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by Alyssa VanBuren (8th)

Procrastination is “the action of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that there will be negative consequences for doing so.” In simpler terms procrastination is the action of delaying something.

Deacon Joseph Ferrari, a PhD and author, dug into this idea dn determined the many different hypothesized reasons for why people procrastinate. In his article Still Procrastinating he says that people do this as a way “to cope and escape from what they need to do.” Ferrari also points out many people’s inability to effectively and efficiently manage the tasks which are at hand.

86% That is the percentage of high school students that procrastinate. That’s a large number, this statistics brings much curiosity to the topic and causes many people to wonder, Why. One of those people is Itamar Shatz, he is a PhD from Cambridge University. He says “People procrastinate because their drive to delay is irrationally stronger than their drive to act.” Shatz says this occurs when someone’s “self-control and motivation are weakened by issues like exhaustion.” Oftentimes procrastination is linked with disorders such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, low-self esteem, and bad study habits.

 With such negative causes it is no surprise that procrastinating can be harmful to students. Some of those harmful effects include students’ schoolwork, grades, and overall health. Many studies also show that students who procrastinate record having higher levels of stress, anxiety, guilt, and frustration in comparison to their non-procrastinating counterparts.

Since this is such a major problem within society, especially young students, there is no doubt that a solution is something that would be very beneficial. In hopes of making improvements to these problems both teachers and online professionals have to gather. Maybe they’ll work for you.

To start off many recommend that the first step you take in finding a solution is self admitting. This allows you to start trying different tragedies. Next many professionals recommend that you find a good location for where you can work on what needs to be completed. With that you need to find a spot that is distraction free.

Other things that may help once you start are making goals that are easily trackable, with the creation of goals you may find that breaks and self rewards are good ways to motivate yourself. This may be helpful however this requires knowing yourself and being aware if you’ll be able to get back on track afterwards.

Moving on to what teachers recommend. Many recommend writing down what you want to achieve. When writing these down, put a couple things on a post-it that way it seems more simplified and you don’t overwhelm yourself. Going along with one of the things stated above they recommend making a progress journal where you can track your progress. In order to achieve this write a goal that can occur within a year long span. From there plan out dates on which you will check your progress. You should make sure your goal is trackable and that you will make progress over time. This may help motivate you and boost your morale and self esteem so you continue working.

Image Citation:

"Why Do Kids Procrastinate." Oxford Learning. Accessed 4-25-2023. https://www.oxfordlearning.com/why-do-kids-procrastinate/