It is no secret that college is tough. We all have been there. The ever-growing piles of work never seems to end. So, we put it off, and put it off, and put it off until there is a week left in class and we scramble to pass. I'm here to tell you that sh*t won't fly anymore. As a procrastinator myself, I understand the appeal of not wanting to do work the second it is assigned. Honestly though, college is the worst time to procrastinate. College grades are not as padded as those in high school. Some classes only total in grades for the midterm, final, and an essay or two. That makes it imperative to receive good grades on those assignments. I've made the argument myself, "I feel like I work best under pressure." And you may truly think that is true. But it is a lie. Trust me. It is so much better to get a head-start on an assignment and then continuously edit it to make it the best it can possibly be. I'm not saying that you have to work 24/7 from when work is assigned until it is due. Instead, you take the assignment in small steps. Maybe the first day you figure out a strategy or timeline for what needs to be done. Then a day or two later you make an outline or do some light research. Maybe you want to dedicate Thursday nights to one assignment. Whatever works for you but stick to a plan. This allows you to have time to have someone look over your work, edit your work, and relax. Cramming everything into a small chunk of time is extremely stressful. And newsflash, being stressed for days on end in not good for you. So instead, slowly work on an assignment. The hardest part is getting started, so just start. You know how you work best, so cater to that need. If you need a reward system, do that. If you need to be in a specific place, go there. Do whatever you have to just to be a little productive. It can be as easy as working for 30 minutes. Any progress is better than no progress. Since I have begun putting this into practice, I have been way less stressed during midterms and finals. I do small chunks of productivity to make it less stressful on myself in the long run. Also, if you put time and effort into your assignments at the beginning of the semester, you won't have to count on that last test grade to see if you pass or not. By getting good grades earlier, you will have made some padding in your grade that enables you to have a better chance at passing. Ultimately, procrastinating leads to unnecessary stress. So stop doing it.