Procrastination: A Student’s Worst Enemy

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A giant science project worth 50% of your grade is due in two weeks. What should you do? Obviously, you should begin it work on it immediately, leaving time afterwards to revise and edit it to ensure a high grade. However this is not the case with most students. Usually, they choose to wait until the night before the due date to hastily finish the work most possibly receiving a low grade. This is called procrastination, and it is probably the most common problem a student can have. Unfortunately, if untreated, this problem can become very serious and cause you develop harmful habits that can impair your ability to succeed. If you understand the causes and harmful effects of procrastination and the method to prevent procrastination, then you will successfully eradicate procrastination and establish habits vital for a successful future.
Procrastination can have a variety of causes, whether it is peer pressure or a lack of self control, but it all stems from a single point of origin, a battle between two parts of your brain. The first contender is the limbic system. According to an article, “The Science Behind Procrastination” by Amy Spencer, she describes the limbic system as “one of the oldest and most dominant portions of the brain. It tells you to, say, pull your hand away from a flame—and also to flee from unpleasant tasks.” Timothy A. Pychyl, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Carleton University sums this up by saying “[the limbic system] directs you to opt for immediate mood repair” Not surprisingly, those “unpleasant tasks” can include homework and projects. While useful when surviving in the wild, this instinct can impair your ability to work efficiently. The next contender is the prefrontal cortex, located right behind y...

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...r friend can provide support in case you need help. However, doing this can take much willpower because asking a friend to do help you to stop procrastinating may seem a bit silly, so try to find a friend with similar goals. Sometimes, a strong motivator can simply be rewarding yourself. The article, “8 Ways to Not Procrastinate” by Adam Rico explains that “We’re designed to respond to rewards and punishments. It’s no different when it comes to motivating yourself. Go ahead and give yourself a reward for working through your procrastination.” This reward can be anything from a half hour of video games to an indulgent serving of your favorite ice cream. If successful, it can inspire further good behavior and overall improve productivity. However, this system requires a huge amount of self control as, it is easy to overindulge yourself and not want to return to work.

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