Cause N Effect

Procrastination Leads to Stress and Causes Bad Grades
Submitted by: trinalvDate Submitted: 12/27/2008 11:30 PM Category: English Words: 807 Pages: 4 Views: 2202
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My purpose is to explain the reason people procrastinate and how it can cause poor grades and stress. I of course procrastinated for weeks and then did research and changed my topic four times. Once I figured out what I wanted to write about it was fairly easy to find the topic surprisingly. There was a lot of psychological information out there. Some of it was very overwhelming to me. I learned that I am not the only one who procrastinates in the world. There are actually people worse than I am. I found several blogs and got side tracked and read quite a few of them. They were quite interesting in fact.

Procrastination leads to stress and poor grades
Procrastination is by definition is to postpone doing something. For me right now it is homework. It is something that I know needs to be done; I just wait until the last second to get it done. Then ultimately something happens that it doesn’t get done on time. I find myself overwhelmed and then just keep putting it off. While I was conducting the research I was really surprised to find the number of websites and blogs dedicated to procrastinators like myself.
“At the heart of procrastination is an approach to facing a challenge that utilizes avoidance. By avoiding work one is procrastinating.” (http://www.counseling.caltech.edu/articles/procrastination.html)
Procrastination is many different things the homework that doesn’t get turned in on time, the bills that don’t get paid, cards not mailed, research that doesn’t get done, the movie rentals that aren’t turned in on time. (Article from Dr. Austin). The stress that is put through oneself to get the stuff done that needs to get done, the pains in the stomach from the stress of knowing that there is work that needs to be done and instead of doing it you’re watching that movie with your kids or shopping. You promise yourself that as soon as the movie is over you will go upstairs and get to your assignment and stay up all night to get it done, or spend all day on Saturday to get it done but instead you spend the day doing the errands that need to get done or the grocery shopping.
It is believed that people procrastinate because they lack willpower. It is also believed that some have will power and some do not. “The other reasons that people procrastinate are avoidance, matter of will as in when will it get done, versus will power, matter of time can be overwhelming if one has to many things on their plate and feel like there is not enough time on their hands to accomplish everything that needs to get done, and to accomplish it well and in time and a matter of approach the individuals emotional approach meaning their attitude it can be a limiting factor. If there is a bad attitude then obviously there isn’t going to be much accomplished or if there is the assignment may not be accomplished well enough to receive the best possible grade.” (http://www.counseling.caltech.edu/articles/procrastination.html)
By procrastinating it can cause stress and therefore possible cause poor grades. Many students get in the habit of procrastinating in high school, where it is possible to do assignments, papers, or study for tests at the last possible minute and still manage to receive excellent grades. It is believed that in college there are many chances to party and socialize and have fun that their homework continually is put at the bottom of the priority list. In a poll conducted by Questia.com (I was unable to find the exact source) fifty-five of the students polled admit to being “serial procrastinators” I read this in an article that accidently got thrown away.
Being a procrastinator myself I believe that if I wait until the last possible minute that it will get done better and have a better product in the end. It doesn’t work out this way always, I end up rushing through it to get it turned it on time, forget to make sure that everything is done the right way, or end up with a migraine. Every year I say that I am going to start doing things when I get them instead of waiting until the last minute. My parents are huge procrastinators is there a hereditary gene? Maybe I should have researched that instead.