Procrastination is a habit all too easy to fall into. Those AP Environmental Science modules can surely wait, right? That set of math problems can be done the class period before, no sweat. But then the stress comes all at once when you realize your finished product is not really finished after all, or maybe you forgot completely. Doing things the night before does not ensure the grade you want on an assignment, and if done repeatedly, it could lead to further problems. “Initially I’m just not going to want to do something because the deadline seems so far away at the time,” junior Joanna Slater explained understandably. Procrastinating can come from putting things off or being too busy. But whatever the reason, there are ways to go from racing at the last minute to finishing at the first. 

  Whenever you hear that you have an upcoming assignment, find a place of your choosing to write it down immediately. If the next few days are booked and busy, set a reminder for a day that you know is not too hectic. This will start to organize your time, and it will eliminate the panic of forgetting entirely. Make sure you stick to this. It will be tempting to ignore a reminder about the homework, but the more you start to do it, the more it will work. 

  Another method for extreme procrastinators is to act like the assignment due in two weeks is due the very next day. If rushing through the work is the only way it gets done, then use it to your advantage. Write the whole essay that afternoon, and then relax for the rest of the two weeks. 

  If doing everything too soon is just too much to take on, try to pace yourself. A little bit every day will give your brain a break as you chunk up the work and come back to it fully alert. With the A-day B-day schedule at Millbrook, taking two days to do a worksheet will help you remember what you were doing in class and return well-practiced. 

  Find the best method for yourself. You will likely find that gradually working through an assignment or doing it right when you get home that day will relieve a great deal of stress from you. The feeling of having done it far in advance is comforting, and then if more work comes up, it is not too much to juggle at once. Becoming a first-minute person is tremendously helpful, and it will be a great way to enter fourth quarter smoothly.