Where does the time go? This is a question that is frequently asked by almost everyone in today's society, especially college students. According to the syllabi, a math test is in sixteen days, a biology exam in fifteen days, and one proposal argument essay is due in exactly two weeks. This leaves plenty of time to go to the movies, shop, sleep, and even get your homework done. Unexpectedly, seemingly without the passing of time, all of those assignments are due this week. Does this sound familiar? Well, this is a problem known as procrastination. Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished. William Knaus, a psychologist, estimated that 90% of college students procrastinate, and I can state that I am among that 90%. Procrastinators are more inclined to perform "comfort" tasks first, which are more convenient, interesting, or within reach. The assignments that you are left with become piled up and usually were put off because of their difficulty and/or time consumption. The end of the semester or assignment draws close, and we panic, often turning in late or second-rate work, or even no work sometimes. People who procrastinate overestimate the amount of time they have remaining to complete the task, and underestimate the amount of time it will take to complete the task. Procrastination is a common culprit of late night frenzies experienced by most college students, especially first-year freshmen. Procrastinators should utilize good time management skills to overcome the obstacle of procrastination because these skills can help you prioritize, organize, and break large tasks into smaller ones.
According to a web-based survey by The Procrastination Research Group at Carleton University in Canada, which has received 2,700 responses to the question, "To what extent is procrastination having a negative impact on your happiness?" So far, 46% say "quite a bit" or "very much," and 18% report "extreme negative effect.
