Anyone who has been at Maggie Walker long enough knows procrastination. “I’ll do it later,” students tell themselves, putting off starting a major project or five-page essay just one more day. This habit has existed long before the creation of high school. In fact, the word “procrastination” comes from Latin procrastinare, meaning “put off till later,” or literally from pro crastinus, “forward belonging to tomorrow.” A common old English term for a procrastinator was a “tomorrower,” one who left everything to tomorrow. Procrastination has clearly been around long enough to affect everyone, especially students today. 

It shouldn’t be a huge revelation that procrastination is unhealthy and often self-defeating. While some students feel that they work best under pressure, this is typically untrue. Waiting for the mind killer (fear, of course) to propel you into action can lower your work quality, as the amygdala shuts down the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain actually responsible for doing homework. Even worse, procrastination can result in an all-nighter, which is detrimental to both short-term and long-term health. 

Despite its harmful effects, most students procrastinate at least once during their school career. Popular excuses include “I’m too tired tonight,” or “I don’t feel like it yet,” and everyone's favorite, “I’ll do it when I’m more prepared.” While these are weak excuses, the root cause for procrastination often runs deeper than being sleepy. Psychologists have identified several drivers of procrastination: a lack of confidence, anxiety, low motivation, and a lack of structure and discipline. 

Most of the time, people procrastinate because they are certain they will get back to whatever they’re procrastinating later. This act of predicting future feelings or inclination is called affective forecasting, but it typically is not accurate. This is why, when that “later” finally comes along, people often procrastinate even further. 

Procrastination is typically an even bigger problem for teens and young adults, hence why high schoolers and college students are often some of the worst at getting things done in a timely fashion. Adolescents’ prefrontal cortexes are not yet fully developed, hindering logic and planning skills that may help adults combat procrastination. Teens are even more likely to overestimate their ability to motivate themselves to do their work later. 

As previously mentioned, procrastination can have many negative consequences. One of the most obvious is poor academic performance. Students under excessive pressure tend to rush through assignments, sacrificing quality in favor of submitting the assignment on time. Many assignments, especially essays and projects, take several sittings to complete well, although students who procrastinate often put off major projects so long they must finish it in one sitting. Procrastination also leads to stress, which can increase risk of developing comorbid conditions, such as hypertension and insomnia. These consequences can help further perpetuate the cycle of procrastination, as tired, anxious people tend to be less motivated to work. 

Fortunately, there are many simple ways to combat procrastination. For instance, keeping a written schedule (in one place, not on sticky notes all over the place) and a work-in-progress journal can help you maintain accountability and reduce time spent thinking about what to do next. Spending a few minutes at breakfast writing a to-do list can help reduce overthinking by making decisions in advance. Another alternative is making the next day's to-do list at night. 

Another great, but extreme solution, is the “or nothing at all” alternative. This states that there are two options: Do the unpleasant task or do absolutely nothing. No television, reading, or scrolling around online until the task is complete. Thus, if you really don’t feel like doing your homework, you don’t have to–but you can’t do anything more enjoyable, either. 

Sometimes procrastination results from a phenomenon called analysis paralysis. This is a result of overthinking, when it becomes impossible to make even a small step toward a goal since the goal seems so daunting. This can be combated by splitting tasks into smaller steps ahead of time. For instance, writing an essay consists of choosing a topic or thesis, writing an outline, writing body paragraphs, writing a conclusion, and editing. Starting early enough allows you to do each of these steps slowly and thoroughly, rather than doing a monumental task all in one go. 

A final strategy to prevent procrastination, and one that boosts productivity in general, is to remove distractions. Put your phone out of reach, out of the room if possible. Working away from electronic distractions or crowded areas such as the school commons can improve focus and motivation, thus reducing the likelihood of procrastination.

As the school year progresses, there will be many opportunities to procrastinate. However tempting leaving work till later may be, getting work done early often feels better and leaves more quality free time in the long run (no Sunday night cram sessions). Although sometimes waiting for some inspiration to strike before starting a project can be beneficial, throwing a project together at the last second is bad for both your mental health and your grades. 

Information gathered from Psychology Today, Boise State University, and How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport