Lauren O’Malley, Features Editor
@lomalleycourant
You are sitting at your desk, realizing that you have a math test to study for, an essay to write and two worksheets to complete. But instead of starting, you decide to give yourself a break.
Maybe just a few minutes on Tik Tok, a few scrolls on Instagram, or just a quick Snapchat to friends. You say that you’re going to start your homework at 3:00. But then 3:05 rolls around, then 3:10, then 4:00, until it is 10:00 at night, and the only thing you have accomplished, completing the entire RED, Taylor’s Version album, and discovering that Odell Beckham Jr. is signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams.
Procrastination is a common habit that makes completing assignments difficult. But that pressure that you put yourself under, can create some of your best work. It seems procrastination is a double-edged sword, it can negatively affect someone’s mental and physical health, but sometimes procrastination can trigger creativity and create a positive outcome.
One way procrastination happens is when you have a lot of free time on your hands and think you have time to complete everything. “I had this big project due and instead of doing it the other day when I had a lot of free time, I waited till the last possible moment,” Sophomore Maggie Murphy said. “I had other work I needed to do, but I held it off and had to do everything late into the night.”
Other times, you could be putting off work because of the negative feelings that surround the task. “For some students, the work can be very challenging, not interesting, or it will require a lot of energy and time,” Psychologist Maria Calcagni said. “When something is more difficult or boring, you are not motivated to do it, so you put it off till the last minute.”
“You wouldn’t procrastinate on something you wanted to do,” senior Justin Generalis said. Getting yourself motivated to do a task that you are not excited about, takes a lot of effort and leads to more procrastination.
Deadline extensions can also factor into how much you prioritize work. Junior Abigayle Bleil said, “If I procrastinate turning in my work, but don’t receive a late grade for it, it reinforces the procrastination and I wait even longer to do it next time. The only time I get freaked out is if I know there’s no way I could turn it in at a later time.”
There is also stress that comes with procrastinating that can inhibit someone’s ability to complete a task. “I know the day before a test, I’ll forget how much studying I have to do.” Maggie said, “Then it is late at night, the anxiety kicks in because it’s so late and I just want to go to bed even though I haven’t even started my work.”
“Some students become very stressed, anxious, and have panic attacks which then impacts their ability to concentrate.” Ms. Calcagni said, “Along with the stresses, you also tend to feel a little bit of guilt knowing that you haven’t done your work even though you had the time to do it.”
Procrastination also tends to produce a low quality of work which can lead to poorer performance in classes. “Sometimes a time crunch helps, there are other times that you give yourself an unreasonable amount of work in a short time,” said Abigayle. “This can lead to either an incomplete grade or turning in your work late.”
Furthermore, starting work late into the evening creates a headspace that pushes you to get the work done faster. “When I do my work late at night, it is very rushed because I just want to go to bed and I’m not thinking about what I’m doing,” Maggie said. “I understand the material less and the work is worse.“It makes me work faster and forces me to get things done efficiently but I think the work is worse.”
However, procrastination can have positive outcomes like increased concentration. “Sometimes procrastination can lead to healthy stress because it puts a little fire under you and increases your need to perform,” Ms. Calcagni said. “Your body responds to that and you become very focused on the assignment because of the limited time you have.”
Procrastination can also help some people produce work that is better than when they initially started. “When it comes down to the specifics, your grades can be affected but, the quality under pressure is probably decent compared to what you’d be doing with regular time,” Justin said. “There’s nothing that gets the blood flowing like when the pressure’s on you.”
Procrastination can also increase your creativity. “ I think procrastination helps my creativity because when I’m stressed, I stop thinking about ‘good’ ideas and just what’s in my head,” Freshman Emelia Martinez said.
Procrastinating can even help you set a healthy work-to-life ratio. “Procrastinating does help in the sense that it forces you to give yourself a break instead of immediately coming home from school and doing work again,” Abigayle said, “It’s nice to just sit back, relax and then get into my homework as long as it is not too late into the night. Sometimes it’s like, I’d rather do something else. I prioritize other things over my homework.”
But most of the time, procrastination is usually something that students should force themselves to combat. “It creates this snowball effect, so if you’re putting off assignments and getting new work on top of that, the work just keeps on piling up,” said Ms. Calcagni. “New and future assignments can also be impacted in addition to the one that you are currently trying to catch up on.”
When the assignments due become an unbearable amount, there comes a point where you just have to sit down and complete all of it. “When the work piles up, that’s when you have to start plowing through to finish it,” Justin said.
There are strategies that you can use to help motivate yourself into completing your work in an appropriate amount of time. “I put my phone downstairs, set up scheduled and timed breaks between long periods of studying,” said Emelia.
Sometimes, all you need is to make a plan that you can follow through on. “I think it’s all about being proactive, so setting up a routine where you take note of everything that you have to do is beneficial,” Ms. Calcagni said. “Looking at that plan in a long term way so you can get a sense of what you have to do, your calendar, the time that you have to do it, and how much time you are going to spend on it to ensure you can complete it on time.”
