Procrastination and how to overcome it

By Donia Zaky | Published by March 16, 2018

T-minus 30 minutes until an assignment is due, anxiety is building; rushing. Time seems to be speeding up– one can only type so fast.

Racing with time, most college students find themselves sighing in disappointment. “Why did I wait so long?” “Will I ever change?” “I have to start managing my time better.” These are all exhaustive thoughts college students contemplate as they rush to submit their next assignment.

Some relish in the hypnosis of social media. Some watch the next episode of Black Mirror on Netflix. And some sit there overwhelmed with anxiety of what they should be doing– so, they decide to nap. Whatever the case may be, procrastination is a behavioral epidemic.

Overcoming procrastination seems to be a miracle waiting to happen– and a change most college students are yearning for– however, the truth of the matter is: it’s a progressive behavioral change. A step by step learning process. Now, how can procrastination be managed– or better yet– prevented?

Well, the simple answer is something college students are constantly told, but holds true: time management.

In fact, First Year Services at Kean University provides tips for students struggling with procrastination– 11 tips to be exact.

Off the bat, the first– and most useful– tip is to keep a daily to-do-list. According to the web resource, it is helpful if a college student develops or uses “one of the many commercial varieties, but take time (usually in the evening or the morning) to write down everything you must accomplish that day.”

Other tips include suggestions such as, “utilize waiting time,” “know your resources and seek advice,” and to “have a back up plan.”

When asked how she manages procrastination, Courtney Glynn, a 23 year old senior at Kean University, stated, “marking things down on my calendar works best for me.”

She continued, “I used to procrastinate in high school because I didn’t understand my assignment and it would make everything worse because of the pressure.”

“My advice: try to write things down to keep track of everything, and cross them off once it’s complete,” Glynn concludes.

But why else is it important to handle procrastination?

The Association for Psychological Science (APS), suggests that procrastination not only takes a toll on one’s emotional health, but their psychical health as well.

APS announced in a recent study that, “chronic procrastination may make people more vulnerable to serious health conditions, like cardiovascular disease and hypertension.”

Various health problems– that are stress-related– such as, insomnia, digestive issues, chronic headaches, and more have been connected to procrastination. The stress caused from procrastination can have significant ramifications on the human body– which decreases it’s ability to fight of illness.

An 18 year old freshman at Kean University, Islam Elhoussainy, is beginning to learn the importance of managing procrastination.

“Stress, whether it’s from procrastination, or life in general, can really get to me physically,” Elhoussainy said. “I break out, and if it’s ongoing, I can get really bad headaches.”

“That’s why I choose to start my assignments a couple of days before it’s due,” said Elhoussainy.

It’s undeniable that procrastination is a negative parasite that affects millions of college students. In fact, almost everyone can relate that it’s not the ideal situation. However, learning how to manage it can affect a college student positively in the long run.

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