By Cristina Galvan
As students we all do it. I’m talking about leaving everything for the last minute. I’m personally not immune to procrastinating.
Semester after semester, year after year it is the same story. At the start of a semester I tell myself that it will be different this time around, but it never is.
As students, it is easy to get into these habits. We are faced with other temptations that seem more interesting than doing homework such as watching our favorite show, or going out.
Other students might not have another option but to leave assignments for the last minute due to work or family duties. But leaving everything for the last minute simply adds stress.
Every time I get a prompt for an essay, I look at it and put it in my notebook. Usually the day before it is due, I dig out my notes and handouts from the depths of my notebook and spring into action.
Being a slow worker who gets distracted by everything does not help. I usually find myself working on important assignments for hours until 2 or 3, or sometimes even 4 a.m.
It is when I am the most tired or stressed that I wish that I would have started sooner and not procrastinated.
Procrastinating leaves me physically and mentally drained. Usually my excuse for procrastination is that I work best under pressure.
I am sure most students can identify with this, whether it is waiting for the last day to write a paper or cramming a week’s worth of information for a test the night before.
As midterms are now over and the semester is falling into that stage where it feels like it is nearly over the temptation to procrastinate might be even higher.
It is better to tackle assessments and readings little by little, rather than trying to leave everything for last minute.
Next time students want to procrastinate they should think how good it will feel to finish an assignment early. Finishing early decreases stress.
Students will be able to sleep early, or go out without having the thought of an assignment or reading lingering in the back of their minds.
Breaking the habit might be hard but it is never too late. For instance when writing a paper, students can write a few paragraphs a day until the essay is due.
This is better than trying to write five pages in one night. I once did this and the results were rewarding.
I felt better overall about my work since I had time to review it and it did not feel like if I simply bunched my ideas in an attempt to finish an assignment.
Students should go home after every lecture and review all the notes they took that day instead of cramming everything in before a test.
Small changes like this could go a long way to help improve our studying habits.