“Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!” – Donald Gardner.

I am sitting in front of my computer screen trying to figure out what to write about. A fellow colleague asks, “What are you writing about?” I respond, “I don’t know yet, but it’s due today.” His response is, “Procrastination is awesome!”

Bingo!

Last week I discussed the disease of senioritis. Well, this week I am discussing another disease: procrastination.

According to www.carleton.ca, 70 percent of students are procrastinators. Procrastination is not being lazy. It is putting off work that is due very soon.

So, what causes procrastination?

All of the causes were found at http://caps.unc.edu.

The first cause may be the fear of the task at hand. If you are not particularly good at a subject, you may be hesitant to start the project.

To alleviate such stress, you can do things in parts instead of doing the project or paper in its entirety at one time. Doing the work gradually will ease the stress and also will help you if you stumble upon complications. This method will allow you the time to talk to your professor.

This next excuse is what I hear most: “I work best under pressure.” Being under pressure is not healthy for you. Causing a crisis for yourself can lead to added stress you do not need. Increased stress can lead to health problems.

When studying, you should take breaks. You can take a nap, watch a little television or work out. All of these activities are great stress relievers.

In college, this final example is what happens to most people. Many people overextend themselves with sports, clubs and jobs.

If you are able to give up your extracurricular activities, then that will help you because it gives you extra time for your academic pursuits. If you are not able to give up such activities, I would advise you to keep a planner with due dates and assignments.

When using the planner, do not write down work that you know you may not finish that day.

I also would suggest doing easy assignments as soon as you receive them. Although some assignments may be easy, they can be time-consuming.

With all of these solutions, people may see an increase in the amount of sleep they receive and a decrease in stress.

Do you know what happens when you give a diligent worker a good idea? Everything!

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.