Cause and Effect -- Procrastination

Procrastination “I’ll stop procrastinating…Tomorrow.” This is a mindset that is possessed by a majority of students today. Although putting off writing that English paper until the night before it is due may not seem like a big deal, it has many harmful effects. In fact, what better topic is there for that English paper? Very few are spared from the epidemic known as procrastination. Even less overcome this issue. In order to successfully defeat procrastination, we must first understand it. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to procrastinate is “to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.” Another way of putting it is “to wait until the last minute.” Procrastination is a very bad habit. Even though procrastination is looked down upon, many people still fall victim to it. This is because procrastinating is easy to do and comes naturally to everyone. There are many other causes of procrastination as well. For example, one may underestimate how long a certain task may take to complete. This cause can coincide with a person believing that they have more time to complete a task than they actually have. Some people also feel like that they will have more motivation to do something if they wait to do it. Unfortunately, the opposite effect tends to take place. Environment can also play a role in causing procrastination. A former teacher of mine once stated, “Students’ grades tend to drop during the spring.” This is a result of nice weather being a distraction. Almost everyone has been warned to not fall far behind in schoolwork. This is because being unorganized is a very slippery slope. People tend to allow too many things pile up resulting in too much to do with too little time. Once a person has entered the vicious cycle of putting off a task in order to complete a task that has been previously put off, it is difficult to keep up. One must learn to have their priorities in check. When someone is disorganized, it tends to be