How Does Procrastination Affect College Education

One of the biggest time killers is procrastination. When it comes to doing homework it is like my mind dazes off to Wonderland and Netflix calls out my name. According to Whitebourne, The Paradox of Procrastination, “About twenty percent of adults have regular bouts of procrastination, but as many as perhaps seventy to ninety percent of undergraduates are chronic putter-offers. This helps me feel like I am not alone, but it is not something to be proud about. Procrastination has a way of affecting people’s lives because it causes stress, anxiety, and unnecessary pressure.

Majority of the students are told by their high school teachers that there is no sleep and the amount of material given to one is harder when it comes to college. The real question is how do we handle college life task? David Glenn in his article “Procrastination in College Students is a Marker for Unhealthy Behaviors” states, “ College students who procrastinate in their academic work are also likely to have unhealthy sleep, diet, and exercise patterns…” I would have to agree with David here. When I do not get enough sleep I get cranky causing me to stress out on the smallest task. It is important that if you have a task due on a specific day and you have time to do it, prioritize your time.

The reason why most undergraduates in college have a hard time in completing their task is because they are not organize and get things done at the last minute. Time management and procrastination are worst enemies. When it comes to managing your time you have to be very strict in how you waste it. Try to study with friends that will keep you in track. Try to focus on getting the task done. It might not be easy to change one’s sleep, eating, or habits, but trying to do so can have a big impact on procrastination.

Procrastination has a way of messing with a person’s emotions. When there are emotional and psychological parts to procrastination, there are many ways you can utilize to help you.

According to Sandis Helvigs “Time Management and Procrastination”, “If feeling anxious, frustrated, or insecure when thinking about a task you need to complete leads to your avoiding facing it by doing something else that temporarily soothes the negative feelings, a technique called “mood repair”. When trying to do the task avoid negative thoughts from taking over and just do it. Try to break down the task and focus in finishing the easy stuff. Small accomplishments can help push you to do better. Trying this method can help reduce stress by a lot.

Many people’s excuse for procrastination is that they work better in pressure. Do not get me wrong, for some people that is the case but for majority it is not. It really is the lack of motivation and the fear of thinking that we can not finish the task, that leads us to procrastination. When doing this we hurt our performance of doing great. According to Hara Estroff Marano “Procrastination: Ten Things To Know”, “Procrastinators sabotage themselves. They put obstacles in their own path. They actually choose paths that hurt their performances.” There is no reason for unnecessary pressure especially when you have the time to finish your tasks.

When you finish the task treat yourself. Go make your favorite snack and celebrate your small accomplishments. When you do this you train yourself and set a reason why you want to finish the task. For example, when I was younger my mother would give me five dollars for every A that I got on my report card, until the point that she saw I was leaving her bankrupt. With that being said, it helped me strive to get good grades. I had one goal: to get money. When you set fun goals for yourself you tend to want to finish the task.

In college you are on your own. There is no parent teacher conference, letting your parents know that if you do not stop procrastinating, you are going to fail. If you do not get your work done then that is on you. Now is where you determine if you are going to prioritize your time wisely and want a better future for yourself or for your family. Everything has its own consequences whether it is short term or long term. Procrastination can really bite you in the butt if you do not take things serious.

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