come back from the dead in TVD! ;-P I think I might be in need of Thorin's Oakenshield and Andúril to win the next battle. And with this The Hobbit/LOTR reference (Sorry! Couldn't resist, since I got the extended version last week! ^^) I'll finish up, unsure of who won the fight this time. ;-)

How do you cope with your 'lazy bones' self? Let me know in the comments!