DEFECTS OF PROCRASTINATION ON STUDENTS' LIVES

  Author: DAUDA YUSUF KANU

20th April, 2024. 

Karen Lamb once said, "A year from now you may wish you had started today." 

INTRODUCTION

SCENARIO

In 2022, during my second year at university, the Student Representative Council of UNIMAK organized a poetry competition. The competition aimed to showcase students' writing talents at the university and support them in achieving their full potential. The advertisement for this competition was published several months before its due date. When I saw this advertisement in one of the WhatsApp groups, I decided to enrol and give my best effort in the competition. I am eager to enhance my writing skills and the competition will provide me a great opportunity. During that time, I had a few classmates who had accomplished their full writing potential and had gained valuable experience and exceptional skills. These classmates were my mentors, who could assist me in improving my writing skills. Most of the time, I would ask them to review and edit my work before publishing it.

I felt like ice melting down my heart after I received a compliment from them. I made a plan to start drafting my piece by considering the theme and my timeline. As months passed, the competition deadline drew near, and I still hadn't decided what to write about. With less than three weeks left, I finally had an idea and created a schedule to write my piece. I set up an event plan on my phone with a reminder each day to keep me on track. I was prepared and ready to go, with my mind set on the task at hand.

However, my intention and preparedness were not enough to get me to start to write. Once it was time to start my writing, I got wrapped up in ill mind and suddenly I would say “Make Ar Wait Fos, Dis Competition D Time Dey Fos. Ar Get More Time Ar Dey Do Em Later NA Library”. These words became my motivation.  Each day, my alarm hit my phone telling me that it was time to write on my planned project eventually a sudden weakness and lack of motivation with no zeal to start. This was a result of me making space to procrastinate my work thinking I had more time to work.

"I have realized that I was unable to complete my submission on time. Unfortunately, this means that I have missed my opportunity to compete and showcase my full potential. My tendency to procrastinate has become a major obstacle for me and I now see myself as an unproductive person. This has led to feelings of low self-esteem, lack of motivation, and even a sense of invisibility."

Procrastination is a major cause of unproductivity among students. It is glaringly obvious that a whopping 80-85% of students are plagued by this issue. Even in casual chats with peers, it's evident that students frequently fail to meet deadlines due to procrastination. This has led to a negative perception of these students by their instructors and classmates alike.

The main purpose of this piece is to examine how procrastination can negatively impact students' lives. Although procrastination is not the only reason for students to become unproductive, it is one of the leading causes of missed deadlines, which can lead to poor grades and ultimately prevent students from reaching their full potential.

MEANING AND CAUSES OF PROCRASTINATION

Let’s now look into the intricacies of this discussion and what we need to learn about the defect of procrastination.

How often have we heard of the word “PROCRASTINATION”?

What is our thought of “PROCRASTINATION”?

With these questions, let me share with you my understanding of what PROCRASTINATION is.

According to me, in its simplest sense, Procrastination means the act of delaying or postponing something for a later purpose.

Yeah!  That’s it. There is no other way I can explain the meaning of procrastination other than this simple way.

Procrastination comprises various forms. Let’s consider these forms of procrastination and briefly make an opinion out of them as we might have somehow involved ourselves with them.

VARIOUS FORMS OF PROCRASTINATION

According to my research, I have come to understand that we have various forms of procrastination. However, we will consider a few of these forms.

To start with, we have the classic procrastination. Classic Procrastination is when someone intentionally delays a task. This is so true. Some students intentionally skip their tasks. We can get to that part to know the reasons for this subsequently.

In addition, we have perfectionism and procrastination.  Perfectionism Procrastination is when someone waits for perfect conditions before starting a task. Sadly, this has been so true for most students. Students when given tasks to complete always tend to think that they can only start their task at the right time and place.

Furthermore, we have the distraction of procrastination. Distraction Procrastination is when someone gets sidetracked by unrelated activities. This is a big deal. I have seen some students and even friends who have decided not to complete or even start to work on their tasks as a result of playing video games and they will be playing video games the rest of the day and night and by the time they finish playing, they have become weak so what next is for them to sleep. This is a daily routine for most of the male students I know and for the female they will choose to watch Zee World movies over doing their task thinking they will after watching the movie. After watching the movie, they become tired and they will sleep.

Finally, we have been overwhelmed by procrastination. Overwhelm Procrastination is when someone feels paralyzed by the size or complexity of a task. Students sometimes think that they cannot complete a task as a result of thinking the task is complex. But take a minute and think it over, how many times other students before you have done the same task and completed it? They did not because they were smarter than you but because they never gave up. Just as one of my lecturers during my course in year one used to advise and motivate us with these words “YOU WILL NOT DIE IF OTHERS HAVE DONE IT YOU WILL DO IT.” I also urge you to take these words as your motivation today.

There are other forms of procrastination such as; Fear of Failure, Indecision, Escape, and lastly Busywork. All of these are forms of procrastination which students have involved themselves in and have believed they cannot change their mindset about it.

Recently, I have been having casual conversations with my classmates and other students I know, discussing the common reasons why students tend to procrastinate their tasks during and after the course. I found their responses very interesting, as all of them seemed to have the same reasons for procrastinating.

To begin with, the most common reasons for procrastination are fear of failure, lack of motivation, and perfectionism. These reasons are similar to the various forms of procrastination that I have explained earlier, so I will not expound on them here.

IMPACT OF PROCRASTINATION ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Let's consider how procrastination negatively impacts students' academic performance.

Procrastination can have a significant impact on students' academic performance in multiple ways.

Firstly, procrastination reduces productivity. When students procrastinate, they often end up cramming or rushing to complete assignments at the last moment, which can result in lower-quality work and diminished learning outcomes.

Also, procrastination hinders time management, especially for students. It often results in incomplete assignments, missed deadlines, and poor time management skills.

Procrastination can lead to an increase in stress and anxiety levels. Have you ever found yourself unable to complete a task or project before the deadline, resulting in stressful feelings of anxiety? This sudden stress and anxiety can become all-consuming. When we habitually put off tasks until the last minute, it can create a harmful cycle of stress and anxiety that negatively impacts our mental health and overall well-being.

In sum, Procrastination is a common problem among students that can lead to lower grades. When students delay starting their work and don't manage their time effectively, they tend to achieve lower grades compared to the ones who start their tasks early. This can negatively affect their academic standing and future opportunities. Therefore, it is important to avoid procrastination and manage time wisely.

Moving forward, Procrastination can prevent students from fully engaging with course material, participating in class discussions, and seeking help when needed, resulting in missed learning opportunities and a shallow understanding of the subject matter.

Furthermore, negative impact on relationships. Procrastination can strain relationships with peers and instructors, especially when group projects are involved. Dependence on others to pick up the slack can lead to resentment and conflict.

Finally, long-term consequences can result from chronic procrastination. Procrastination can have long-term consequences beyond academic performance, affecting career prospects, personal goals, and overall success in life.

Overall, procrastination undermines students' academic potential by impairing their ability to manage time effectively, achieve academic goals, and engage meaningfully with their studies. Addressing procrastination requires developing effective time management skills, setting realistic goals, and cultivating self-discipline and motivation.

According to prominent studies that demonstrate the correlation between procrastination and lower grades in students, a meta-analysis was conducted by Steel, S in 2007 titled “The Nature of Procrastination.” Based on this research, shows a negative result concluding that procrastination can have a detrimental effect on a student's academic performance.

According to the analysis conducted in the Journal of Psychological Reports by Tuckman, B.W., & Sexto, T.L (1989) titled “The procrastination of academic undergraduates”, studies show that procrastination was significantly related to lower grades among college students. The study surveyed undergraduates and found that procrastinators reported lower GPAs compared to non-procrastinators.

As Karen Lamb once said, "A year from now you may wish you had started today." With this, I want to electrify your mindset and cognitively change your thinking about the habit you have cultivated to always procrastinate your tasks. Start by creating a well-structured activity plan that effectively manages your time. Then, prepare a dedicated study area for your daily routine.

Here are a few tips to help you stop procrastinating and get started on your tasks. In my next post, I will provide more information on the psychological, health, social, and personal effects of procrastination, as well as strategies to overcome it. Please look forward to my upcoming article on the negative impact of procrastination.