“Sure, I’ll do it later.” It is so easy to just call it a day and promise yourself that you will complete a task, whether it is taking out the trash or studying for that algebra test coming up. Besides, you still have a lot more time, right? Except, as you keep postponing it and postponing it, the time you have left dwindles by the minute. And before you know it, you are faced with a single night to do a week’s worth of homework or a sink piled to the ceiling with dirty dishes. You may know this kind of situation as procrastination.
And it is so ridiculously easy to fall into this trap for anyone, even grown adults. But the place where we can most see procrastination happening is among our youth.
How many times have you come to class to find that half of your classmates had not finished an assignment? How many times have you told your mom you would clean your room and then do it two weeks later instead? The fact is, you procrastinate more than you realize.
Many students can attest to this. “It’s just so easy to just say you’re going to do something, and then just forget about it,” says Rylee Polich, a freshman at Glades. “I think a lot of people struggle with it, and it’s really relatable to everyone.”
This can really impact productivity and success, particularly in a school environment, where many have learned the hard way exactly how far a zero can bring down a course grade on Pinnacle.
And especially in classes that have strict late policies, a habit of procrastination can cause a student to feel like they are drowning in assignments. This means students must find a way to be productive, or they will never live up to their full potential.
For some, this may be making a schedule, setting alarms for specific tasks, or setting up a reward system. Everyone is different, and so what might work for one person might not work for another.
But in the end, time management is crucial to a successful lifestyle. Each person has the power to take back control from procrastination: if only they have the determination.
