Published Jan. 14, 2009 by The Current Sauce
Procrastination typically involves watching television or playing Rock Band instead of doing homework, but some NSU students find more productive things to do while they put off working on major assignments.
Sophomore health and human performance major Brittany Gunner said she thinks procrastination can be positive.
Gunner said she puts off writing papers until the last minute, though many teachers give due dates for their assignments on the syllabus during the first day of class.
"For me, it's a good thing, because when I'm pressured to do something, I do it. At the last minute, when the pressure's on, I'm good at it," Gunner said.
Some students seek the adrenaline rush associated with a final deadline.
To achieve that last-chance excitement, students occasionally work on projects for extracurricular organizations or academic requirements.
Whether it's a research paper, a graduate school application or even just an e-mail, many tasks require concentration that people avoid.
One benefit of being in many different college courses at once is that there are plenty of other things to do while procrastinating.
Scientific American magazine recently reported that 80 to 95 percent of college students procrastinate at least on occasion, and 20 percent of adults are habitual procrastinators - meaning they put off just about everything, including things that should be done right away.
Lou-Anne Williams, who is working toward her Master's in heritage resources at NSU, was one of the students who chose not to procrastinate by showing up at Prather Coliseum on Monday morning for fee payment. She described procrastination as doing something other than what you're supposed to be doing.
"Let's say you have two weeks to do a project and you've procrastinated for the two weeks, and it's the night beforehand. You're like,'Oh, shoot. Now I have to do this, what am I going to do?'"
When Williams reaches that point, it's usually because she is working on many assignments at once. Williams works on her projects in the order of their due dates. If she has two projects due on one day, she said she tries to finish the project worth the most points first.
"Usually it's because I'm not ready to work on that specific project, and so I've actually gotten to the point where I procrastinate by doing other class work," she said.
"I wonder if that would actually be considered procrastinating by most people."
According to an article in the November issue of Scientific American, it's not. The article, "Procrastinating Again? How To Kick The Habit," states that procrastination involves delaying work on projects that are more consequential than others.
But Merriam-Webster defines the word "procrastinate" as "to put off intentionally and habitually" or "to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done."
Studies suggest that people procrastinate due to uneasy feelings about an activity and a desire to avoid discomfort.
People who are indecisive or distracted may also procrastinate severely, putting off things that should be handled immediately.
One psychology study conducted in 2006 showed that procrastinators had higher stress levels than others included in the study.
Fuschia Sirois, the psychologist who conducted the study with 254 adults, concluded that people who put off medical checkups also had more acute health problems.
Early detection of cancer cells and other medical malformations can save lives, so, in some cases, procrastination can even be deadly.
For the most part, though, students who put off writing term papers aren't in any immediate danger.
According to an article in the November issue of Scientific American, it's not. The article, "Procrastinating Again? How To Kick The Habit," states that procrastination involves delaying work on projects that are more consequential than others.
But Merriam-Webster defines the word "procrastinate" as "to put off intentionally and habitually" or "to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done."
Studies suggest that people procrastinate due to uneasy feelings about an activity and a desire to avoid discomfort.
People who are indecisive or distracted may also procrastinate severely, putting off things that should be handled immediately.
One psychology study conducted in 2006 showed that procrastinators had higher stress levels than others included in the study.
Fuschia Sirois, the psychologist who conducted the study with 254 adults, concluded that people who put off medical checkups also had more acute health problems.
Early detection of cancer cells and other medical malformations can save lives, so, in some cases, procrastination can even be deadly.
For the most part, though, students who put off writing term papers aren't in any immediate danger.
