PERSUASIVE ESSAY
DANA SCOTT
COMM/215
November 10, 2014
MARY THOMAS

WHY YOU SHOULD NOT PROCRASTINATE There are many ways to avoid success in life and the number one cause is procrastination. Procrastinators sabotage themselves. They put obstacles in their own path. They actually choose paths that hurt their performance. First, we must ask what exactly procrastination is. According to dictionary.com, procrastination, pronounced proh-kras-tuh-ney-shuhn, is the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention. If you still do not understand, I will put it in a sentence for you. “He was smart, but his constant procrastination led him to be late with almost every assignment.” According to Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago, twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them procrastination is a lifestyle. It cuts across every aspect of their life. They do not pay bills on time. They miss birthday parties and other important activities. They get bad grades in class. They file income tax returns late. They leave their Thanksgiving dinner shopping until the night before thanksgiving. They are always a day late and a dollar short.
Theres more than one flavor of procrastination. People procrastinate for different reasons. According to Timothy Pychyl, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa Canada, he identifies three basic types of procrastinators: * arousal types or thrill seekers, who wait to the last minute for the euphoric rush * Avoiders, who may be avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success, but in either case are very concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability. * Decisional procrastinators, who cannot make a decision. Not making a decision absolves procrastinators of responsibility for the outcome of events. Procrastination is a problem for many people. They like to put things off and then stress out when they realize how long they have actually put it off. So now, we know it causes undue stress, prolongs the inevitable, or negatively affects our productivity. So just, do not push it off. When you get an assignment you really do not like, you know you like to push it off until right before it’s due. Then you stress out trying to get it done. It happens with homeowners too. You see that your drain needs to be unclogged because the water is going down too slowly but you wait until your sink overflows to do anything about it. It even happens to people with their health. You have not been feeling good but you keep putting off going to the doctor. Especially when you do not have medical coverage and u are more worried about the bill then seeking the help you need. Eventually you wind up making the trip to the ER because you did not deal with your problem. Now not only do u have an outrageous medical bill but also it could have been a lot cheaper had u would have gone at the first sign of discomfort. So avoid it at all costs. The Best way to avoid procrastination is to put your mind over the matter. Maybe you do not like what you have to do, but it still has to be done. Decide that it is better to just get it out the way. Work now and play later. If you do what you have to do now, you will not have it on your mind and you will not have to stress out when you notice you have waited until the absolute last minute.