I’m writing this story the night before it’s due—ironic, right? At least I’m self-aware. But let’s be real: a story about procrastination practically begs to be procrastinated.
11:30 PM. You finally unzip your backpack and pull out your homework.
You’ve been lying in bed watching TikTok ever since you got home from school, saying you will pull out your homework soon, but just haven’t had the energy to actually do it. You sit there, thinking that all your work will just disappear because you don’t want to do it.
Eventually, you have to rise from your slump because your eyes are beginning to shut, and you take a look at what’s written in your planner.
Seven assignments due tomorrow.
You sit there in instant regret, wishing you had started earlier instead of spending hours on your phone.
This is the root of procrastination—a huge issue that has risen throughout high school students in more recent years.
According to an educational company Magoosh, 86% of high school students said they procrastinate on school assignments.
Why?
Well, there are many underlying reasons as to why students do this. According to Oxford University, causes of procrastination include perfectionism, fear of failure, trouble concentrating, poor organization skills, and lack of motivation and self-confidence.
High school is the time in people’s lives when everything starts to pick up and matter, leaving you with less free time. Many students become so overwhelmed with everything on their plate that the last thing they want to do is finish their science lab.
Procrastination is not only damaging your sleep schedule, but it’s hurting your mental health. It builds up so much stress in your system that it makes it a challenge to get through the day without anxiety.
Another effect of procrastination is relying on outside resources that don’t actually help you learn the subject.
Pew Research conducted a survey in 2023 to see how many students use ChatGPT with their homework, and it showed that 13% of students ages 13-17 use AI to help them with their assignments.
When they repeated the same survey in 2025, that percentage had increased to 26%.
Students have become so comfortable using AI to help them with assignments that they put off doing their assignments until they have to because they know they can just use AI to help them and get it done quickly.
When using AI, there is also a lack of human interaction because instead of asking for help from a peer or adult, AI does it all for you in just seconds, with no thinking needed.
Additionally, having multiple days to complete work also spills over into this pot. It’s tough for students to complete an assignment given to them right away when it’s due in two weeks. This gives the student too much time contemplating the assignment.
Due to the advancement of technology and social media, the attention span of teens has decreased in recent year. Pew Research conducted that 56% of student ages 13-17 feel negative emotions when they are disassociated with their cell phones.
“I feel like I always wait until the last minute to start studying or even doing my homework, and I think my phone takes a big part in this due to how easily distracting it is,” junior Sophia Shader said. “Whenever I’m on my phone, it’s usually to avoid the work that I have to do, but then it starts to suck me in through the mindless scrolling.”
Procrastination is more than just a bad habit—it’s a growing issue affecting students’ productivity, mental health, and learning. And if you’re reading this while avoiding your homework… well, you’re not alone.
