There is no better perspective about procrastination than that of a college student. As a result, this article should prove to be invaluable, as it gives sound advise from someone who understands procrastination at its worst.
Why do People Procrastinate?
Put simply, people procrastinate because they do not want to do their assignments. Homework is notorious for being dull and unenjoyable. After being in classes all day, students just want to relax. Completing assignments requires one to think and focus, when students really just want to not have to do anything that requires much effort.
That answer is the logical, obvious answer. Of course students do not want to do their assignments. Doing work is not normally what most consider fun. That still does not explain why most people procrastinate. We know we are foolish to procrastinate, otherwise this wouldn’t be a necessary question to ask. Deep down we know that leaving our work to the last minute will just make things more stressful. Procrastinating is like a defense mechanism. We know leaving it for the last second is only going to make things worse, but because we don’t want to do the work, we delude ourselves into thinking that we can relax now and worry about it later. We tell ourselves that we have plenty of time left to do it.
How to Put a Stop to Procrastination
So how do we stop procrastinating? The best idea is to break the assignment into sections. Let’s say a research paper is due a month from getting the assignment. Day one, come up with the thesis statement. Day two, write the research question. Day three, find the sources that will be cited for the paper, and so on and so forth. If one breaks up the assignment into small sections and does a little bit each day, it will make the work seem much less daunting. In addition, one will feel proud knowing that he had the discipline to do the work, rather than waiting till the last minute.
What about studying for an exam? Again, break the studying into sections. When in this situation, many people have this thought in mind: ‘The test is a week away. I still have seven days to study! So I’ll just study tomorrow.’ Undeniably, this is the incorrect approach. Instead, try studying twenty minutes each day. Twenty minutes is not much, but it is better than nothing. On that first night that one feels like doing anything except studying, make out flashcards for the information, and then be done for the night. The next day, study flashcards one through four. Day three, study flashcards four through eight, and review flashcards one through four. The rest of the days, follow this same pattern. Studying a little bit each day is a good approach so that one does not feel pressured to procrastinate. If one starts studying for hours several days before the exam, he will be more inclined to want to put off the studying. A little bit each day is always a good way to start.
