PROCRASTINATION:
GOOD OR BAD?
Paper due tomorrow huh? A big one, huh? It is worth 83% of your grade! You need 12 references. That would require going to the library. Ouch. It is 1:00 a.m. Good thing you just decided on a good thesis to work with. Now all that is left to do isÉÉÉ.this one isnÕt making it in on time, that is for sureÉ. Of course this situation is a bit extreme (or is it?) but I think we all know the feeling and the predicaments we can get ourselves in when we donÕt plan ahead. Maybe when you were in high school your mom would say "Stop procrastinating and get to work! That is a very habit to get into, you know? Especially next year at COLLEGE!" She was right, but chances are your mom probably doesnÕt know that a longitudinal study done by Dianne M. Tice & Roy F. Baumeister (1997), showed that labeled procrastinators differ in their stress levels and health than non-procrastinators and at different times during the semester. (Wait, there are such things as non-procrastinators? They exist?!?!?) The participants were not self-labeled procrastinators but instead took LayÕs (1986) General Procrastination Scale and McCown and JohnsonÕs (1989) measure of procrastination assessment questionnaire. Please donÕt feel that you need to seek out these tests to know what you are. WeÕre guessing you know yourself pretty well. Passing in a term paper on time was the dependent variable in this study. Regardless, the results they found provide information that you may find useful and could perhaps even apply to your life.