[Kyouki]

A lot of people procrastinate. I'm one of them. The problem is, lately it's gotten severe...
I'm in college, and I've been procrastinating for a long time but noticeably since I entered (age 15). In the beginning, it was "normal" procrastination, but the last few semesters has been getting worse. I always make the deadlines, so I've never had any negative situations resulting from it. However, let's just take this last semester for example. I made all my presentations 1 hour (or less) before the time I needed to present - this includes research and everything. I had time before then, but I read comics, watched TV, slept, or just wasted time. It doesn't help that my professors all commented on how good my presentations were, and I even won "Best Speaker" for one.

I put all my papers off until the night before or morning of the due date. I have 4 papers and a final exam due today, and I haven't started working on any of them. I finished another take home exam that we had 3 weeks to do in 2 hours because I had no motivation to do it before hand. Somehow, I just "can't" do it early... it's as if I have writer's block if I start before the last moment.

I'm wondering if there's a scientific/psychological classification for this, and how many others experience this. While I'm using school as an example, I do this with everything in life.

There is some excitement gratification involved here - I get a thrill when I'm pressed for time and I truly believe that my best work is done when I'm completing something in the last moments. I feel the adrenaline pumping. Even if I do start a project before the last moment, I can't complete it until it's due - even if it's just holding off adding the last period to a sentence. For example, I had to submit a blog post every week at 11:59; I submitted them at 11:59:57 (time stamped by the forum), etc.

In bullet points, here's the rundown:

• No motivation before the last "plausible" time frame
• Thrill when working at the last moment
• No negative results/complications
• Belief that work is better when completed at the last moment
• Work started beforehand is not completed until the last moment

[Altered Moment]

I am the master procrastinator. If you are smart and work good under pressure you can get away with it which makes it worse.

It is definitely a symptom of something and not a disorder itself.

Maybe just addicted to the rush of pulling it off.

Are you able to calculate how much time a particular paper will take to do a good job and the start it that amount of time before it is due?

I would think that the harder assignments get and the more research needed to do a good job the riskier it would be.

My daughter is just like me but always made the mistake of waiting to long to do a good job and her grades suffered.

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[Altered Moment]

I don't know where you are in school or what you are studying but if you waited until one hour before a final in college core biology to study for it and it was 25% of your grade you would be in a world of hurt. Unless you have a photographic memory or something.

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[Kyouki]

Originally Posted by zinco14532323

I am the master procrastinator. If you are smart and work good under pressure you can get away with it which makes it worse.

It is definitely a symptom of something and not a disorder itself.

Maybe just addicted to the rush of pulling it off.

Are you able to calculate how much time a particular paper will take to do a good job and the start it that amount of time before it is due?

I would think that the harder assignments get and the more research needed to do a good job the riskier it would be.

My daughter is just like me but always made the mistake of waiting to long to do a good job and her grades suffered.

Yeah, in a way I can calculate the amount of time needed. I've never been late in my work. The harder the assignment, the bigger the thrill

Originally Posted by zinco14532323

I don't know where you are in school or what you are studying but if you waited until one hour before a final in college core biology to study for it and it was 25% of your grade you would be in a world of hurt. Unless you have a photographic memory or something.

Tests are easier in terms of procrastination than papers are because I just listen in class. I don't read the textbook or study before a test, so I just rely on previous memory from the lecture. It's worked pretty well for me so far, and I don't get below the range of 98-100+%.
I actually just graduated and I'm going for another degree now.

[shortandcute]

I don't know that there's a "term" for that or that it's an actual "addiction" in and of itself. A lot of times, when its gotten kinda bad, it's usually a result of or symptom of something else. I think maybe you're just feeling a little burned out right now.

[Altered Moment]

Originally Posted by Kyouki

Yeah, in a way I can calculate the amount of time needed. I've never been late in my work. The harder the assignment, the bigger the thrill

Tests are easier in terms of procrastination than papers are because I just listen in class. I don't read the textbook or study before a test, so I just rely on previous memory from the lecture. It's worked pretty well for me so far, and I don't get below the range of 98-100+%.
I actually just graduated and I'm going for another degree now.

I think that shows you are obviously really smart and have an excellent memory. I have a pretty good memory but for something like biology or zoology there is just so much info I have to study for the test.

I think you may be addicted to the thrill of pulling it off with success. If there are negative consequences to the behavour then you might have to rethink it.

Good luck on your new degree.