Top 10 Ways We Procrastinate on Our Homework

Homework is a major part of the life of a high school student.  Often, we are assigned important projects or tests with  very specific due dates and find ways to do avoid these assignments until the very last minute.  Many students  practice their finely honed skills of procrastination in extremely creative ways to postpone the inevitable.  This article explores ten of the most time-wasting activities that students procrastinate with at Rocky Mount Academy.

 

1)      Instagram involves the sharing of cool pictures with friends.  Needless to say, it is a brutally efficient way to procrastinate on a project.  Often, students will check their feed repeatedly over short periods of time.  Instagram quickly becomes a continuous source of time-wasting consistency.

2)      Twitter allows users to share statements with 140 characters or less.  Often, they are either funny or extremely inane, providing people with a near infinite source of comedy and annoyances.  Twitter is one of the most popular forms of social media, and like Instagram can cause extreme procrastination.

3)      Facebook is amongst the older forms of social media.  Not only can users see new posts from friends, family, and forgotten acquaintances, they can also follow the “Timeline” feature back and relive memories.  In addition, Facebook users (or advertisements) offer a nearly endless source of links to other websites, causing the procrastinator to digress even further into the black hole of the internet.

4)      Netflix is perhaps one of the most popular (and effective) ways to procrastinate on a project or homework.  The popular app/website allows users to view an enormous collection of popular TV shows and movies.  TV shows allow for a cruelly efficient way to procrastinate.  When a student is done watching one episode of their favorite series (like House Of Cards or The Walking Dead), Netflix immediately switches to the next episode.  This horrible temptation is nearly impossible for the overworked, stressed high school student to resist.

5)      YouTube combines the endless quantity and suggestions of Netflix with the humor and variety of Twitter.  The variety of videos is huge, and the temptation to watch “just one more video” is proportionately large.

6)      ESPN and Bleacher Report provide the sports fan with everything they could ever dream of.  Intriguing statistics, a wide coverage of sports, and well written columns and articles make both of these sports website nearly irresistible.

7)      Pinterest is a social media website that allows people to pin interesting items to their board for their friends to see.  In essence a virtual magazine that never ends, Pinterest gives the users the ability to follow their own interests (which usually have nothing to do with the current assignment!)

8)      Many students look for productive ways to waste time.  Cleaning (a room, car, dog, etc.) allows students the time to do something that would normally be beneficial.  However, in the hands of a procrastinator the art of cleanliness becomes a tool to waste a huge amount of possible study or project time.  

9)      Another way students waste productivity and time is by working on other, less important assignments.  Prioritizing homework becomes very important in high school.  However, faced with the choice of easy homework due in a month and a difficult test the next day, many students will choose the easier option.

10)   Napping can be an important part of a high school student’s time.  While alluring, unnecessary napping becomes a hindrance to more important activities.  Sometimes the offer of a 30 minute nap can break even the most iron-willed student, and after waking up 5 hours later they realize that they have fallen prey to monster that is procrastination.