Procrastination: A Barrier to Effective Time Management

Introduction Procrastination is defined as, “to put something off to do at a later time” (Brown, 1993, p. 2365). Franziska Diest, Manfred Hofer, and Stefan Fries (2007) sum up procrastination, “as a failure of shielding the focal goal effectively against temptation” (p. 893). For example, you are currently participating in a five week class, the instructor assigns you a final nine page paper the first night, and you wait until a week before it is due to get started. In today’s society, our generation faces daily distractions that have evolved over time which competes with proper time management (Gardener, Barefoot, 2014). Procrastination can be viewed by many researchers as a problematic, negative impacting approach to higher education

Research has uncovered that people who procrastinate, when it comes to higher education, may actually be able to have a successful college career. Eun Hee Seo, from the Seoul Women’s University, performed a study involving 172 college students that focused on the differences in academic achievement between the two different types of procrastinators, active and passive, their cramming and study methods, and which of the two subjects received higher marks on examinations (Seo, 2009). Sheila Brownlow and Renee Reasinger, from Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, evaluate 96 undergraduate students and how procrastination can actually be a form of motivation (Brownlow, Reasinger,

As we grow older it becomes difficult to change our routine because we are so set in our ways. But there are solutions and ways that can be practiced that will help ease the burden of procrastination. Some things that can help individuals cope with or even beat procrastination are mental rehearsal, proper time management, different study techniques, and ways to avoid distractions that could help an individual become successful (Gardner et al., 2014; Peper et al., 2014; Dietz et al., 2007; Zarrick et al.,