By Saveria Farino
Among high school students, procrastination can lead to stress and bad grades throughout the year, specifically the second semester. Rather than doing the work, teens play on their phones and get nothing done. Procrastination can be wiped out in a few steps.
To-do lists allow everything to be kept in check. Take as little as five minutes to jot down an agenda as a way to set daily or weekly goals. Turning big tasks into smaller steps show all the little accomplishments made in the day to day routine. For example, when making a to-do list instead of saying “complete essay” write all the steps that the essay will take like “make an outline,” “finish intro paragraph,” and “use strong resources.” When checking off the tasks that have been completed, relax while looking over what has been accomplished.
“As a member of student council I just make sure that I keep track of everything that I have to do whether that’s constantly reorganizing my binders, keeping notes on all my assignments and activities in my planner, setting constant reminders for myself so I don’t forget anything, and going over everything thoroughly to make sure I didn’t miss anything,” Nolan Phan, junior, said.
To prevent dilly-dallying, turn off any devices that could waste time. Shutting down the phone or putting it on “do not disturb” mode can make it easier to completely focus on the task at hand rather than on trending memes and tweets.
“My phone always distracts me when I am doing my homework. I usually have to put it down and move it away from me so I’m not tempted to go on it, then I can finish my homework quickly,” Skylar DeArmond, senior, said.
No job should go unfinished without a feeling of satisfaction when it’s completed. By rewarding the progress made, the pressure and stress of assignments will diminish. Getting work done in a timely manner also grants more time to relax or possibly study more and get ahead of the curve. To help get work done promptly, follow instincts. Second guessing increases stress and hinders self trust. According to the Huffington Post, approximately 87% of students tend to procrastinate. Worrying too much about being perfect can cloud judgement, and create even more stress and anxiety.
“When I get to [school] work, I usually am able to pace myself. I use a planner to try to visualize my week or month and try to make sure I work hard when I do have free days. After getting a lot of work done, I like to watch Netflix,” Bailey Allen, sophomore, said.
A procrastination free world includes no stress, no pressure, no worries, every high school students utopia. By taking the time to make to-do lists, set goals, and shut off the phone, to cure the procrastination phenomenon.
