Sunday night: the time is 11:59 p.m., and a panicking student has completed three pages out of a 20 page paper.

The need to finish the dreaded MIOP becomes clearer and clearer as the deadline approaches slowly but surely.

More than likely it’ll be completed on time. But, then again, there are still a few hours left before its 8 a.m. deadline.

Why not go on Facebook and spend a few minutes there before page four?

For many students, minutes become half hours and half hours become hours wasted with no progress made.

A classic scenario for many students, procrastination is a common issue that must be dealt with.

Some may question the students’ responsibility, but the true problem lies in distractions.

Finding some form of entertainment to keep from writing a paper becomes an easier and much more appealing task than getting enough motivation to research and write an assignment.

Students find safe harbor in Web sites which entrap them and result in hours of productivity wasted.

One of these Web sites is the ever-popular Facebook.

The Facebook Factor

It’s almost certain: if a computer is needed for an assignment, chances are the student will end up on Facebook at some point.

Late-night AOL Instant Messenger conversations even begin, “Hey! What’s up? I should be finishing homework, but I’m on Facebook instead.”

Procrastinators even have their own UT-only Facebook group with 270 members: “Procrastina.. Ehh, I’ll Finish the Title of This Group Later.”

Isn’t it a relief to find out on the Web site’s News Feed that someone else just updated their status to “___ is supposed to be doing hw, but facebook is much more interesting.”

People realize it becomes a problem, and some have come up with effective solutions for it.

“I close my computer whenever I have to get work done,” said junior Jessica Webb. “If not, I’ll spend hours writing to people I haven’t spoken to in years.”

Other students manage to sum up enough willpower to close every program other than Microsoft Word and maybe iTunes or Windows Media Player.

“I can’t work without music,” said sophomore Suzanne Wolmers. “But I have to sign off from AIM and Facebook to get everything done.”

Then there are those who look at the larger scope of the problem.

“I don’t use Facebook as an excuse to procrastinate,” said freshman Andrew Mathura. “It is included in the things I do to put off work, but I’d say it’s the Internet on the whole.”

People look for all kinds of excuses to put off work, and the Internet provides many forms of entertainment ranging from network sites like Facebook to TV websites like ESPN and even the seemingly endless videos of Youtube.

Sure, there may be a lot of more interesting things to do, but unfortunately that paper’s not going to write itself.

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Solutions To Procrastination

– Create to-do lists

– Eliminate distractions

– Reward yourself for accomplishments. For example, if you’re trying to finish a bunch of math problems, eat an M’M after every problem you finish.

– Work with a study buddy or study group.

– Start early. Break the project into chunks, and set mini-deadlines for parts of the project.

– Unplug your LAN or disconnect your wireless connection.

– Take a break and move around some. Dance around. Pace. Don’t check your e-mail.