“Students’ Nemesis”

By: Rachel Anne F. Moreno

Last-minute homework? Rush rituals of review before a test? Maybe, working on a

speech till the last possible hour? Well, if you did any of these, you’re not alone! Because,

same here! We're all guilty, let’s admit it. Delaying tasks and postponing crucial work for

some time is exactly the definition of procrastination—a deliberate adjustment of any on-

going tasks or given activities. So do tell, why do we procrastinate despite knowing its

consequences?

Burka’s and Yuen’s book entitled "Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do

About It." stated that in order to quit putting off tasks, you must first understand why you do

so in the first place, and some of the reasons are because they are afraid of failure, losing

autonomy, being alone, expecting ourselves to be flawless, being too busy, or simply because

it works.

We indulge in such diversions or side-tracking out of our workloads in exchange for

our guilty pleasures (such as scrolling through Tiktok, chatting with pals, etc.). Thus,

immobilizing and hindering us from taking action until stress and worry overtakes, forcing us

to either a) get the work done or b) just give up.

According to a study published in 2014 by StudyMode, 87% of high school and

college students are procrastinators—a prevalent ailment among students. So, what are we

going to do about it? Firstly, have a better understanding of why an individual procrastinates.

Start off on identifying when and how exactly you procrastinate.

In order to break this continuous cycle, consider the signs of your tendency to evade

workloads. Is it a nagging voice in your head? Your inability to concentrate? Or simply due

to your unimaginable expectations? Dig through the roots of your actions, then trace, connect,
and then and there you'll be able to mend yourself. We often set aside things until we

recognize it too late, which further gives us stress, self-loathing, and regrets.

Procrastination also leads to strategies we call "shortcuts", which, mind you, bears no

immediate results. Procrastination is a habit you’ve been accustomed to for over a long

period of time, and it won’t suddenly stop just because you had a change of mind. But with

gradual alteration of behavior, baby steps, bit by bit, will break off this accumulated bad

habit. Learn to build new ones, get into routines, use proper time management, and acquire

self-care. By ending this speech, I want to leave you with a quote stated by Lily Singh:

"Procrastination is a hustler's worst enemy."

Speech Style: About Concepts (Procrastination)

Organizational Pattern: Cause-Effect (Multiple Causes - Multiple Effects)

References/Sources:

 https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/procrastination/

 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eighty-seven-percent-of-high-school-

and-college-students-are-self-proclaimed-procrastinators-260750441.html

 Burka, Jane M., and Lenora M. Yuen. 1983. Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to

Do About It Now. Boston: Addison-Wesley Publishing.

 Ellis, Albert, and William J. Knaus. 1977. Overcoming Procrastination. New York:

Signet