We all get caught doing it at some point, procrastinating. In fact, 86% of teens say that they often find themselves procrastinating. Waiting till the last second to do something is never a good option. There are many reasons students will procrastinate, from being busy and saying they will do it later, to simply just not wanting to put the energy into it. 

When asked why she procrastinates, sophomore Lexie Bishop said, “I think being distracted by other things that are more interesting.” 

One big concern about procrastination is the effect it has on your grades. Waiting to do your school work can cause you to fall behind in class. Many people will struggle to catch back up after getting behind in difficult classes. 

Math teacher Chrissy Tachick said, “Too often students get caught in an endless cycle of getting caught up.  If they haven’t gotten in the practice on homework, notes, or studying, then they don’t do well on quizzes and tests.”

This directly affects students’ grades in a negative way. Not only do teachers feel this way students do as well. Roughly 40% of students feel that procrastinating has a negative effect on their grades. 

“I’d say procrastinating does affect my grades. I most definitely feel like I could’ve done better if I studied for some test longer or more thoroughly my grades would be higher,” said Bishop. 

However some students feel the opposite way. Some feel like procrastinating doesn’t do anything to them. 

Sophomore Sophie Himes said, “Procrastinating usually doesn’t affect my grades. I’m mostly a straight A student.”

Homework is often a big stress in students’ lives and is what is most likely to get ignored. While homework has its benefits, it also has downfalls. Many students get overwhelmed and can’t finish any homework because of the amount of stress they feel. Over 70% of students say that school is stressful and 56% say that homework is the main stresser.

Many students feel the pressure to maintain good grades to be able to play sports or continue participating in other school activities. Without good grades, you are forced to sit during games and not allowed to participate in different clubs. 

The big challenge is learning how to stop procrastinating. In the future when you have to have something done by Thursday, your boss isn’t going to accept the excuse that your dog ate your homework. Staying on top of your school work, meeting with your teachers, and asking for help are great ways of quitting the bad habit of procrastination.