Almost every time I get a new assignment the first thing I ask is “when is this due.” If something is due in two weeks, there’s a good chance I won’t start it until the night before. It is a TERRIBLE habit that has caused me more stress than it seems to be worth, but for some reason I continue to do it.
Why do we procrastinate?
Well if I do not have to do it now then why should I? Being on top of all of your assignments in high school is like trying to fly a plane while blindfolded and wearing handcuffs: it’s impossible. At least it can feel that way. With such a big workload, especially for those in honors/AP classes, it can be exhausting doing everything in a timely manner.
“I wait until the last minute to do all my work,” said senior Tanner Fields.
Does it work?
When it’s 11pm on a school night and I’m starting an assignment I have had over a week to do I tend to wonder ‘is this actually helping me?’ The excuse I have always given was that I do better under pressure.
“I tend to do better when I procrastinate,” said Fields. “Then it’s like crunch time, I do it because of the extra pressure.
Students, including myself, continue to get away with putting things off so it’s no wonder they continue to do so.
“In one of my BCC classes I didn’t write any of the four [major] essays until the last week [of class] and ended up getting a 93,” said senior Madden Hayes.
Is it a good thing?
Procrastination may not always be a good thing. If you start working on an assignment over a few weeks and put more time and effort into it you will have a much better product than if you spent an hour on it the night before just to get it done.
“I think it adds stress,” said social studies teacher Kevin Holland. “It limits the quality of what you’re doing when you wait and rush.”
On an assignment that you have time to do that could be an easy A, it could be important to spend some time on it, but if you don’t mind a few points off, why not do it last minute?
“In APUSH we had a 94 slide thing, didn’t touch it until the night before, still passed it with a B,” said senior Nick Chirco.
One of the most important parts of school work is the due date. Some teachers are more lenient than others, so this may not always work the way you want it to. Always keep your eye out for certain kinds of teachers and professors.
“Pay attention in class and get a teacher who takes late work,” said Hayes.
Is procrastinating for everyone?
For students who do not like stress or do not do well under pressure, procrastinating may not be an option. Most students who procrastinate may not perform well due to it. To get away with it, make sure you can physically do it.
“Most of them don’t get away with it,” said Holland. “Some [students] are more capable of producing something last minute and some aren’t.”
Takeaways:
If you are a procrastinator, just remember the closer to the deadline you get… the more you should put it off. There’s always time later. Do it when you feel like it, not when it’s due. Just get it done eventually, and make sure your teacher takes late work.
