Best motivators other than deadlines

Deadlines are dead to me

By EG Manilag, Staff Writer

According to college students, deadlines are the best motivators in projects, assignments, essays, and even studying. And there’s no doubt about it. Instead of treating doing work right before a deadline as a last resort, students often treat it as the only option. Like… I really get it though. Meeting deadlines right in the nick of time is fun. The stress, the urgency, and the feeling of ultimate productivity coursing through your veins is amazing. It really gets you going. Deadlines are also straightforward and realistic; they go perfectly with procrastinating, which we all love to do. However, with all of this being said, there are still other motivators out there worthy of consideration—motivators that are better than deadlines.

Courses

The first motivator would be our “courses.” Whatever they may be—whether it be a major or a minor course, a GPA booster, or whatever—they are all worth it. They give us made-up credits so that we can literally graduate, and they give us knowledge (regurgitated straight out of a book) so that we can have power. Respecting one’s courses is far better than following deadlines (as your mom would say) because it makes you more passionate of your future career. “That 1500-word essay won’t stop us”—repeat this mantra aloud while rocking back and forth on your bed.

Family

Second one is our “family.” They motivate us better than deadlines would simply because they have to—otherwise they’ll be stuck with us forever. And they for sure don’t want that. That’s why they’ll do everything in their capacity to make sure that us students can finish off everything correctly, early, and without missing the deadlines. Seriously… they’ll do everything in their capacity. In that way, they can taste freedom. It’s not just us who are struggling to finish things and be free you know—they’re struggling as well… struggling to kick us out as soon as possible. Don’t be fooled by their words of wisdom, fairy tales, and love for you—you know they’re just masking their intentions.

Ego

Last but not the least would be our “ego.” It’s very easy to be motivated in finishing an assignment when the course you have chosen is your forte. If you feel like a natural and love it, then you’ll do good at it. It’s as simple as that. Confidence really plays a part in this as well. I remember writing a one-page essay on a course that I really loved and felt good about… but it didn’t quite end of what I would expect of a letter grade—but it doesn’t matter, really (REALLY), because I was extremely confident at that time and I regret nothing. As long as you’re confident with what you made, and you weren’t working under the pressure of deadlines, it’s a win-win.