Procrastination: lethal to success

Opeyemi Kareem

Are you one that has several weeks to complete an assignment but does not do it till the deadline is nigh? Do you belong to the category of people who wait till a night before an exam before reading the course? Do you always feel stressed at that last minute because of all the work you have to do? Well, dear procrastinator, this article is for you. Procrastination is a shortcoming bound to disrupt the balance of your life as a student.

Procrastination is a common practice among university students. It is postponing important tasks till the eleventh hour or till the due date is advancing. At some point in every student’s academic life, they have postponed doing tasks till the very last minute. It could be putting off doing assignments till the submission date is the next day or reading for tests hours to the time to sit for it. Whatever form it takes, procrastination is lethal to the success of a student.

There are many reasons why students procrastinate one of which is lethargy. Some students are generally unwilling to participate in school activities. They simply ‘don’t feel like doing it’ and most times prefer to be involved with trifling tasks like watching movies, sleeping or playing games, that the common reminder of an unaccomplished task is not welcomed. Although it is not bad to engage in such activities during leisure, it becomes procrastination when a student knows there is work to be done but decides to engage in their trivial task with the thought of doing it ‘later’.

Distraction is another cause of procrastination among students. Some students find it hard to concentrate on a particular thing. Distractions can come from social media, physical environment or even day dreaming. You might want to make a google search but somehow you end up on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Students have a short attention span in situations relating to academics where focusing is a problem for them.

Another reason why students tend to procrastinate is fear or anxiety. Fear of not doing the work properly or perfectly, fear of making mistakes. They believe that postponing the work will give them more time to understand it. Sometimes they do but most times they do not end up understanding it, thus leading to rushing the work at the final hour.

Errors are unavoidable in works that were postponed till the last ditch and the inability to notice and correct these errors make it more damaging for the progress of the student. Asides the fact that work done in a rush is burdened with errors, procrastination breeds failure. A student who reads a whole semester’s worth of materials a night to the examination should not expect an exceptional grade. Low exam scores and overall poor academic performance are part of the consequences of succumbing to postponing tasks. Every student who has procrastinated at some point or another can testify to the amount of frustration and stress last minute work brings. Such stress is unhealthy for both the physical and mental health of a person.

Many consequences can be avoided if procrastination can be cut to the bone. Efficient time management and self-discipline can help lessen the level of procrastination among students. This is achievable through proper time planning and determination. Begin that assignment that is due next week, pick up that course and read it even if the test is not till a fortnight. Remember, time is an essence that can never be regained once it is lost. A word is enough for the wise.