A Guide to Procrastination

Why not put off until tomorrow what you should do today? These are the words uttered by students all over the world. In a Psychology Today article, researchers reveal that around 50% of high school students procrastinate on a regular basis. And a 2017 study of college students done by the University of Calgary found that 80 to 95% of those procrastinate. It is about time for high school students to prepare for college and take the challenge that is laid out in front of them. Procrastination is clearly the key to college success, after all, and who doesn’t want to be prepared? You’re already focusing on APs, SATs, internships, community service, extracurriculars, but why not increase your procrastination?

This article will prepare you for college by helping you avoid doing your work on time, as well as some tips on how to procrastinate effectively. Read on, and join the path to success!

First, it’s important to understand WHY you should procrastinate. Here are the key reasons:

Procrastination allows you to do your work in a shorter amount of time. Who doesn’t want to get that adrenaline rush the night before an APUSH exam? It’s time to allow your body this amazing feeling that will surely enable you to finish your work in record time and have saved all of those countless hours.

It also helps you prioritize when you have many different tasks, making sure that you complete tasks in order. Boring tasks such as writing your final AP Research paper should best be saved for the last minute, ensuring that you free up time for the more exciting, unnecessary tasks (see list of ideas below).

Lastly, procrastination allows you to live a fulfilling life with no regrets.  It also allows you to add excitement to your daily grind by living on the edge!

Now that you have an understanding of why you must procrastinate, here are some ideas of WHAT you can do with all of that free time you have just created:

1. Shop for next year’s holiday gifts.

2. Scroll on TikTok more than the average 3.5 hours a day that teenagers currently do, see if you can make a record or pass out trying.

3. Buy your prom dress for senior year as a freshman.

4. Make a pillow fort.

5. Start writing an autobiography.

6. Plan a vacation for several summers from now. Bonus points if it’s one of the locations from White Lotus.

7. Watch the longest movie you can think of as many times in a row as possible, perhaps Dune.

8. Book your Uber to the airport for when you leave for college. Never too early to start planning.

9. And last but certainly not least, look at all your assignments on Schoology, write them in a planner, color code them, circle them, underline them, maybe even cross them off just for the excitement– but don’t actually DO any of them.

So don’t delay, start procrastinating today! This is a sure way to attain academic success and an acceptance to your top college choice.

Sources: 

Uche, Udochukwu, “Anxious Thoughts and Procrastination in Adolescents,” Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/promoting-empathy-with-your-teen/202311/anxious-thoughts-and-procrastination-in-adolescents

Novotney, Amy, “Procrastination or 'intentional delay'?” American Psychological Association, https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2010/01/procrastination

“Student Procrastination Statistics: Impact on Academic Performance and Mental Health,” Gitnux, https://gitnux.org/student-procrastination-statistics/.