NOCTILUCA December 2016

OPINIONS Appleton, Wisconsin December 2016 Vol. XXII

Issue III Page 4

Procrastination is prevalent and should be eliminated

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Readers, I’m certain you’ve heard of the extravagant and derogatory claims regarding our generation. “Millennials these days are so lazy, they don’t have jobs, they don’t have money, they don’t do anything.” Or maybe, “Go to college. Get a house. Move out already! May- be you millennials could do that if you all had motivation.” In my opinion, these exclama- tions are utterly ridiculous, and here’s why: millennials do not embody the characteristics that society has pinned to them. Teenagers and young adults are pushed by societal expecta- tions to pursue career choices that, in today’s economy, are not enough to make a living. It is im- mensely difficult for people to financially succeed when mon- etary barriers—such as student According to the Washington Post, procrastination is a strong force, that keeps people from completing important tasks in their life. In severe cases, it can cause people to perform poorly at school or work. However, it is unclear as to why people suc- cumb to putting off items that could potentially be done today and saving them until tomorrow. Many people tend to put off tasks that bring anxiety or fear. After that, in order to calm themselves, they decide to perform another activity that temporarily diverts their attention. Unfortunately, sooner or later, their unaccom- plished task comes back to haunt By Maryia Todorova Many millenials unfairly experience social backlash Appeals of procrastination do not outweigh its detriments While most people are bliss- fully asleep on this chilly, fall night, I happen to be awake at midnight, so that I can finally turn in a Noctiluca article that was due two weeks ago. I sup- pose I could’ve written this arti- cle last week, when I actually had no debate tournament to travel to, but instead, I read five books, cleaned my closet, shopped for flannel shirts, and baked a cake. I did everything, except write this Noctiluca article. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who procrastinates reg- ularly; I have yet to meet some- one who doesn’t. But the ques- tion is, what is procrastination, and why do we do it? By Fatima Ali

reotype perpetuates as a result of the extent to which the economy has changed since our parents entered the work field as young adults. We are currently earning about 20 percent less, propor- tionally, than the generation of baby-boomers, as we are simul- taneously drowning in our own debt. In some ways, these com- ments continue to develop as a way to forcefully attempt to hide the last generation’s economic failures. Since the recessions of 1982 and 2008, the ability to find a decent job has decreased and so has our ability to make a living on our own. After examining this, what are we left to do? The answer is: an astound- ing nothing. We must currently work, pay off our debt, and contribute to society. We will maximize our opportunities for success in this fashion, and once we do, we will show older gen- erations the potential that all mil- lennials possess. Now that we’ve all realized how harmful procrastination is, it’s time to think about how we can alleviate the tendency to pro- crastinate in our lives. For start- ers, it’s nice to utilize a planner, so that you can write everything down, preferably in a prioritized manner. Next, it’s nice to always remind yourself over and over again about what are the pos- sible problems that could arise, if you keep putting off a task. And lastly, it’s always nice to reward yourself after getting a task done so you can clearly remember the glorious feeling of staying on top of things, and not panicking over something that was supposed to be turned in two weeks ago. Al- though procrastination is a harm- ful habit, it can easily be cured, as long as we take the time to acknowledge the problem, and then find ways to avoid this an- noying habit. pen during social situations. For example, when trying to buy a wonderful present for your friend’s seventeenth birthday, it is ideal to order the present well in advance, so that it ar- rives in time for the special day. But what if you kept putting off the order? Eventually it gets to a point where you try ordering it the week before, only to dis- cover that it’s out of stock. Now what will you give? Not only are you filled with embarrassment because your present is late, but you also go through an insane amount of stress, while trying to find a backup plan. That’s not fun, is it?

Even with insurmountable homework, many students find it dif- ficult to motivate themselves and avoid procrastination. Photo illustration by Maeve Salm

loans, apartment fees, insurance and even food—hinder prosper- ity. When some people say that millennials are lazy, I think to myself, “Where are they finding these underachieving individu- als? Every young adult I know seems to be going to college, working many hours a night, scrambling to finish their home- work, and having difficulties af- fording basic necessities.” Part of the reason this stereo- type exists is because of theways millennials are changing the cur- rent workplace. The “traditional as I’ve progressed throughout high school, I’ve gradually real- ized how harmful it is to develop the habit of procrastination. The more AP classes and extracur- riculars I’ve participated in, the more I’ve realized how harm- ful this habit can be, eventually increasing to the point where it hinders me from truly perform- ing to the maximum of my abili- ties. Sure, maybe I can write a “I’ve gradually realized how harmful it is to develop the habit of procrastination.” them, and before they know it, they have so much on their plate that it gets stressful just thinking about what needs to get finished before midnight. As a person who is constant- ly bombarded with millions of tasks throughout the year, I often want to forget about ev- erything and instead curl up in a ball and take a nap. However

workplace” appears altered as the income of new workers leads to new rules, dress codes, and then assignments. With the introduction of the Internet, as- signments are more easily com- pleted and less work is required to accomplish certain tasks. This allows for more free time after completing an assignment that was previously carried out with- out the assistance of the Internet. This increase in available time appears to support the stereotype of millennials’ laziness. Similarly, this millennial ste- lab report an hour before it’s due, and sure maybe I might get anAon that report, but did I truly gain something fromwriting this lab? Or did I just rush through everything, just to finish the lab, but not to actually retain any concepts that were meant to be discovered from this lab?Maybe just one lab may not be so sig- nificant, but procrastination is almost like a black hole, mean- ing that once you start putting off tasks, you can’t easily stop your- self, and promise that this won’t happen ever again. Pretty soon, this will become a regular habit, and the concept of “dividing dif- ficult work into several bite-size pieces” does not exist in day-to- day work. Scenarios like this are detrimental to students, as they may create many conceptual gaps in subjects which eventu- ally makes learning harder sub- jects more difficult and tedious. But procrastination doesn’t only happen in the school or work fields. It can also hap-

5000 N. Ballard Road Appleton, WI 54913 Phone: (920) 832-4300 Mr. Ramponi, staff advisor, at: ramponiaaron@aasd .k12.wi.us. Editorial Staff Senior Editor-In-Chief Nora Ptacek Junior Editor-In-Chief Jake Zajkowski Managing Editor

Kate Bennett News Editor Ally Price Opinions Editor Maeve Salm Features Editor Trinity Olson Centerspread Editor Salma Abdel-Azim

Culture Editor Maddy Schilling

Sports Editor Maddie Clark Photography Editor

Olivia Molter Copy Editor Fatima Ali Advertising/Social Media Rachel Sina Graphics Editor Henry Ptacek Online Editor Kate Bennett Investigative Editor Erik Bakken Advisor Mr. Ramponi Contributors Nolan Arnold Salma Abdel-Azim Fatima Ali Yasmeen Ashour Erik Bakken Kate Bennett Maddie Clark Kyle Hoffenbecker Annessa Ihde Sophie Mariano Trinity Olson Ally Price

Millennial stereotypes are misinformed and must dissipate

Henry Ptacek Nora Ptacek Maeve Salm

Maddy Schilling Maryia Todorova Carl Zuleger

Students completing homework in the library in their spare time. Photo by Maeve Salm