New Year, No More Procrastination by Tessa

New Year, No More Procrastination by Tessa - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

New Year, No More Procrastinating
Every student knows the heavy feeling of realizing that essay they were procrastinating writing is due the next day or having to cram all the information that will be on the test the night before. Yes we get the work done and get an average grade on it, but why not try for better? As students we need to plan our time better, even when we have a busy week. We need to stop procrastinating and start being responsible with the time we have. The best new year's resolution to make us better students in 2016, is to stop procrastinating.
I’m sure many students feel like me when I say I don’t know how to manage my time as well as I should. What I’ve found helps me manage my time, so I don’t procrastinate, is having an agenda and updating it frequently with important due dates and events. I personally prefer using my monthly calendar to write down all my test dates and when major projects or essays are due. Also things I note are days when I have a lot going on. By looking at your schedule like this you can plan ahead and know when you are not going to have time to study and when you will. Planning and staying organized is key to stop procrastinating.
As students, we strive to succeed in many ways. So why not make our own goals when trying plan our time and not procrastinate? If you give yourself an incentive to finish something, there’s a higher chance you’ll get it done in time so you can have said reward. Make yourself goals such as you can watch a movie after you finish writing your term paper. If this doesn’t motivate you to stop procrastinating your work, try telling others around you what your goals. Having other people know what you want to accomplish can help give people a big push in the right direction because you don’t want to let that person down. Giving yourself incentive to do something is a great way to stop procrastinating, and start doing so we can be better students in 2016.
The New Yorker reports that 65% of students faced with writing a term paper said they would like to avoid procrastinating because they knew the delay would make them unhappy. Not only can procrastination do bad things for your grade, it can also affect your mental health. If students realize that skipping a night of fun with your friends to get your work done will lead to more prolonged happiness then that one night, every student would stop procrastinating. Plus, if you get your work done before you go out with friends, you’ll have more fun anyways knowing you accomplished something before hand.
Procrastination is a real problem that every student faces from one time or another. If you make your new year’s resolution to stop procrastinating, 2016 will be a year full of satisfaction knowing that you managed your time wisely, set up goals for yourself, and made priorities so you could stop procrastinating. Make 2016 the year you change your procrastination habits and become the best student you can be.