By: Eliana Mamo ’24
We’ve all been there before. When your teacher announces that a project is due in two weeks and you write it down in your planner (or remember it in your head **not recommended), with a slight smile on your face, thinking “Wow, I have time!”. Except you don’t. The days creep by packed, with homework and different activities, and suddenly the project’s due at 11:59 pm and you have a whooping 4 hours left to complete it. According to Edutopia, we often procrastinate because of fear of failing to do it correctly or maybe we’re confused about the assignment and don’t know where to start. Sometimes, we leave it off thinking that the more time it marinates in our backpack the more it’ll make sense (it won’t). And for a handful of us leaving things until the last minute adds “drama” and a sprinkle of adrenaline to our lives. And though these may be all valid reasons (especially the last one), these feelings don’t compare to the overwhelming wave of stress you get when you realize just how much you still have to get done. This is why it’s important to know just how to deal with procrastination.
Advice? I struggle with procrastination too (in fact I may or may not have procrastinated this article) but ultimately the biggest thing I’ve come to learn and am trying to put into practice is to literally stop myself from saying the three cursed words: “I have time” because in retrospect, we don’t actually have all the time we think we have. So when you get an assignment, really do try to get it done once it is announced. Obviously, study for your test the next day instead of working on something due in a month, but when you find yourself with those small segments of random free time remember that you could be productive (and probably should be) and knock one thing off your to do list! This will make your life much easier in the long run. Also, know exactly when things are due and be able to estimate how long assignments will take you so you know when you need to start. Don’t forget to reward yourself after your hard work though, we need that ounce of motivation to get us through the next assignment.
If you start incorporating a few of these tips into your days, the day that project is due you can sit back and relax knowing it’s already done and then you’ll jump up after remembering that essay due tomorrow as well!
If you need any more advice on studying strategies/avoiding procrastination email jean.noh@lca.edu or visit https://sites.google.com/lca.edu/lca-academic-advising/study-strategies?authuser=0 .
Works Cited
Terada, Y. (2020, February 11). 3 Reasons Students Procrastinate-and How To Help Them Stop. Edutopia. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-reasons-students-procrastinate-and-how-help-them-stop#:~:text=%E2%80%9CEstimates%20indicate%20that%2080%20to,percent%20procrastinate%20consistently%20and%20problematically.%E2%80%9D