It’s 8 P.M. on a Sunday night, and you still haven’t started your homework. You’re lying in bed, scrolling through your Instagram feed. A quick text to your friends confirms that you’re not the only one who hasn’t started your homework yet.

It happens to all of us, but it’s something that needs to end.

Procrastination has always been a part of human nature, but lately it’s becoming a larger issue. Today, procrastination has become a normal routine for lots of teenagers. Due to widespread use of the Internet and social media, it seems like everyone is procrastinating these days. However, the normalization of procrastination does not mean that it is okay to procrastinate.

Technology plays a huge role in the increase of procrastination. Cell phones, TV, and social media sites are very distracting and prevent people from getting their work done. In the study conducted by StudyMode, a website that provides online learning tools to students, using social media and watching movies or TV are the top two ways teens procrastinate.

Not only does procrastination affect your current productivity, it also affects your future. Once you start procrastinating, it becomes a habit, and it is one that is difficult to break. Constantly procrastinating causes you to wait until the last minute to finish everything, which causes you to rush through your work, become overwhelmed, and even give up on your work.

This causes stress, which affects how much sleep you can get and your happiness. This could lead to other health issues like depression.

Living in a constant cycle of procrastination is not only unhealthy, it’s not the way a successful person lives. Successful people make sure to finish their work on time and get the job done, because if they didn’t do that, then they wouldn’t have anything at which to be successful. Putting things off only affects you accomplishing your goals in the future, which does nothing to benefit you.

However, all is not lost if you’ve started to procrastinate. Putting an end to procrastination starts by changing your mindset. No matter how much you want to find out what happened in the season finale of your favorite TV show or see your favorite YouTuber’s latest video, it isn’t going to help you accomplish your goals (unless of course, your goal is to watch TV or Youtube videos). You have to recognize that your work is important and necessary for success, and if you don’t do it, there will be consequences. So, turn off Netflix and go finish that English essay!

Ways to Stay Focused and Motivated

1. Think about your future goals and what you plan to achieve, and how getting your work done will help you achieve your goals.

2. Have a good support system of people who will motivate you and remind you to keep on track.

3. Organize your workspace. Make sure you have all the materials you need in front of you before you start working. Be careful not to use organizing as a way to procrastinate.

4. Get rid of or turn off any distractions you may have, including your phone, computer, or TV.

5. Use an app or a website like SelfControl, to block any distracting websites while you study or work on your computer or phone.

6. Create a to-do list of what you have to do before starting your work, and check off each task as you finish it.

7. Break up your work into small tasks so that you don’t become overwhelmed by it all.

8. Don’t multitask.

9. Finish your hardest task first.

10. Set a reward for yourself once you finish a task.