Students who procrastinate usually regret it.
Regret is the second stage of procrastination.
Kicking the chore or project down the road adds to stress and anxiety and regret about not completing it immediately.
Procrastination doesn’t start out stressful, but the second stage is where things start to change.
After hours or even days of putting something off, the calm confidence that there’s still time slowly starts to fade. That’s when the panic begins to creep in.
“I always tell myself I’ll start tomorrow,” Jayden Jones, junior, said. “Then tomorrow comes, and I realize I’ve got way less time than I thought.”
In this stage, students begin to feel the weight of their decisions. The once harmless delay turns into frustration and worry. The assignment that seemed simple now feels impossible to finish. Sleep schedules get pushed back, stress levels rise, and motivation drops even lower.
“By the time I actually start, I’m already overwhelmed,” Saniyah Polk, junior, said. “It’s like my brain shuts down from the pressure.”
Experts say this stage often happens because the brain connects the task with negative emotions: guilt, stress, and fear of failure. Instead of helping, these feelings make people want to avoid the task even more, creating a cycle that’s hard to break.
“It shouldn’t be a thing,” Gabe Wishnevsky, junior, said. “If people just did things when they were supposed to then they wouldn’t have to worry about doing it later.”
The second stage of procrastination where many people get stuck. But it’s also a turning point. Taking action, even just outlining an assignment or setting a timer to work for 10 minutes, can make a huge difference.
Procrastination might begin quietly, but the second stage reminds us that time doesn’t stop — and the longer you wait, the harder it gets to start.
