This will be about something we have all suffered through before, procrastination and leaving things to the last minute. I am sure we have all been here, saying to ourselves “I will do it later” or just not even doing it . This is a normal and common experience we all have shared. Most of the time it is something innocent like not doing your homework or leaving out a small portion of work. But on some occasions it is procrastinating on a big project, like an essay or science project worth a hefty chunk of your grade. This has happened to me before. This was during 5th grade, and I had a science project but like always, I left it until the last minute. This was a bad decision, on one hand I started it at 8pm so I had little time, and then I underestimated the time it would have taken me. So it ended up rushed and of bad quality. I got a C- for this (Which is better than nothing I guess) but my parents were not happy. They asked why I decided to do it at the last minute. I didn’t even know myself why I left it to the last minute, all I know is that I shouldn’t do it again. After the talk from my parents I had to do my homework as soon as I came home and I must not rush while doing it. Which seemed like a punishment more than a lesson. But this taught me a valuable lesson, mainly to not leave a big project to the last minute and then panic and rush. I know most( if not all) people have had this happen to them before, and I am here to give some tips.
Although I am getting better at not procrastinating, I still do it from time to time. But some advice/tips that have helped me not procrastinate as much was to have a supervisor, such as a little brother to yell at you if you are off task. I know some people may not have a little brother so I recommend a study buddy, they can help you stay focused and on task, for example they could ask you if you had done the homework for tonight, ( This only works if your honest, so be honest) and if you say no he will help you by encouraging you. Another tip is for you to do your homework as soon as you get home. I make sure I unplug my wifi ( I start with paper and pencil homework ). This helps me by not using my laptop, which is my main distraction. And lastly if you have a person at home, you can tell them to hide your phone if you don’t need it for the current assignment, this helps if your phone is your main distraction.
I want to leave you with one final remark, you will not learn how to stop procrastinating overnight or even in a week or month, the temptations will be there and you may fall for them. One major thing that some people do is feeling bad for themselves when they fail. This is bad if you learn nothing from the experience, but helpful if you learn new things like how to stop yourself from ignoring your tasks or forgetting about them. But don’t just feel bad for yourself when you fail. Celebrate yourself when you succeed, for example a month milestone or a week milestone. This could be by giving yourself compliments or doing something you enjoy. This can help your brain by associating completing your assignments on time with “well done”. So what have we learned? We cannot completely get rid of procrastination in a week or month, but it will take many months or even years to get yourself in the right mindset. With this we learn to be happier with ourselves and our accomplishments.
John Sinchi
Francis W. Parker School – DMSF Class of 2026