Are You a Procrastinator?

It’s 5 p.m., and you just arrived home from a grueling volleyball workout after school. All you want
to do is relax, but your pile of Spanish homework that could have sunk the Titanic is due
tomorrow! You groan and pull yourself up from the couch to get started on it . . . but then, the
newest issue of your favorite magazine catches your eye. Will you answer the call of duty and
finish your Spanish first, or will you give in to the call of the magazine? Take this quiz to find out!

1. Which scenario best describes your morning routine?

a. When the alarm buzzes at 6 a.m., you pop out of bed and pull on your Nikes. After your
morning run, quiet time and shower, you finish getting ready and arrive at school seven minutes
before the late bell.
b. You lie in bed for several minutes and then drag yourself down the hall to the shower.
Mornings are a blur.
c. You hit “snooze” over and over, leaving yourself 10 micro-minutes to get ready. At lightning
speed, you don jeans and a T-shirt, then grab a bagel before flying out the door.

2. It’s Friday night, and you’re waiting for your best friend, Jaime, who’s taking you to a
surprise birthday party. She’s 23 minutes late. You
a. race to her car as soon as she pulls up, jump in and mutter, “I hope we don’t ruin the surprise,”
while pointedly looking at your watch.
b. are still deciding whether to wear your blue corduroys or your khaki cargo pants. Good thing
Jaime’s always late . . . since you’re never ready on time, either.
c. are congratulating yourself. Last week, you told Jaime to pick you up a half-hour earlier than
necessary, knowing she’d be late. Planning ahead is the only way to go!

3. What two words (or phrases) would your friends and family use to best describe you?
a. laid-back and down-to-earth
b. conscientious but flexible
c. ambitious and super-organized

4. Your biology teacher announces that you have two months to complete your Science
Fair project. You
a. brainstorm topics with your lab partner and plan to make a decision next week.
b. blow it off. Two months is far away! Besides, when will plant germination and hummingbird
mating practices ever apply to real life?
c. hit the library that day to decide on a topic and chart out an ambitious, detailed schedule.

5. It’s April, and your parents have just informed you that this summer, you’ll be working.
When do you start looking for a job?
a. in a month, a few weeks before school’s out. Most summer jobs aren’t even available until
then.
b. right away. You don’t want to run out of options and end up at some greasy fast-food joint,
wearing a ridiculous uniform all summer.
c. a week into summer vacation, when your dad threatens to take away your phone privileges if
you don’t have a job in two — count ’em, two! — days.

6. Which phrase best fits your life philosophy?

a. You snooze, you lose!
b. Better late than never.
c. (Something in between . . .)
7. Your class is going on a trip to Europe this summer, and your teacher has already said
now is the time to start raising money. This news makes you
a. shrug. No use worrying about a tiny thing like money.
b. feel a little nervous. What if you can’t raise enough dough in time?
c. excited to get started! Last year, you raised the most money, and you hope to this year, too.

8. On January 1st, you make a list of five New Year’s resolutions. Six months later, how
many of them have you done?
a. None. Two weeks into January, the list was shoved into the junk drawer in your desk.
b. Maybe one or two, and you’re proud of yourself for accomplishing that much!
c. Four. Your fifth resolution — Learn to Get Along with My Older Sister — now seems too
ambitious, even for you.

9. Give yourself a point if you’ve done any of the following:

a. Picked out your school clothes the night before. (And no, not just for the first day of classes!)
b. Made a to-do list . . . and finished it.
c. Planned a surprise party — a month ahead.
d. Responded to an RSVP for an event.
e. Bought and sent out Christmas cards on time.
f. Used a daily planner to keep track of homework assignments and extracurricular activities.

10. Now subtract a point if you’ve done any of the following:

a. Waited until the day before your family vacation to ask for time off work.
b. Bought a belated birthday card for a good friend or family member.
c. Have been told by a teacher or parent that you “don’t live up to your potential.”
d. Crammed for a test.
e. Missed an important deadline.
f. Turned in late homework so often that you’ve gone down one full letter grade.
Scoring
1. a. 5 b. 3 c. 1
2. a. 3 b. 1 c. 5
3. a. 1 b. 3 c. 5
4. a. 3 b. 1 c. 5
5. a. 3 b. 5 c. 1
6. a. 5 b. 1 c. 3
7. a. 1 b. 3 c. 5
8. a. 1 b. 3 c. 5
9. Add one point for each answer
10. Subtract one point for each answer

34-46 points: You are a “doer.” Organized and efficient, you enjoy mapping out the details of
your busy life and feel happiest when everything is running smoothly under your watchful eye. But
be careful! Your conscientious attitude and desire for perfection might seem, well, controlling.
While you focus on schedules, make sure you also invest equally in relationships.

16-33 points: You’re conscientious and responsible but also laid back. Flexible, you handle each
day as it comes, sometimes making lists and plotting goals — but only when it’s necessary. Sure,
you may pull an occasional all-nighter to finish a term paper, but somehow, it always gets done.
Your perspective is long-term, and as much as you want to make the grade, you also want to
have fun while doing it.

3-15 points: You are a last-minute, go-with-the-flow kind of person, always ready to trade work
for play. In fact, you’d probably rather get a root canal than have to start on an assignment early.
You sometimes take the same approach to your social life. Preferring to “keep your options
open,” you resist making definite plans in case something better comes along. You can be fun-
loving and free-spirited, but let’s be honest, your tendency toward procrastination often makes
you downright lazy!