Idaho weighs in at No. 3 in student procrastination

"Never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time. Collar him!"

Those words spoken by Charles Dickens' fictional character Mr. Micawber in the 19th century novel "David Copperfield" still make sense today, especially as National Procrastination Week begins.

But Micawber didn't have 24/7 streaming services or internet devices at his disposal.

Modern teens, on the other hand, are deluged by procrastination-inducing distractions at all times, making "tomorrow" just seem like a better day to get things done.

"The electronic distractions are huge, and unfortunately, for many, the steady diet of electronics begins before they can even walk," Coeur d'Alene High School counselor Rick Jones said Friday. "There's research out there that shows that those electronic distractions are literally rewiring their brains."

Electronic distraction or otherwise, procrastination is problematic for Idaho's teens.

According to Brainly.com, the world's largest online homework site, Idaho ranks No. 3 in the list of states where students procrastinate most, with 13 percent of students admitting they always procrastinate on their schoolwork. Idaho is just behind California and Florida, which are tied at 15 percent. Louisiana tops the list with 19 percent.

Jones said he was initially surprised that Idaho ranks so high on the list. But Gem State students aren't alone. Brainly's survey of 1,700 high school students ages 14 to 18 revealed that 82 percent said they procrastinate on their homework at least some of the time. The survey reported that 74 percent of high schoolers procrastinate because they’d rather be doing other things, and 26 percent said it’s because they don’t know how to do the work or where to start.

"It's a matter of, in terms of procrastination in general, what's the motivator?" Jones said. "It's my belief that people continue to do what they're doing until it becomes uncomfortable. Then they do something different."

Jones has been a school counselor since 2001. He said the "not knowing how or where to start" piece annually shows up when high school seniors start their senior projects, which require research, working with mentors, writing reports and giving oral presentations.

"Part of it is nerves. It is fear of what’s going to happen," he said. "Being overwhelmed by the magnitude of what is in front of them, some students say it's no big deal. Others say, 'Oh my gosh.'"

Evan Moore, founder of Real Frequency, a Spokane-based consulting firm that helps students transition from high school to postsecondary education, frequently works with North Idaho students. He sees procrastination behaviors from his young clients all the time.

"Procrastination has a lot to do with stress response," said Moore. "They put something off until it is absolutely dire time to do it, they get a boost of energy from it and they get the job done. But it leads to higher stress rates and lower success rates."

He doesn't agree that students don't know how to do the work. They just need the right motivation.

"I believe Idaho is high on the list because we’re not giving students the credit they deserve to learn the subjects that are high in need, like career and technical education and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), at the level that they're capable of and the manner in which they will be intrinsically motivated to learn," he said.

At the primary level, Twin Lakes Elementary School counselor and Idaho School Counselor of the Year Justine Litzko said even though the survey focuses on high-schoolers, elementary students are not exempt from procrastination habits.

"This is partly due to the fact that our young students are still learning foundational skills, whether they be academic or social emotional," she said.

She offered time management tips including using agendas, setting clear expectations and creating partnerships between home and school.

"If we work together, we can help build these skills with our kids,” Litzko said.

The first week of March is annually designated as National Procrastination Week, a time to put off chores and relax while allowing stress and anxiety levels to decrease.

Or, if procrastination is a familiar foe for students and non-students alike, maybe it's time to hop to it and finally tackle those shelved and dusty projects.

Then again, there’s always tomorrow.