“My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.” -Charles Dickens

A couple nights ago, I started my homework at about 2:40 a.m. I could’ve started at 6:00 p.m. or even earlier.

For my math final this year, virtually all of my studying occurred during the two-hour break before my test.

The other week, during my annual checkup at the doctor’s office, my doctor recommended that I see some kind of specialist or coach to help cope with stress and manage my time.

Procrastination is by no means a new concept for students—we all procrastinate to some extent, or at least know someone else who does. And if you know me well, then you’re probably aware that I have a little problem with procrastinating.

To me, procrastinating is lying to yourself—it’s like temporarily avoiding the inevitable by way of pointless distractions. I tell myself: “I’ll start after…,” or “It’s really not that important,” or “I don’t need to do it right now.”

In regards to any kind of schoolwork, I used to think of procrastination as a “friend”—it allowed me to destress for the time-being, while also allowing me to produce high quality work, as it saved me time by forcing me to be efficient and hurried.

That used to work, for the most part.  But this year, things have changed.

My tendency to hold everything off until the last moment has gone too far. There have been multiple occasions when I’ve ended up turning an essay or project in late—despite being given a week to work on it—or where I didn’t start studying for a test until late the night before, or the very morning of. As a result, I’ve performed poorly.

And if I’m being perfectly honest, I am the worst procrastinator I know. Many of my friends know I struggle with it, and so do my teachers—one teacher has called me straight up “lazy,” while another once said something along the lines of, “You have many strengths, but managing your time isn’t one of them.”

I came to terms a while ago with the fact that my procrastination has stood in the way of my success, but I continue to do it. It’s a habit I can’t break.

So I did some research and self-reflecting in hopes of learning about my habit, which later led me to the discovery of a few anti-procrastination methods.

In addressing the difference between laziness and procrastination, I found an abundant amount of evidence showing that the two are not directly related. In other words, just because you procrastinate, doesn’t mean you’re lazy (though, coincidentally, you may be). They’re similar in how both a procrastinator and an idler lack motivation, but a procrastinator is someone who—at one point or another—completes a task with consideration, care, and effort. So even though I’m currently turning my final draft in late, I’m still spending time and putting thought into my writing.

Now let’s talk strategies.

First, plan time to do your homework and studying. Whether that means you lock your phone up in a safe for a couple hours—which I’ve done—or you make some kind of schedule, it’s important to find a fixed amount of time away from distractions.

Second, find mini-motivators to reward yourself during your work time. This could mean eating some junk food, or listening to some music—whatever little something you can implement into your day that will help you push through the work load.

Third, gain some accountability for yourself, and get help from others. This is probably the most important piece of advice. All too often, I’m able to get away with finessing my way out of homework assignments that I fail to do the night before. But that never works in the long run—procrastination causes stress, guilt, lost productivity, and lost opportunities. So be responsible for yourself, and get your parents or friends to keep you in check.