Teachers often tell you not to procrastinate. Parents often tell you not to procrastinate. Peers often tell you not to procrastinate. But why is procrastination so demonized? Is it rightfully demonized?
To engage in this debate, one must consider the possible negative consequences of procrastination. For one, if a student leaves their assignment until the last minute, their work might be rushed and the quality of their work could reflect this. Or even worse, a student might not be able to complete the assignment by the due date in the first place. Both of these instances could lead to bad grades in a class.
While this is a reasonable worry, procrastination can sometimes have positive effects too. In some cases, having time constraints can force students to produce better work. For example, when writing an essay for English class at the last minute, having a time constraint due to procrastination can make a student’s writing better, as they know that they do not have time to edit after and, therefore, must do their best work the first time around. When one has a test or quiz, procrastination can be useful as well. Sometimes, studying the night before an exam allows a student to remember the material better, as it is fresh in their memory. Having a sense of urgency when it comes to tackling schoolwork and assessments can push a student to perform better.
I believe that it is most helpful to practice a more structured form of procrastination. Leaving every assignment to the last minute is never a good idea, but it is not always necessary to complete assignments as soon as a teacher assigns them. I have found that procrastination works only if appropriate steps are taken beforehand, and a structure is set.
For example, if I were to wait until a day or two before the deadline to write an essay, I would make sure to brainstorm and jot down some ideas in the week leading up to the deadline. Sitting on an idea for a couple of days can allow you to express your thoughts in writing more clearly. If I were to wait until the night before a test to study, I would make sure to create a list of the concepts I plan to study beforehand. If the first time you have picked up your biology textbook is the night before a final exam, procrastination will not work. However, if you have written down a list of the concepts you plan to study, procrastination might just work out.
All in all, I do not think that procrastination is as deadly as most people make it out to be. While it should not be recklessly practiced in all scenarios, taking advantage of it in a responsible way can potentially lead to positive outcomes.