Due Tomorrow...Do Tomorrow

By Raquel Lopez

Published Spring 2025

It always starts as a simple to-do list with the saying “I’ll do it later,” that eventually escalates into a last-minute panic.

The temptation to just put off tasks that we don’t want to do gets the better of adolescence, which then tends to morph into an all-nighter for many projects, assignments, essays, etc. This urge happens to be something Northwest has to deal with a lot. 

“You can do it later, there's plenty of time,” Alyssa Santiago, a Freshman, says, visualizing procrastination whispering into her ear. 

This negative, repetitive cycle is a non-stop go to regret. With the piles of due papers and the drop in grades are overwhelming yet we don't stop, so rather than accepting our fate we need to permit ourselves to move forward.

“I deeply hope that I will outgrow my procrastination. It may ease my mind in the short term, but in the long term, it never ends well when I avoid getting things done,” Perseis Lopez, a Junior, says. 

In the long run, procrastinating tends to have far more drawbacks. Although many teenagers do postpone their work from time to time, the good part is that they are often aware of this habit. 

“I do happen to procrastinate often, due to the reason of simply putting off other tasks, whether it be during class or at home,” Perseis admits.  

As a result, many seek out some strategies and methods to overcome procrastination, such as setting personal deadlines, breaking tasks into more manageable parts, or minimizing distractions to stay productive and manage their time more effectively and beneficially.

"To handle it, I try to break tasks into smaller steps and set specific times to focus on them without distractions. Sometimes, just getting started helps me build momentum," Alyssa says.