Everybody, even the most successful people, procrastinates from time to time. It is human nature. But the importance of time management is a critical component of our success at Hackley. Who, if given two weeks to complete an assignment, would complete it immediately in light of the many other alternative tasks that need to be done and/or you simply want to do? Junior Edwin Garcia said, “If there is an assignment that is due in a week, then I will start it the day it is assigned, but if I don’t want to do it, then I have to complete the assignment on the weekend a day or two before it is due.”

According to Dr. Joseph Ferrari, professor of psychology at DePaul University, “20 percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators.” A study on Verywell.com said that a whopping “80 to 95 percent of college students procrastinated on a regular basis, particularly when it came to completing assignments and coursework.” The study pointed out that “students tend to overestimate how much time they have left to perform tasks, overestimate how motivated that they will be in the future, underestimate how long certain activities will take to complete and mistakenly assume that they need to be in the right frame of mind to work on a project.”

Procrastination can sometimes have significant costs. A recent study by Psychology Today showed that “over the course of a single academic term, procrastinating college students had health problems such as compromised immune systems with more colds and flu and gastrointestinal problems.”  

When Hackley students were asked about procrastinating, they almost universally stated that social media, such as Snapchat and watching videos on Netflix or YouTube, were the main causes of procrastination. Sophomore Rahat Mahbub said, “I tend to procrastinate by going on my phone too often and using my iPad for games instead of doing homework on my iPad.” Sophomore Anthony Johnson added, “I watch a lot of YouTube, and like to play video games.” Junior Ben Ostfield further echoed these sentiments saying that he spends time texting and Snapchatting people and watching YouTube. Sophomore Daamiya Mir chimed in by saying, “I tend to procrastinate by watching Netflix and checking my social media.”

1. Methods to stop procrastinating include:
2. Create a to-do list and set a time frame to complete each item on the list.
3. Break larger assignments into smaller, more manageable parts.
4. Do one task at a time as multi-tasking is usually not time efficient.
5. Reward yourself with a break after you complete a few items on your list.
6. Remove distractions that tempt you to procrastinate.  

This last strategy seems to be the overwhelming favorite among students like Anthony who said, “I leave my phone and iPad outside my room…and work on paper or my computer.” Rahat agrees with Anthony, saying, “I stopped using my iPad and use my computer instead.” Ben discussed how he leaves his phone in another room, and Daamiya uses a similar approach.  “One way I stop procrastinating is when I give my phone to my sister and she makes sure I don’t go on it again.” Victor Kiam, the renowned entrepreneur, said, “Procrastination is opportunity’s natural assassin.” Let’s not let it get us. How? Maybe Nike simply says it best: “Just do it.”