Affecting 92% percent of 200 students from all grades who took a Lancer Link poll, procrastination tends to be the reason for zeros or late work throughout the school year. Students are greatly affected by procrastination and some are trying to overcome it.

This year more than ever we have seen a rise in zeros and late assignments. Freshmen Brooke Ferguson and Amiya Govind are both students struggling to turn assignments in on time. Ferguson attends classes in person and Govind attends her classes virtually.

“Procrastination affects me more when I am at home because there are more distractions,” Govind said. “When you’re in school you don’t procrastinate as much because you are focusing on the task at hand.”

When at home, staying focused is key to success. In-person students are physically present and active in the classroom, resulting in students at school being more likely to get work done. Pushing work off until the end of the school day instead of prioritizing assignments in class.

“Procrastination has not affected my grades because I make sure to get it done,” Ferguson said. “When I am at school it is easier for me to concentrate because there are less things to distract me.”

Ferguson is an in-person student that finds it helpful to be in class in order to be productive. So far, being in class has helped to keep many students on track and focused.

“I think procrastination has definitely affected how I turn in my assignments,” Govind said. “I have not prioritized doing my assignments [at home] and end up doing them at the last minute.”

Waiting until the last minute has been a much more popular tactic during online learning. Students are realizing that it is so important to set a goal of completing assignments to stay on track during all times of the week.

“I always did struggle a little bit with time management but I think it got worse during distance learning,” Govind said.

Distance learning has affected people in different ways, some negative and some positive. Pushing to change bad habits is a good start for getting back into a good routine.

“One thing that I do to prevent me from procrastinating is putting my phone away and turning it off,” Ferguson said.

Although this year has greatly affected many students’ work ethic, many are ready to make the changes needed to get back to working on assignments in a timely manner and allowing themselves more time in the day to complete them.

“I need to learn how to prioritize the important things first and that will help me with time management and not procrastinating as much,” Govind said.