By Kayla Nguyen
You procrastinate. Your teachers procrastinate putting in those grades you’ve been waiting for. I procrastinated on this article you’re reading right now. The point is, everyone procrastinates. But, when are you taking it too far? When is it working for you? As the new school year begins, students are dreading the incoming workload, the late nights staying up finishing homework and the stressful cramming for tests. So, what better way to prepare for all of this than to educate yourself on procrastination?
Why do so many people procrastinate?
There are many different reasons why a person can procrastinate. Typically, the main cause of procrastination is the idea that you are about to do a task that isn’t enjoyable. This can lead to you being unhappy while doing it or fearful that you won’t perform as well on the task as you want, which is what your brain tries to avoid.
In other words, the main reason for procrastination is lack of emotional regulation and a negative mindset. Imagine you just received a long research project that is due at the end of the semester. Wouldn’t it be your brain’s first thought to do the logical thing and get it done immediately? However, that is rarely the case. This fear of starting daunting tasks leads to procrastination. Many people face this same problem.
Why is procrastination good?
Contrary to popular belief, certain people work well when procrastinating. This is called active procrastination.
When you procrastinate, you are given time to mull over the thoughts on the assignment in your head. Hundreds of research and studies have shown that procrastination results in better creativity and quality in that person’s work.
The best reason to procrastinate is the efficiency of it. Many students that wait until the last minute complete their work quickly due to the adrenaline rush. Working on an assignment right before its due can get your heart rate up, your breathing might become shallow, and you may start sweating. When we get this dose of adrenaline, our heart prepares us to be more focused and motivated to work quickly on whatever assignment we have ahead.
In “Rethinking Procrastination: Positive Effects of ‘Active’ Procrastination Behavior on Attitudes and Performance” it is explained that active procrastination can be helpful to people who want to finish their work within a short amount of time.
“Their (active procrastinators’) orientation toward work and life may be to achieve as much as possible in the last possible time, manifesting a value that is more closely aligned with extrinsic motivation than with intrinsic motivation,” said authors Angela Hsin Chun Chu and Jin Nam Choi.
Procrastination also works well for perfectionists who use up their time adding unnecessary details to their projects. Doing an assignment right before the deadline forces you to use your time more wisely.
Why is procrastination bad?
I know that many procrastinators have found solace in reading the reasons why it can be good for you, but it’s equally as important to educate yourself on why procrastination can be bad.
A lot of people don’t work well under stress. Their mind goes foggy and they crumble on the pressure of a looming deadline. And because they are focusing more on completion than the quality of the work, they end up learning less.
As many students know from personal experience, procrastination can be very mentally draining. Long term procrastination can make you feel constantly behind, the adrenaline can stress you out and you can feel lazy and unmotivated.
Many people believe that procrastination takes away a lot of the stress of assignments. While that is true, it is not the whole story. According to a study done in 1997 to a class of students, the procrastinators in the class had less stress, better physical health and were in generally better shape than the people who started their assignments earlier during the first semester of class. But the roles swapped in the second semester, leaving the procrastinators in far worse mental health than the other students. Procrastination can temporarily relieve the stress of doing an assignment in the moment, but it can cost the student a lot in the long run.
Parkinson’s Law
A helpful way to view procrastination is Parkinson’s Law. In the article “Parkinson’s Law,” the text explains that people tend to fit the amount of work they have to the time allotted for completion. In other words, procrastinators take less time to do their work that is due soon, contrary to a person who starts their work early and adds on more and more to it until they reach the due date.
So, what advice can we take from this? Some people deliver better work by starting early and adding more ideas as they get them. The end result turns out better. They feel less anxious and deal with less stress because the task is done. Others are unable to work unless they have the adrenaline rush from a deadline. They feel less anxious because they choose to start a task when they feel ready to.
The key is to figure out your work style and find a nice balance between the two sides. Pick and choose which assignments you finish early, and which ones you can spare to wait until later to complete.
How can I stop procrastinating?
One helpful method that many people recommend is to break up your long assignment into parts and think of it as many small, easy tasks. This way, you can feel accomplished when you finish a segment of work. You can also go one step further and place deadlines for you to finish certain steps. This can imitate the motivation rush of a due date.
You can also tell yourself to start a small part of the assignment. This can give you momentum to finish the whole thing. For example, it may be hard to tell yourself to write an essay, but it’s not as hard to tell yourself to grab a pencil and paper and write down the topic sentence. From there, it should be easier to continue working on the assignment.
Another option is to study with friends. They can hold you accountable for completing your assignment. Usually, it works to pressure you into studying and being productive.
Procrastination: Good or bad?
It’s both! Like anything in life, there is a balance. In conclusion, the research shows the most optimal way to do it for most people is to procrastinate only on smaller assignments for efficiency and work on larger projects early on. Procrastination is only as complicated and as bad as you make it. Remember that you have the power to control your study habits. Good luck in this high school year and have fun learning!
