WHY STUDENTS PROCRASTINATE

Introduction

Procrastination has become a common encounter among students at an alarming rate. The repeated cycle has almost turned into a habit. Due to the over-reliance on last-minute timelines allowing students to manage their academics by a whisker, there have been no signs of students reverting from the habit.

The hot topic has been on the table for ages, with teachers and lectures blowing up over the pitiful habit taken up by students. The hope of impeccable academic results that can be achieved by stamping out procrastination remains the greatest motivation factor for students and school institutions. This article highlights the issue of procrastination, its prevalence, and ways of eradicating it among students.

Why do students procrastinate: Causes of procrastination among students.

Many college students are victims of procrastination, which has contributed to them not fully tapping into their academic abilities. The following reasons cause procrastination among students.

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1.     Lack of motivation.

Motivation is one of the key ingredients that help in breeding success. Individuals can overcome any stumbling blocks on their paths to success with the right motivation. Lack of motivation is one of the significant causes of procrastination in doing academic work. Academics are generally considered to be very demanding, taxing, and tedious. Many temptations kill motivation for doing class assignments in a student’s life. Disinterest in topics may cause students to postpone doing given tasks in their academic work. In most cases, students tend to avert tasks that they find unpleasant and boring, thus leading to procrastination.

2.     Distractions.

Not once have students daydreamed and looked forward to the day of completion of their academic journeys. For some, assignments and homework are the bane of their existence, and there are so many other things they would rather do. Social media is ranked as one of the top distractions among students. A social media break of ten minutes can easily translate to one hour and cause an imbalance in the equation. Friends and family are also great distractors to students when doing their work. Since most students may find doing assignments boring, they welcome the distractions that eat into their time and have them postpone their work. In recognizing the reason for these diversions, some students opt for creative solutions, like considering external assistance such as paying someone to do your assignment. Embracing these choices opens avenues for individuals to curate a personalized approach to learning and more time for combining different life spheres including study, privet life and family.

3.     Fear of failure and perfectionism.

Failure highly propels people to aim for higher grounds and leave no rock unturned, intending to find success. In most cases, the fear has propagated students to perform highly academically. However, dangerous levels of fear lead to a crippling feeling of anxiety which affects students emotional wellbeing. Many students fear failure, which hinders them from starting tasks and assignments since they fear messing up. Often, students put their assignments aside as they try to master the courage to start the work. Due to this fear, an easy task gets complicated and causes intimidation among the students. Luckily, students can reduce their fear in academic writing through term paper writing service, which helps them overcome their fear and begin their work.

Perfectionism can also cause procrastination since students aim to get the best work and responses to ensure the best results. However, perfectionism may lead students to spend too much time strategizing ways to perfect their homework, eventually leading to procrastination.

4.     Exhaustion.

Exhaustion can be daunting and threatening to a student since minimal work can be done under mental and physical exhaustion. The academic curriculum, especially in college, can be very demanding on the students, leading to poor mental health. Intense work programs, long hours in school, and engrossing subjects can cause mental exhaustion among students, thus making them procrastinate their work.

In some cases, students may also juggle online and remote jobs, thus getting overwhelmed. Due to time demands, students are expected to procrastinate their work as they wait to regain energy. Pulling all-nighters as students try to finish tasks on their plates can also be detrimental to students. This is because it disrupts the sleep schedule and causes a ripple strain in their academic progress and performance.

5.     Insufficient guidelines and instructions.

School assignments are usually specific and require plenty of demands, including proper research and time investment in the project. Due to the amount of time consumed in doing assignments, most students find it unreasonable to do classwork without sufficient guidelines and instruction since it would warrant revamping the work, which takes more time.

Lecturers may also contribute to procrastination among students due to the minimal provision of details. Due to the scanty details provided, students refrain from doing their academic work as they wait for clarification and guidelines from their lecturers.

6.     Negative attitude.

Attitude towards a given subject highly contributes to the student’s engagement and overall performance. A negative attitude towards a subject can cause students to procrastinate coursework since they dread interactions with the subject.

Negative attitudes towards teachers and lecturers can also translate into the motivation to do their related homework. Students may carry resentment to the lengths of avoiding assignments or doing the assignments poorly.

Negative attitudes can also be built when parents prompt their children to do tasks they are uninterested in. Consistent pressure to do assignments may aggravate students, thus leading to procrastination.

7.     Poor work environment.

The study environment can also influence the students to procrastinate their work. A study environment must motivate a student to read, thus allowing the completion of any pending work. Even under the right motivation and commitment, poor choice of study environments may affect a student’s performance. Workstations with numerous distractions may divert a student’s attention, thus leading to minimal work during study time. A noisy study area may reduce the attention span, thus compelling a student to look for a quiet environment. This may cause time wastage and exhaustion, which effectively leads to procrastination.

8.     Habit of last minute.

The last minute has most students in a chokehold; for some, the last-minute rush is done willingly. The adrenaline rush of last-minute endeavors is usually appealing and exhilarating for most students, especially those who work well under pressure. The brain function during this time is often astounding, so it is easy for students to rely on this technique. Boring assignments usually have more thrill during this time, and students’ commitment to last-minute rushes is usually impressive.

However, due to poor planning and a preference for doing work at the last minute, most students have developed a habit of this and thus have a procrastination nature.

The scale of student procrastination.

Many studies prove that student procrastination is a predominant issue affecting academic performance. The habit has particularly become a pestering nuisance, especially among college students. Procrastination has become so common among students that it is often called the student syndrome. Study shows that 80-95% of students have procrastinated their academic work more than once. 75% of students consider themselves chronic procrastinators, with half of the 75% population acknowledging that procrastination is a persistent problem for them,

Procrastination is, however, highly rampant in high school and among college students. Students at lower educational levels are also susceptible to procrastination. However, the cases of procrastination among elementary and middle school students are easily manageable. Procrastination levels are higher among college students due to increased demands in their academics and trying to develop a balance between academics and other activities such as jobs.

Examples of procrastination among students.

There are several cases and examples of procrastination among students.

●       Taking too much time on mobile phones or television.

Mobile phones and televisions can be categorized as leisure instruments among students and may allow students to reduce their stress levels and be sources of entertainment. However, students sometimes spend too much time on mobile phones on social media or television, watching movies and playing games. When students have pending work, time spent on television exceeding the break time is procrastination.

●       Hanging out with friends when there is demand for pending work.

Pending school work brings out a nagging brain feeling that disappears after completion. Sometimes, students ignore the hindthoughts and proceed to do other activities. Hanging out with family and friends when the student still has pending work is an example of procrastination. Due to a lack of motivation, most students postpone and forfeit their assignments for more exciting activities.

●       Sleeping.

Sleeping is an effective break activity that students use to relax their brains and re-energize. However, in countless cases, students may sleep when they have several pending school activities that await them. Postponing your school assignments and taking a nap instead is a clear example of procrastination among students.

●       Planning to tackle assignments and tests at the last minute.

Students are highly accustomed to last-minute hustles, and breaking the habit will require plenty of commitment. Planning to tackle assignments a few hours or days before the hand-in of the work is an example of how students procrastinate.

How to stop procrastination among students

Like every other problem, procrastination has several solutions that can be employed to ensure procrastination is killed among students. The following are ways to stop procrastination among students.

1.     Setting deadlines for yourself.

Insufficient details and guidelines about deadlines and timelines may trick students into thinking they have plenty of time to complete their assignments. However, time draws in quickly, and deadlines catch up with the students.

Setting deadlines for yourself can allow you to monitor the progress of your work. In cases where deadlines have been provided, students must set their deadlines earlier. This allows the students adequate time to do the assignments without rushing through them and gives them time to go through their work, ensuring minimal errors. Students must push themselves to achieve the deadlines set to avoid poor quality of work and late submissions.

2.     Split the work into manageable sections.

An anthill may seem enormous to ants, but building the anthill step by step makes the task more manageable. One of the predominant reasons for procrastination is fear. In most cases, academic assignments may seem cumbersome and overbearing, thus demotivating students from starting due to the associated fear.

Splitting assignments into small, manageable sections will make the mountain seem smaller. Study the assignment properly and group the work into sections based on the expected work level and urgency. This makes the student more motivated in doing the tasks, and completing a milestone makes one feel like they are inching closer to the finish line. To avoid spending too much time on a section, set attainable deadlines to allow completion of the work with ease.

3.     Set goals for yourself.

Lacking a comprehensive plan and set goals is the first step towards a quick descent. Plans and goals help students identify a direction to follow and allow the emergence from a tunnel. A strategic plan allows students to gain a sense of direction and time management for each activity.

Having a study timetable may seem like such an outdated task, but it saves you a lot. A timetable allows one to allocate time for all the subjects, thus ensuring time for completing assignments. The timetable can be arranged based on your preferred subjects to create motivation. Less interesting subjects can be arranged before or after breaks to act as a motivating factor. Adding reminders weeks before the submission of the work can also reduce procrastination.

4.     Create a study space for yourself.

A study space customized for a student brings excitement during study time and motivates the student to secure time for studying. Study spaces can be customized to your liking by adding a comfortable seating area, personalizing the space with portraits and affirmations, and having organizers to maintain the accessibility and neatness of the space.

The study spaces selected must also be free from distractions and noise. In cases where students seek communized study spaces, the space must have an atmosphere to motivate the students to study. Keeping your phone away from the study area may also assist in avoiding distractions.

5.     Hold yourself accountable.

Academic work can be boring on many occasions, and there are many other things students can do to bring themselves joy and increase their energy. However, the tough pill of doing academic work must be swallowed regardless since the fruits of the process are always sweet.

Accountability for students is a crucial trait that ensures excellence and is vital for all students. Students must hold themselves accountable to complete their work. This can be done by avoiding long and unnecessary breaks beyond the allocated time in the timetable. In cases where students struggle with accountability, have accountability plans to keep you in check.

6.     Study with a study group.

Two heads are always better than one. Having study partners can motivate students to avoid procrastination. Walking the academic journey with other students may reduce loneliness and allow you to interact with other students. Subjects that were otherwise considered hectic can be simplified through discussions.

Study groups motivate students and allow them to focus more on their work. It also discourages procrastination since a delay in completing the work will render the student at a disadvantage since other students will have proceeded, leaving the student behind. It is also unlikely for one to miss a study session while studying with other members.

7.     Reward yourself.

Reward systems have proven to be very effective in instigating motivation among students. Some assignments may warrant one to congratulate and reward themselves due to the intense workload involved.

A reward system allows them to recognize their efforts and motivate themselves to complete other tasks. It also creates excitement while performing tasks since the student expects a reward after completing their academic work. The rewards may include having a social media break after completing your study time or taking a nap to relieve yourself. Students may also decide to reward themselves through treats or to hang out with friends and family.

Conclusion.

Procrastination, the student syndrome, has been a bugging problem among students for a long time. However, the problem is long overdue: a complete elimination to allow students to concentrate on their academics fully and have the best results possible. With the above-listed steps, students can overcome procrastination and fully tap into their academic potential.