I Wasn't Lazy—I Was Drowning

Everyone kept telling me I was just lazy. Get organized. Practice positive self-talk. Make a vision board. Set achievable goals. So I did. Color-coded planners. Daily affirmations in the mirror. Motivational quotes on my laptop. I turned my dorm into a productivity shrine. But at 3 AM, staring at another blank page, I finally got it. I wasn't lazy. I was drowning. The real issue wasn't time management—it was the crushing weight of expectations. Every assignment felt like proof I didn't belong. Every grade was a verdict on my worth. All those productivity hacks? They just gave me more ways to feel like I was failing. More lists to not complete. More goals to fall short of. I spent so much energy trying to fix my 'laziness' that I never asked why I was so afraid to start in the first place. Turns out, sometimes 'unmotivated' is just your brain protecting you from another round of never being enough. #Education #AcademicBurnout #ProductivityToxicity