Breaking my Procrastination Cycle by Vanshi

Breaking my Procrastination Cycle by Vanshi - February 2026 Scholarship Essay

Growing up, I was a very unorganized and lazy kid. I would always procrastinate on my assignments, waiting until the last minute to complete and turn them in. This was never a huge issue throughout elementary and middle school. Since I was younger, teachers would cut me some slack because I was such a "good kid” and they did not want to be too hard on me. This did not help with my procrastination problem; it only encouraged me to procrastinate because I thought I could get away with it forever. The moment came when I started high school, and things took a different turn. I never believed people when they would say, “This wouldn't slide in high school”. The start of the year made me pretty optimistic that teachers really did not care for deadlines and how much thought and effort you put into your assignments. I started to realize there was a problem when my grades started to slip. I would get docked easy points for late assignments, which had a huge impact on my grades and GPA. This was when I started to panic and realize that I needed to do something about this because my grades really mattered to me.
I started trying to figure out the best ways to combat this procrastination and laziness. It was difficult at first to start because I did not know what would work best for me. I started Googling the best ways to stay ontrack and organized, and tried every method thrown at me. During this time, I was being very overwhelmed with all the trying and keeping up with my assignments. It took some time, but I did find a routine that fit perfectly with my lifestyle and the person that I am, which I still use to this day. I started writing all my assignment due dates on a calendar and giving myself personal due dates. It might sound really simple and almost a given for a student to do, but this little habit had a huge impact on my academic achievement. I started to notice that I would get full credit on assignment since they were turned in on time. It really reflected on my grades and GPA, which greatly motivated me to continue this little habit. Ovderime it just because like second nature. This little habit helped me realize that being organized and turning assignments in on time is an important habit for my overall academic success.