By Alyssa Barrera ’17
According to a survey conducted by StudyMode, approximately 87% of high school students admit to procrastinating. However, it is very rare that a student can provide a solid answer when asked why they procrastinate. When considering the stress, anxiety, and poor work quality that procrastination can result in, it is questionable why students even procrastinate in the first place.
Experts often define procrastination as “the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying,especially something requiring immediate attention.” The foundation of procrastination often lies in students’ lack of emotional and mental structure. Those who lack discipline are often more easily influenced by their own poor decisions, resulting in procrastination to turn into a bad habit.
Despite society’s view of procrastinators simply being lazy people with a bad sense of time management, it can be far more complicated than that if a person is a chronic procrastinator. Joseph R. Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University, claimed that, “while everybody may procrastinate, not everyone is a procrastinator.” The thing that sets chronic procrastinators apart from regular procrastinators is the lack of ability rather than the lack of effort. However, chronic procrastinators would often much rather have those around them believe that they procrastinate due to a laziness like everyone else instead of having to directly address their issues.
Procrastination not only demonstrates a lack of control, but can also having negative effects on one’s well-being. By pushing everything to the last minute, procrastinators often find themselves in high-stress situations. These situations can mess with one’s sleep schedule and overall performance, which can begin affecting one’s personal life as well: relationship-wise, career-wise, etc.
Overall, there are many different types of procrastinators, therefore, there are many different types of solutions. On the other hand, the first steps for many procrastinators are to learn self-discipline, set healthy habits, and focus on emotional management. Procrastination has less long term benefits than one might believe. By pushing yourself to quit procrastinating, you’re setting yourself up for a brighter, happier future.
