Overcoming tempting procrastination; Alumnae give work planning advice

Chloe Ward, Reporter

 

     Have you ever stayed up late finishing an assignment due at 11:59 that same night? It is a struggle almost every student goes through, past and present. A few select NHHS alumnae have learned from their experiences and wish to share their advice with students falling behind.

     Chloe Henkel, former alumna, is now a student at Harford Community College. Between being an author and an artist, she’s no stranger to procrastination. “I’m a pretty anxious person, so I always tended to put things off because I felt overwhelmed by them or didn’t know where to start,” she admits. 

     However, she was able to mostly overcome those moments of overwhelming stress by going through her grades at the beginning of each week and creating detailed checklists for herself. “Just those two things make the work feel so much more manageable,” Henkel says, calling her planning process an “absolute life-saver”. 

   For her, it helps her get her head straight and figure out what she needs to prioritize and where to begin. She emphasizes the importance of doing this, or whatever is comfortable for someone struggling, because in college it “can be pretty hard to play catch-up” for higher level classes.

     Another HCC student, and former journalism staff member Aleah Bickle used to deal with issues of procrastination as well. In the beginning of her high school career, she was always on top of her work. However, life happens, people get jobs, more friends, and other opportunities arise that conflict with the overachiever’s agenda. She admits, “I was distracting myself with having a good time more than focusing on my education.”

     Bickle was able to find a balance between her interests and studies by the time college arrived and vowed from the beginning to stay productive. “I made a plan to get all of my work done when I first got it early in the week, then spend the weekend with my friends,” she explains, and it helped her immensely.

      She also advises anyone else having trouble to use other resources, besides the ones provided by the school. Quizlet flashcards are useful for AP terms, Khan Academy provides videos that help “understand concepts more in depth,” and of course, YouTube has unlimited topics that can be used for review or extra help. 

     “As always,” Bickle adds, “it’s okay to ask for help if you are struggling with a heavy workload. Teachers are there to help and not hinder your progression.” she adds everyone falls behind sometimes, and there is some value from a little bit of outside assistance.