Since middle school, students have been told not to leave their work until the last minute and to get a jump on things. Any realist would tell you that if you give someone a deadline in two weeks, they are not going to start working on the project right then and there. Today’s student population has evolved into mostly procrastinators. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that most students or at least myself and some other students like to wait to the last minute to start, finish, or think about that assignment they got two weeks ago. Here are some of the things that typically cross the mind of a chronic procrastinator.
1. When is that due?
We, and when I say we I am referencing myself along with other procrastinators, normally run things through our head a bunch of times. For example, all of the assignments that we have to do are in our heads and are immediately put on our mental calendar to do the night before. A particular assignment may cross our minds, or we may be talking to a classmate and they mention the assignment, and we have an immediate heart attack hoping that the due date wasn’t today. Then once the relief overcomes us, we go back to planning on doing it the night before.
2. How long did it take?
One thing that procrastinators have that may surprise you is work ethic when the time comes. When speaking to a fellow classmate the question that almost always arises is “how long did it take you to do the assignment?” This is because procrastinators need to manage their time, especially when crunched. However, when under the gun we can work very quickly and with high relative quality. This is because we are being forced to work in such a condensed time, and we obviously want to do well, so we hyper focus.
3. When can I do it?
The question often arises. Most people would say after class or Wednesday. Despite this, procrastinators often try to plan out when they can catch up on work ahead of time. For instance, waking up the morning something is due to do it, or trying to complete assignments while in other classes.
The next time you see someone putting off work, just know that you cannot change him or her. No matter how much you plea, procrastinators will always put off work. It is in our blood. Another aspect of procrastination is the feeling of being “under the gun.” After leaving work off until the last minute we are forced to work hard and fast, and sometimes without that additional pressure the quality of work we put out diminishes. I know it's counterintuitive, but it is true.
I know this question will arise so I am going to put it to rest. Yes, I wrote this article the day it was due, but hey, we all have our flaws.
