Time bandits

Why we procrastinate, and how we can fight back

NU Magazine - October, 2009

You stare at the LCD screen of your computer, making sure to update your Facebook page at least once every five minutes.

Tick Tock Tick Tock.

That nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach is screaming; you know that there is something else you must do, and yet you lack the will to do it.

Tick Tock Tick Tock.

Check your e-mail just one more time, even though nothing has changed.

Your final term paper for the semester is due tomorrow and you have managed to write but one measly paragraph.

Tick Tock.

You vaguely remember your parents begging you to finish it; after all, it will determine your final grade for that year. You desperately want to do it, so much so that it hurts to even think about it, and yet your computer is calling to you, like a drug. Enticing you so with endless youtube searches and casual conversations with friends; there is always ONE more thing to do. You want to turn away, turn it off and break the hold that the Internet has over you but it is impossible. Reality hits hard, and you know in your heart that your paper will not be completed on time, but it doesn’t matter. You are addicted, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Every person, regardless of age, is familiar with the phrase, “sure, I’ll do it later.” Unfortunately, later never really comes, does it? In fact, researchers have proven that 95 percent of Americans will procrastinate doing things of importance, leaving it to the very last minute, while 43 percent of these people will never get to completing said task at all.

However, the most common age group of fatal procrastinators is found between the ages of 14 and 20. In fact, 80 to 90 percent of students will engage in procrastination and 75 percent of all students will openly consider themselves procrastinators.

Why, pray tell, is this age group most prone to procrastination?

Many psychiatrists say while the psychological causes of procrastinations may vary, the most common reasons are anxiety, low sense of self-worth, and a self-defeatist state of mind. These are traits frequently found in teenagers, and therefore make them logical victims.

The reality is that procrastination has been present for hundreds of years. It did not start in the last century but exists simply because of human nature and how people, regardless of time periods or personal welfare, will find themselves deciding between actively performing a task or passively pushing it off to a later date.

Why, then, is procrastination, especially that which is found in teenagers, becoming such a growing problem and concern in our day and age?

There is but one answer to this question: Technology.

In our generation alone, the Internet phenomenon has enveloped and overtaken our society, therefore directly affecting youth more than anyone else. The constant presence of the World Wide Web can be extremely distracting; causing straight-A students to fall behind in work and the standard in expectations to drop to just expecting minimum effort.

These facts can also be menacing, leading both parents and children alike to realize that they are spending far too much time online, while watching the day waste away and not accomplishing much of anything.

It is a frightening truth that many teenagers in this position feel utterly powerless and unable to restrict the amount of time they spend on purely recreational activities. All of these facts beg the question: What can we do to fix the problem? How can we avoid the distractions that lie in the Internet and stop procrastinating long enough to carry out everything that needs to be done?

While it may seem easy to just not procrastinate at all, going cold turkey can be a daunting task that even the most experienced adult cannot accomplish. If we are to successfully regain time-management skills, the learning process must be slow yet forceful.

It is important for people of all ages to remember what needs to be done and then evaluate how much time is left to complete it. After this, it is of the utmost importance to find the motivation to start the project at hand because the act of sitting down to do it is the hardest part of all.

Once you can take the first step toward completing your work, the rest of it will surely follow and before you know it, that term paper you have been dreading to write is finished.

No one except you can control and regulate how much time you allot for each and every activity; if you do not have the determination to change, you likely will not be able to make the change happen. When you can learn to keep the Internet at a minimum, then eventually the new habits that you have acquired will become permanent lifestyle changes, and your procrastination can become a thing of the past.

But, until then, remember to continuously reduce the time spent online and refocus that time for schoolwork and such, successfully weaning yourself off of this addiction for good, one less email and chatroom at a time.

Now, off to write that term paper…

Renee Klahr, attends Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School and is a member of Nu’s teen board.

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