Procrastination Essay, Research Paper

It is ten-thirty and I have just gotten back from dinner with my girlfriend. As we lay down to watch a sitcom I suddenly realize I have a paper to due tomorrow at twelve-thirty! I am among the many suffers of procrastination. This is a serious problem that affects more than half the population daily. The effects of procrastination could be something as big as being late to your own wedding or something as small as not getting your homework done. So why, why do we do this to ourselves. We put things off to the last minute and then rush around trying to get somewhere or get something done causing unneeded stress.

Being a procrastinator can be the result of several different behaviors. Among the most common reasons people procrastinate is due to simply being lazy. This is an easy excuse and is often used. An excellent example of this kind of behavior is my bedroom. It is true that I do have free time; I know my room is a mess and I should clean it up, but being the procrastinator I am I simply turn on the T.V. and I am back into lazyville. On the other end of the spectrum, it can result from simply being to busy. When people over book themselves they create a list of priorities. For example a young college student may work while attending school, as well as balancing a personal life. The procrastination in this example may be the priority of work over school, therefore leaving a homework assignment till the last possible minute because the other actives needed immediate attention.

There are many effects to the haunting problem of procrastination. First of all, the rush that one puts themselves into can sometimes be unbearable. If everything is put off till the last second it seems like you are always trying to catch up. For example, when I was living in Tampa I put off finding a new place to live till the last second. This resulted in barely having enough time and stressing myself out of control.

Another big effect of procrastination is amount of unnecessary stress one puts on their shoulders. If you are leaving on a flight at six o clock, give yourself enough time to be at least an hour early. You never know what could happen and think of all the extra stress you would put yourself through. A perfect example of this is having two weeks to do an assignment and not doing it till the night before. By just giving a little effort and doing maybe fifteen minutes each day you could cut down the stress completely.

Procrastination is a hard thing to deal with. Breaking out of the procrastination theme is even harder. If you are a procrastinator I suggest you try to change your methods. With all the extra stresses and time restraints that are unnecessary, life puts many demands on us and by procrastinating we are only making this world a harder place to live in.