How to Stop Procrastinating?
There are always lots of college students waiting until the last minute to finish papers in universities. Such behavior is a form of procrastination, which is defined as “the act needlessly delaying tasks to the point of experiencing subjective discomfort”(Solomon and Rothblum). Procrastination not only bothers people by lowering down their working efficiency but also might cause psychological problems; therefore, people should find methods, which are fitting for them, to get over procrastination.
On the one hand, procrastination lowers down students’ studying efficiency and their grades. According to the study research in the University of Vermont, Laura J. Solomon and Esther D. Rothblum states that procrastination results in detrimental academic performance, including poor grades. Since procrastinating students perform poorly on time management, they are not capable to balance their leisure time and studying hours. Therefore, they easily end up studying nothing or even doing nothing for a whole day. As time goes by, these students likely lose passion and positive attitude of studying. Furthermore, they will probably get low grades. Secondly, procrastination might cause psychological problems because of guilt. Referring to the TED TALKS, Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator, Tim Urban states that people regret doing nothing in the long-term of procrastination. Therefore, they lock themselves in a “dark place”, where “a huge amount of unhappiness”. In this situation, procrastination is harmful to people’s psychological health because they judge themselves quietly. For example, if I lay on my bed for a whole day, I will regret and judge myself for wasting time. Moreover, I won’t feel better only if I can finish the works that I am supposed to finish.
On the other hand, when people notice the dangers of procrastination, they should start to think about getting rid of it. Personally, I am working with some strategies and defeating procrastination. Firstly, I set a weekly calendar and make things detailed. For example, I write down the time I need to get up, the classes to attend, the assignments should be finished for every single hour. Basically, setting a goal for every single minute and making my brain intense. Secondly, studying in study rooms. It is really easy for me to be disruptive if I study in my room because I will watch TV shows or play video games, therefore; I try to finish homework as much as possible in the library. The last strategy is being strict with myself and sticking on my plans, which is the hardest. Especially when I feel tired, it is I that can change myself and get rid of procrastination.
Procrastination not only influences people’s lifestyles but also causes problems to people’s psychological health. Therefore, when people realize that the harmful effect procrastination has done to them, they need to be aware of procrastination and try to get it over. By getting rid of procrastination, I can even assert that students will achieve their goals soon and they are getting their dreams closer.
Works Cited
Solomon, Laura J., and Rothblum, Esther D. Rothblum. “Academic Procrastination: Frequency and Cognitive-Behavioral Correlates.” American Psychological Association. Accessed 11 Mar. 2019.
Urban, Tim. “Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator.” TED, Feb. 2016.
www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator?language=en.
