Procrastination is a killer. Everyone deals with it at one point or another in their life. However, it is more of a problem for some people than it is for others. Chronic procrastination is unfortunately a very common problem.

Grace Dennis, a junior, offered some of her own thoughts on the subject. While procrastinating, Dennis says she feels “awful.” While she continues to put unfavorable tasks off regardless, it makes her feel “ten times worse.” She attempts to “block it out of her mind and pretend it’s not happening,” but it does nothing but gnaw at her.

All of that sounds terrible, leaving behind the most important question: why? Why would you procrastinate if it is that unenjoyable and torturous? What is keeping the cycle going? Dennis says, “Alternatively, while I’m procrastinating, my main argument as to why I should continue to procrastinate is I don’t want to start something and not know how to do it or end up doing it wrong in some way.” The fear of messing up or having to do the assignment multiple times is a great source of anxiety for her, and ultimately, this fear outweighs the negative feelings that come with procrastination.

Furthermore, Dennis eases the guilt that comes with procrastinating by telling herself that she is plotting how to complete the assignment. Convincing herself that she is doing work, however small, allows her to continue putting off the task at hand.

However, there is one factor that contributes more to her chronic procrastination: her success rate. Regardless of putting things off, Dennis claims she “can pull it together really well.” She is maintaining her grades, and few of her assignments are late (those that are are typically only late by a day). Dennis has become a pro at assessing the “risk factor” and recognizing which classes she can and cannot get away with late assignments in.

Outside research has shown that there is even bigger encouragement for procrastination. In the Association for Psychological Science article "Why Wait? The Science Behind Procrastination," author Eric Jaffe explains how procrastination works:

[T]he momentary relief we feel when procrastinating is actually what makes the cycle especially vicious. In the immediate present, putting off a task provides relief — "you’ve been rewarded for procrastinating," Dr. Sirois said. And we know from basic behaviorism that when we’re rewarded for something, we tend to do it again. This is precisely why procrastination tends not to be a one-off behavior, but a cycle, one that easily becomes a chronic habit.

While procrastinating, Dennis will occasionally “walk around the house aimlessly," talk with her family, or nap, but mostly does things on her phone. One might chalk up her problem with procrastination to her phone, but she explains, “It’s not so much that whatever on my phone is better worth my time but that I’m too afraid to start the assignment.”

Her advice to others struggling with procrastination is to get as much as possible done in class and to take whatever you don’t accomplish in that time period and make it your first priority once you get home. “Do it when school is still fresh in your mind.”

Dennis states that she struggles the most with classes that are inherently difficult to her, namely algebra and chemistry. She doesn’t want to “face how mad she is at the subject” and feels as though she is alone in her struggle. English tops both of these, purely because of the hefty workload.

Finally, she says, “Help me.” If you have any advice for Dennis or anyone else struggling with procrastination, please send an email to dickinsondarrah@mtvernon.k12.mo.us.

It’s recognized that adolescents are known for sleeping all the time and for good reason. The teenage years are a formative period in one's life. This is the time where you develop important skills. Sleeping too little or too much can easily mess up your well-being during your adolescence. It’s recommended that teens get 8-10 hours of sleep nightly to maintain their overall well-being. Teens also face many challenges regarding things that mess up their schedule such as school work or being addicted to their phone.

When sophomore Jordan Duncan was asked about her sleeping habits, she went into great detail explaining them. “I get ready for bed at 11:30pm, I hit my bed at 1am then I watch Ted Talks until 2am,” she explained. “I then put my phone down and as soon as my eyelids meet, my brain automatically shuts off.” Duncan went on to say, “My alarm goes off at 9am but I lay in my bed and phase in and out of sleep until 9:30 a.m.”

Duncan then said she also naps during the evening and thinks she sleeps too much “to the point where it’s scary." Duncan ended her response by comically adding, “I still feel like an oversized baby because I get so much sleep.” Most of the time, sleeping too much is a perfectly normal aspect of adolescence. It still can have its downsides, oversleeping has been linked to productivity and memory issues.

Not sleeping enough is also another big problem found in teens. Not getting sufficient sleep can cause irritable moods and has been linked to many mental health problems such as depression. According to the Sleep Foundation, the teen body “waits longer to start producing melatonin, which is the hormone that helps promote sleep.” This explains why so many teens tend to fall asleep way later than the earlier bedtimes they had as a child.

School and deadlines have also been known to cause insomnia-like sleeping problems in teens. Balancing schoolwork on top of jobs, chores, sports, and social life is a lot to fit into a day. The Sleep Foundation says, “Pressure to succeed while managing these extensive commitments can be stressful, and excess stress has been known to contribute to sleeping problems and insomnia.”

Sleeping too little and too much can both have their negative effects in students. Both can bring productivity and motivation levels down. Some tips from the Sleep Foundation for maintaining an average sleep schedule are avoiding caffeine in the evening, having a good bed set up, and putting away electronics for at least half an hour before bed. If you, reading this, have bad sleeping habits, remember you deserve to feel well rested. As the old saying goes, “"Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

By Kandice Williams