How To Avoid The Negative Effects Of Procrastination

Many Green River College students are affected by a serious epidemic; procrastination.

Pushing off assignments until the last minute, as many people have experienced firsthand, leads to stress, anxiety and eventual breakdowns.

Not many students would like to admit that they procrastinate when it comes to school work, but most assume they have just enough time to do everything they want—finish that new TV show, go out with friends, or scroll through social media—all in addition to the amount of work assigned in class, lab hours and projects.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with indulging in time out with friends or catching up on your favorite show, but there has to be a healthy balance between work and fun.

I’m a strong advocate for self-care. Throughout my life, I have challenged myself academically with AP courses and, eventually, Running Start. I’ve come to learn that true self-care lies in the ability to tie relaxation and self-discipline together with schoolwork. 

Self-care is more than face masks and bubble baths; sometimes taking care of yourself means taking direct action to ensure your own success. However, one should never have to make a decision between personal comfort and their aspirations.

Many struggle to balance their mental health and education. Going to college and trying to keep up with demanding schedules can sometimes be too much to handle without using healthy coping methods and finishing homework early.

Distractions, such as social media and Netflix, were ways that I handled the impending stress of student life. However, as I’ve learned to manage my anxiety and prevent stress by doing small amounts of homework at a time, I realized I have more time to relax, pray and exercise. All of these actions are methods of relieving stress. By reducing my amount of homework at a time, I was able to make time for my hobbies.

I have seen massive improvement with my friends and peers when mental health becomes their priority. They eventually become more successful in most aspects of their lives.

In the past year, I have faced problems with anxiety and depression. With time, I realized that getting stuck in an emotional cycle did not give me a good quality of life. I was motivated by the strength of my friends who also went through similar issues to me. Their perseverance to continue improving their mental growth, personal goals and, in turn, inspire others made me want to be better myself.

I got the chance to discuss this topic with one of my friends, a fellow Green River College student, Diana Hays. We agreed that school work doesn’t hinder happiness, mental health or stress on its own, but rather the act of putting an assignment off until the very last minute is what puts pressure on people. Hays also mentioned that if she procrastinates, it occasionally puts her social life on hold.

Procrastinating on an assignment is undoubtedly a quick, easy solution to the hard work and effort required to finish it. However, in the long run, when students procrastinate, it sabotages them in the long run. All successful people have one thing in common; they don’t delay on important opportunities, whether that be a job offer or an application.

Procrastination is like a snowball rolling down a hill. It starts off with a few minor assignments in school and before anyone realizes, students are blowing off major responsibilities and missing incredible opportunities. This affects nearly everyone and it eventually becomes like a clingy virus that no one can seem to get over.

Delaying progress on an assignment is still a problem that students everywhere face. With the stigma of mental health issues like anxiety and depression still prevalent amongst students, it’s important to discuss how to face these problems. Mental health disorders could be causing students to delay school work, and when students continuously put off their responsibilities these issues continue to pile onto each other.