Ah, midterms; the signature time of year for late-night cramming, hours of studying fueled by nothing but caffeine, and of course – procrastination. While our years at EBHS have helped to shape ourselves into smart and hard-working individuals, the best of us often find ourselves slipping into the gratifying yet torturous cycle of procrastination. If you’re in need of an escape from this stressful time, allow me to present to you some of EBHS’s favorite ways to take a break intended to last five minutes, that spans five hours.

1. Take a trip to check your refrigerator every two minutes just to make sure nothing new has appeared since you last checked.
   1. We’ve all been here – and if you claim you haven’t been here, I have some news for you: you’re a liar. Senior Naomi Bravman describes this all-too-familiar process as a path paved with good intentions, inevitably leading to the same destination; “[I] sit in the kitchen – nowhere near my homework – and just end up eating lots of junk food for a long time.” This cycle will provide you with just enough dopamine each time you open the door with high hopes, and just enough temporary amnesia to forget about your previous disappointment, only to start the cycle all over again. Overall, a very effective form of procrastination.
2. Get to level 379 of Bricks n Balls
   1. This one was inspired by Senior Sara Magrino who shares my obsession for this game – so I’ll let her explain this one: “Bricks n Balls has absolutely taken over my life. I am on level 379 and I can’t stop playing. The minute I finish a test, Bricks n Balls. Trying to go to sleep, Bricks n Balls. I’ve been playing for over a year and I can’t get enough of this app.” This glorified version of Brick-Breaker is hypnotizing and can completely suck you out of any activity that previously demanded your focus.
3. Two words: Tik. Tok.
   1. Need I really explain more? If the majority of us aren’t secretly learning trendy Tik-Tok dances in our bedroom with our notes fully open on our desks, then the rest of us are still scrolling in bed already having learned the dances from exposure. If you ask me though, Tik-Tok is really not a complete waste of time, especially if you’re able to reach fame on the for-you page. In fact, EBHS’ own, Ben Lipman has gained thousands of followers on the app as of recently. Check out Sam Fox’s article on Lipman’s rise on the app here. Anyway, all I’m saying is look how great it’s turning out for him – why not spend another five minutes learning a new dance for a chance at stardom?
4. R&R: Rewards and Rationalization
   1. I like to call this approach to procrastination, the “treat your self” model. Sure, we’re all busy people and have other responsibilities outside of school; but the minute we finish the bare minimum for any school-related task, it’s self-care time because we’ve just been working ourselves too hard lately and deserve some time for ourselves. Senior Thomas Russo describes this process best: “Basically, I’ll tell myself I don’t have any time because I usually come back from work late at night, and tell myself that I’ve worked super hard, and deserve a break – so if I can, I push it to the next day.  And then the next day, the same thing happens until it’s the night before something is due and I realize I’ve done absolutely nothing the whole time.” While it’s a painful feat with reality in the final hour when using this approach, at least you probably get to use some great face masks when you’re taking some time to focus on you.

At the end of the day, procrastination affects almost all of us. It doesn’t mean we’re less intelligent than those around us, or that we’re inherently lazy; it just means we’re human. So, from one procrastinator to another, I wish you the best of luck on all your midterm exams. Don’t forget to get some sleep, stay hydrated and take some breaks – as long as they don’t spiral into 5-hour sessions on Tik-Tok. In all seriousness, you should probably get to studying; well, I guess you could always just start that tomorrow.