Stopping Procrastination by Nicole

Stopping Procrastination by Nicole - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

Every year thousands of people all over the globe make New Year’s resolutions. They could be anything from working out twice a week to not swearing anymore, from reading one book a month to running a mile every morning. There isn’t a set criteria for New Year’s resolutions, you only have to have a goal in mind and your resolution should enable you to accomplish it. New Year’s resolutions seem like a good idea, but most of the time a New Year’s resolution only lasts a few months, weeks, or even days. If you truly want your resolution to have an impact on the coming year, then choose something that is attainable. Choose something that will help you achieve what is truly important to you, so you will continue to do it even when you would rather not. If I were to make a New Year’s Revolution this year, it would be to start working on my homework when I get home from school, and to get my assignments done a day or two before they are due (when possible).
The way I am viewed as a student by both my peers and my teachers has a large impact on me and is very important to me. I strive to be an exceptional student, doing the best I can in every area and working hard to do all of my work to the best of my ability. However, I am easily distracted and tend to have a habit of procrastinating when I have a large time frame for an assignment. When I get home from school, my siblings are usually tired from school so they are less disruptive than they are after dinner.
Last year, when I got home from school, I would read a book for an hour or two. After dinner, I would start working on my homework. Whenever I waited until after dinner, I would feel rushed and it would seem as though I might not have enough time to get all of my work done. I would wait to write essays a day or two before essays were due before I would sit down and really devote my attention to them. Procrastination would set in, and I would get up and look for something to eat, get a blanket, and/or go to the bathroom. Then, next thing I knew, an hour would have passed and I would only have three or four sentences down.
If I devoted myself to the previously stated New Year’s resolution, it would definitely make me a better student overall. Starting my homework when I arrive at my house allows me to pace myself and lets me take my time on each assignment. When I start my assignments as soon as I get home, the pressure of having a deadline is less oppressive. It becomes something at the back of my mind and no longer affects my work. Getting the assignments done sooner also takes that overbearing weight off my shoulders. I’m not thinking about it subconsciously. If I have everything done before the day it is due, I don’t have all of the deadlines circling through the back of my mind. This makes it easier to devote myself to the tasks that I am doing. It removes the stress that comes from rushing through assignments and hearing the deadlines over and over in my head. It lets me focus more intensely on the task at hand. When I am more focused, I can truly put my best effort into the assignment and complete it to the best of your ability.
My New Year’s resolution this year would be to get my assignments done before the day they are due and to start working on them right when I get home. By the time I am in college next year it will have become a habit to do this. When I get to my dorm after my classes, it will be automatic to immediately start working on the assignments that I was given that week and to make headway in at least starting them, if not finish them. This year, when I get home from school, I am more focused and there are less distractions. So, I can focus solely on my homework and invest more of myself into my assignments. Currently, I have a tendency to ‘prioritize’ my homework assignments. The assignments that are due that night or the next afternoon become more important, in my mind, than those in which I have a few days to complete. Because of this, I end up rushing through assignments and not giving them my all every time. My resolution would motivate me to get the assignments done earlier so that they can be proofread and adjusted if needed. By keeping my New Year’s resolution, I will be improving the quality of my schoolwork and creating habits that will benefit me in college.