{"id":4387,"date":"2019-01-30T09:00:46","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/?p=4387"},"modified":"2019-01-29T13:51:22","modified_gmt":"2019-01-29T18:51:22","slug":"becca-why-you-cant-stop-procrastinating-and-why-you-dont-need-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/2019\/01\/30\/becca-why-you-cant-stop-procrastinating-and-why-you-dont-need-to\/","title":{"rendered":"Becca: Why You Can\u2019t Stop Procrastinating and Why You Don\u2019t Need To"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like many students at BU and beyond, I tend to procrastinate, especially when things get busy. \u00a0<\/span>Studies show<\/span><\/a> that up to 95% of college students procrastinate on a regular basis. So, odds are you do too. Every September and January, I vowed to quit procrastinating that semester. But November or April rolls around and I\u2019m doing homework the day its due and prioritizing the gym, extracurriculars, and Netflix over why I came to BU. I would start major projects a couple days in advance and kick myself the entire time. <\/span><\/p>\n

We were always told it was bad, too. <\/span>\u201cYou need as much time to revise as possible.\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re setting a bad habit for the future.\u201d <\/span><\/i>But, is procrastination really as bad as it seems?<\/span><\/p>\n

First off, there could be a couple reasons underlying why you are making the conscious or unconscious choice to procrastinate. The first reason is that you could be afraid of failing. Putting in effort but still failing <\/span>makes you anxious<\/span><\/a> so you wait and so you can always use the excuse that you started late if you do fail. The second reason is actually the opposite. Success and the burden of more responsibility can be frightening because it propels you <\/span>into the unknown.<\/span><\/a> The last big reason is perfectionism and the anxiety that accompanies a misstep or two. This <\/span>demanding standard<\/span><\/a> of work is incapacitating, especially in a creative-heavy field like communications. <\/span><\/p>\n

(The effects of depression and anxiety effects can make you more likely to procrastinate events, but I am not in any way a mental health professional. <\/span>Please see a trained professional<\/span><\/a> if you or someone you know are suffering.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of the reason you procrastinate, I am saying something controversial right now. There is no need for you to stop procrastinating. As long as your grades don\u2019t slip and your quality of life doesn\u2019t diminish, why stop procrastinating? There are a couple reasons procrastination works in your favor.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n