Procrastination is a derivative of the work "procrastinate" which means "to delay or postpone action; put off doing something."
So what is it about people that makes them put things off? Specifically, what is it about homework that makes people incapable of getting it done?
Personally, there are three reasons that the average student procrastinates homework: boredom, mis-prioritizing, and tv.
To be honest, homework is boring. Yes, I know that your biology professor tells you repeatedly of the exciting properties of the chlorophyll in algae and your history teacher loves telling stories of the Soviet Union that last longer than the Cold War itself, but truth be told, it's just boring. So when you find yourself inside on a Saturday afternoon researching the stages of mitosis and meiosis, (and sadly, this will happen) you tend to find other things that get in the way. A convenient book, a good movie, a spider crawling up the wall, paint drying, watching air particles, pretty much anything can be an instant distraction.
Another reason that students procrastinate is that they mis-prioritize. Mis-prioritizing (there's a good chance that I made up this word) is when a student has priorities, they're just not very good ones. For instance, they put the "watch tv and write about it" assignment that's due in two weeks ahead of the 3 page essay on social problems due tomorrow. This often ties into the "boredom" aspect of homework, which is a direct cause of mis-prioritizing. I myself am horrible at this.
The last reason that students procrastinate is tv. Television is the single, most destructive element that homework has to face. A stack of books with due dates attached has no chance against a full-sized, plasma, LCD flat-screen with HD and digital surround sound. Or a grainy box with rabbit ear antennas, depending on your budget.
The only thing worse than watching tv that keeps you from homework is the amazing invention of sites like hulu that have full episodes free! It's a wonder that students get any work done at all. The danger of watching tv episodes online is the simple fact that a majority of college students use their laptop both to watch them and to do homework. Guess which one gets priority, Dr. SpitsAlot's class notes on ethical dilemmas in the workplace or Dr. McDreamy's latest crisis on Grey's Anatomy?
So, I find it interesting to note that while I've been writing this, I have successfully put off no less than three different homework assignments. Most of them are boring, but I've also been watching CSI online. There are several other reasons that the average student will procrastinate, but I'll write about those later.
The two rules of procrastination: 1) Do it today. 2) Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. - Anonymous
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