Procrastination is a demon we all face at one point or another - sometimes once a week, others five days a week. But one thing many people know, yet choose to ignore, is that the more you push off an assignment or task, the more stressed out you will feel.
Staying organized and knowing exactly what assignments you need to complete, by what time, is the first step to avoiding procrastination. Set alerts or alarms a few days in advance to remind you that you should be doing the assignment then and not the day before. The feeling of getting an assignment done days in advance is more relieving than pushing it off and watching your favorite show, playing your favorite video game, or texting your closest friend.
While you may have become the procrastination pro, to the point where you can watch your favorite show and not be thinking about the assignment you need to complete the whole time, it will still subconsciously weigh on you and translate into unexplained stress. Also, the more time you leave yourself to complete the assignment, the more time you have to look it over and ensure that you're turning in your best work.
Turning in your assignments last minute is something your professors notice. While, yes, the due date is at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, that doesn't mean it's okay to turn it in by 11:00 p.m. that same Friday. To your professors, this makes it seem as though you don't care enough about the class or assignment to do the assignment at a normal hour when your mindset is most alert. Of course, there are exceptions to this idea- many people work, have class all day, and have extracurriculars. However, if this is a normal occurrence, it's time to work on your time management.
Taking the time to admit you have an issue with procrastination, learning how to better manage your time and getting your assignments done days in advance will prove to be the best stress reliever there is. There are very few feelings more relieving than knowing all your assignments for the following week are finished and you have the whole weekend to unwind, relax, and indulge in your favorite free time activities.
