Procrastination is a way of life that many Uni students have come to know quite well. Some would argue that procrastination is almost an inevitability in respect to the amount of homework we receive. However, no matter how far in advance a teacher gives us an assignment, most of us will wait until the last minute to complete it or even start it.

Yet, most of us end up doing surprisingly well on assignments that we finish in a hurry. How is this possible?

I have a theory that students perform at higher levels under pressure. I have found that I can do an assignment just as well in one stressful night during the school week as over an entire weekend with nothing else to do.

Perhaps it is the challenge of having significant time constraints in which to perform a difficult task that helps to focus our energy and creativity. Perhaps it's the pressure to crank out good work no matter the conditions under which we execute it. Whatever the reason for this phenomenon, it is both impressive and incredibly unhealthy.

I'm sure I am not alone when I admit to waiting until 10 the night before it is due to write a research paper that I have been given a month to complete. This means at least six hours of piecing together bits and pieces of information and cataloging it all in a bibliography, which puts me in bed around 4 a.m. and up again at 7 a.m. to saunter lethargically through the next day's classes. This could be considered either impressive or pathetic; I choose the latter.

Even if my theory of product under pressure holds any scrap of validity, it becomes ridiculous when taken to extremes. Procrastination can easily become a slippery slope winding down to exhaustion and failure and will never allow one to take oneself seriously.

I think the solution here is to develop better time-management skills (something I have yet to do). Though it is sometimes a good thing to be able to finish things quickly and efficiently, it's better to do so with a proper allowance of time to review one's efforts.

[Note: For more about the various ways Uni students deal with procrastination, see Danny Ge's recent story "Last-minute studying: A look into cramming at Uni."]