The following passage was written by a 9th grader
The Positives of Not Procrastinating
Coming home from a long day at school with a pile of homework can seem overwhelming at first. It usually seems that way, as it takes much effort to complete all that work and most of the homework may not seem entertaining. The natural reaction would be to procrastinate. But procrastinating only increases the pressure of finishing the task and can cause much stress. By not procrastinating, however, one can finish the work and get it out of the way, avoid plagiarism, and have enough time for a bit of recreation.
The hardest step of completing work is starting it. Although it may seem easier to just put it off, that will actually make it harder in the long run. A common reason why it seems difficult to start the work is because of multiple distractions. If the TV is running, the radio blasting, and Facebook notifications ringing, concentrating on work can be difficult. The quickest and easiest way to progress is to eliminate all distractions. Also, without any distractions, it will be easier to concentrate on the work and finish it much quicker than at the last minute. For example, if I work on an assignment the day it was assigned, it will be completed quicker than waiting until the day before it is due. By leaving the work for the last minute, it can lead to plagiarism and other desperate means.
After one has waited all day to finish their work, they may start to become desperate. In this case, they may turn to plagiarism or cheating. This is obviously not a good habit as it will not be their genuine work and can be considered as stealing someone else’s work. It is just wrong to essentially steal someone’s work because of sheer laziness. Plagiarizing someone else’s work just once can lead to many problems and future plagiarism. The act of plagiarism may seem so petty and insignificant that it may cause them to do it repeatedly. They essentially would end up cheating themselves. And if they’re caught, that could ruin their whole academic career. Even a straight-A student can be caught just by plagiarizing once and ruined their academic future. It would be so much easier to just finish the work on time and have the rest of the day free.
The great part of not procrastinating is the feeling after when all the work is complete. After a long time working hard to finish the work, one can finally be rewarded with a free rest of the day. What’s not great about free time? I once made the mistake of finishing my homework the Friday before it was due over the break. But once I finished it, I realized I had the rest of the weekend to do whatever I wanted. I could sit and relax, hang out with friends, go for a nice walk on the beach, almost anything I wanted to do was possible. It’s that feeling of freedom and that gush of happiness and dopamine that really makes not procrastinating worth it.
In the end, it seems quite obvious that by not procrastinating, one can finish the work quicker, avoid plagiarism, and still have free time for later. Procrastination might seem like the easiest route to go, but overall can lead to stress and bad habits.