Procrastination is a BIG Problem

Hi, I’m a student at Catlin Gabel, and I have a BIG problem. That problem is procrastination.
Procrastination has been a problem with students for a long, long time. This dilemma goes
back to 700 B.C. I’m serious! It all started with a Greek poet of the name of Hesoid. He had
put off all his writing to do the next day, and that’s what he wrote about. The poem was:

“Do not put your work off till to-morrow and the day after; for a sluggish worker does not fill his barn,
nor one who puts off his work: industry makes work go well, but a man who puts off work is always
at hand-grips with ruin.”

Our friend Hesoid was not the only one who struggles with procrastination,
the Blue Banner website did a study about how many college students procrastinate, about
90% - 95% of ALL college students procrastinate when doing school work.  When you step back
and take a moment to think about it, you realize that it is a very big problem.

Procrastination can also be the cause of other things beside bad grades, it can lead to
anxiety as well. For example, this year in math class, I have procrastinated quite a bit, and
it has lead to my anxiety and loss of sleep for me. I also know of many other students who
suffer from the same problem as me. The reason I like cultures class so much is because
I got to be better at not procrastinating. When I came to Catlin Gabel in 6th grade, I was
introduced to a new academic subject called Humanities. I knew it was basically history but
the new name threw me off. I thought it was a crazy new thing. The first few projects were
small, and pretty easy, but about four months in we were introduced to the main project, and
it was called R.I.C.E., standing for Rome, India, China, and Egypt. We had to research about
the history of the civilization that we chose, and eventually had to present a project in front of
parents. The teacher gave us a list of things that we had to do, and a due date and that was
pretty much it. We had to plan out when we were going to do it and how. Ours teacher gave
us almost every class just as a free period to work. I didn’t take the work periods seriously,
and I procrastinated SO MUCH. It came up to the last week of the project and I had to cram a
month of work into ONE WEEK. I was very stressed and I only worked in Humanities the whole
week, but I pulled it off. That week was one of the most stressful weeks of my life, and I
learned to STOP procrastinating.

Now, in 7th grade, we had two projects just like R.I.C.E., and I got through them just fine.
I am a lot more organized and less stressed, and I have 6th grade Humanities to thank for
that.

Credits:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/63887/procrastination-through-ages-brief-history-wasting-time

https://www.verywellmind.com/the-psychology-of-procrastination-2795944

Photo Credits: http://wittywinks.com/procrastination-a-step-by-step-guide-to-stop-
https://procrastination.com/what-is-procrastination

...The Fine Art of Procrastination

So, procrastination. Apparently ‘the ultimate barrier to a good education experience’ or something like that. The cause of stressful all-nighters, almost falling asleep in class, and the inevitable misspellings and stupid mistakes that end up in the project completed at 1:00am. But these are symptoms of a first or second time procrastinator. I myself happen to be an expert procrastinator so I have refined my putting-it-off-until-the-night-or-even-morning-before-it’s-due skills.



 I have been told countless times by my parents, exasperated friends, and even my 9 year old brother, that I should stop watching Netflix, or running around outside, or having FUN, and just suck it up and do it. But I think it actually takes incredible skill to write a 4 page essay (that was assigned two or three weeks ago) in only 1 hour at 11:00 at night. The final result can actually be surprisingly good. Because for experienced procrastinators such as myself, some pretty good writing and ideas come from the delirious final hours filled with the glow of the computer screen, the ticking clock, and late-night snacks that are the results of extreme procrastination.

 The idea that a huge, enormous project is due tomorrow morning, and I only have a couple of hours to complete it, somehow spurs me into action, the ‘I really have to get this done NOW’ type of action. If you are given a real, legitimate time limit, it is much harder to succumb to meaningless distractions, such as your phone, and just finish the task at hand.

When working on a project you have procrastinated on, you may find yourself getting small rushes of adrenaline, and also randomly pumping your fists and shouting “YES!” when you finally turn the project in.
I mean, it really feels good to turn in a project that you just worked really hard on for a solid two hours, and  barely made the deadline for turning it in versus turning in a project 2 days early that you spent little amounts of time on until it was done, so when you finally turned it in it was like “Oh ok so that’s done now. What’s next.”



Another positive side effect of procrastination is not really having to worry about the project until the very last minute. Personally, this reduces my stress about school. I mean, I can have weeks of not worrying and watching TV, and rock climbing, and having fun in exchange for a couple of hours of really intense stress. I think it’s worth it*. Procrastinating can also kind of boost self-confidence because you're able to say “Hey, I know I can do this two week project in an hour and still have it turn out well” (however you can only say this if you continually pull off procrastinating). Whether you procrastinate or not, always know that the option is open**, should you find yourself wanting to watch the new season of Stranger Things, or play Capture the Flag at night, or even just have a thoughtful discussion with your family or whatever.
Taking into account that I’m writing this very late at night (procrastination), thank you for reading my blog!



*Note: Procrastinating should only be done if a project is individual. Procrastinating on group projects is not recommended because it may lead to angry classmates/teachers/parents/everyone.



**Other note: (This one is for all the teachers) Only procrastinate if you are at least 85% sure you can turn the project or homework in on time, and done somewhat well.

***One more note: Procrastination may come with side effects such as getting a horrible grade, being really tired, and having mad/exasperated people asking you why you didn't finish it earlier.

-MC

For another view on procrastination click this link (video): https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator#t-831739 

For a more scientific view click on this link (article): https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/procrastination OR on this link (another article): http://share.upmc.com/2015/07/the-science-behind-procrastination/?doing_wp_cron=1517467571.2776761054992675781250

PROCRASTINATING

PROCRASTINATING

By: Andrew H.

Scenario: It’s midnight and you have two hours of work left because you have been procrastinating. You did this because you found the work boring and decided to postpone it while you played video games and ate dinner. Now you have to use the time you kept for sleeping and use it for homework.

You may think that whole one side of the brain is pro procrastinating and the other is con is a bunch of bologna. Though this is true, prefrontal cortex wants to work, limbic system wants to go play MW3. And for future reference the limbic system almost always wins. This is because of the amygdala. You become fearful of the assignment and the limbic system wins!

So there is nothing stop procrastination from happening that you have control over. But to stop procrastinating you really have to realize how addicted you are. When have you procrastinated and for how long. What were the results? That is my strategy for avoiding procrastination; predicting what would happen if I did. If the consequences aren't bad, then procrastinate and have fun with it.

Gymnastics and School

Gymnastics and School

It is difficult to balance my schedule with so many things to do. I have homework and gymnastics practice, in addition to school, and other daily things. It is very hard to find time to do all these activities with school starting at 8:00 and ending at 3:15, and gymnastics starting at 5:00 and ending at 9:00. I wish that each day was an hour longer, so we could have that extra time to do something that we needed more time for. Having less free time to do important things like homework is sometimes a problem, but is also makes make me a better student.

Having less time for homework does not sound like it would give me better habits, and it is true that sometimes less time does not work in my favor, but over time it has provided me with good habits. When I was younger, and had much more time for homework, I would procrastinate. Procrastinate a lot. However much I used to procrastinate, that habit is gone now because of my time constraint. With gymnastics, I often have the right amount of time to do my homework before practice. Because of this, I hardly ever procrastinate, and have been able to put more long continuous time and effort into my work.

me at a meet

    There are many more wonderful things that come from participating in a sport that helps  people become better students, and develop better character. Let me share some examples from my experience. From gymnastics, I have learned to win and lose gracefully. Winning and losing with good character, has helped me in school because if I do badly on a test, I know how to handle the disappointment. Likewise, if I do well on a test, I know how to feel proud of myself, without making others feel badly. I also believe that because of my success in gymnastics, I am more confident. Being a part of a team has taught me how to give support to others, and to receive support. I have made lifelong friends, that I spend a huge amount to time with. Gymnastics is also incredibly fun, and if I have something stressful going on, gymnastics clears my mind. I look forward to every practice. I believe these traits, developed through gymnastics, will help me have more success later in life.
    Although gymnastics has so many positive influences on my school life, there are also a few negative effects. One thing that sometimes happens with gymnastics is that I feel rushed doing homework. This hardly ever happens anymore, now that I have figured out a rhythm, but it used to be a common problem in fifth and sixth grade. Another negative impact that comes from the amount of practice I have is the late end time. When I get home at 9:30-ish after practice, I am hungry, and I still have to eat a late night dinner. I also have to finish any undone homework. With school starting at 8:00, I sometimes don’t get enough sleep. These difficulties are not frequent, and gymnastics is most definitely worth a rushed, late night every once in awhile.
    I believe that gymnastics has made me a better student, and set me up to have the skills that I need to be successful later in life. Gymnastics has made me procrastinate less, which helps me focus more on my homework. Gymnastics has also given me life skills, and confidence. Gymnastics is something that I can look forward to on a good or bad day.  I believe that everyone should have something that they love to do, and that that will make them a happier, better person. Even though there are a few downsides to such a demanding sport, gymnastics has given me so many positive habits, and experiences.

Book image source: http://tullyschools.org/teacherpage.cfm?teacher=218