Due Tomorrow, Do Tomorrow I hope I never again witness such academic injustice as I did that fateful day in Mrs.

Foley's 8th grade English class. We had a persuasive essay due on Monday morning regarding the new school levy on the ballot. Mrs. Foley snaked through the aisles collecting the papers. For weeks she had been pestering us about starting our papers early and not waiting until the weekend, let alone Monday morning at 6 am to complete them. She believed that there was no way anyone could possibly produce an adequate paper without properly preparing for and writing multiple drafts first. She claimed she would be able to simply read through the first paragraph and her sixth sense teacher senses would start tingling. I really and truly had every intention of starting that paper days in advance. I wanted to work at it word by word, and then have the time to go back and revise. But, for whatever reason my plans just did not work out. Every time I would sit down to type the paper I would end up alphabetizing my CDs or refolding all of the clothes in my dresser. I had never been so productive in my life. However, after several hours of color coordinating, alphabetizing and organizing, there sat my essay; untouched. Sunday evening around 8 p.m. just as Desperate Housewives was about to come on, I decided: enough was enough. This paper needed to be done. Tomorrow morning. Before school. So, I set my alarm to wake me up about an hour before usual, and I woke up the next morning and sat down at my computer and started to type. Never had a paper been so easy to generate. I was amazed, and I felt confident in my writing. As Mrs. Foley collected my paper, I watched her quickly look over it and turn to me with a grin of approval. The next week when she handed them back, she announced to the class that she was very proud of my paper. She said it was evident that I had given much thought, time and
Comment [LP3]: No reflection; why was it so hard to get started on it? Comment [LP1]: I think this is a very good opening. I like the use of personal experience as a lead-in to your discussion of procrastination, and I love the irony of this section. Comment [LP2]: This was an interesting comment. I think a lot of people would agree that they do not like procrastinating-would prefer to get started early, but thats simply not the reality. They buy into the idea that procrastination probably leads to poor(er) writing, while getting started early will produce a stronger paper.

effort to the assignment and she was very pleased that I followed directions to work on the task slowly, and a few days in advance. I didnt know if I should feel proud or guilty. Despite her instruction to not procrastinate, I had and it had benefitted me greatly. Mrs. Foley taught me a valuable lesson that day. Perhaps procrastination is not as bad as we all make it out to be, and more importantly, writing instructors need to rethink their attitudes toward procrastination because, as it worked for me, it might actually be beneficial for some writers. Writing scholars have long advocated teaching student to be aware of the processes they employ when writing (Flower and Hayes, Perl). Some have even argued that writers use different processes whether for different writing situations or because of differences in personality (Hairston, Harris). Due to my ah-ha moment I discovered there is a beneficial writing process that occurs during procrastination. While it may not work for everyone, it does work for some and it is up to the writing professional to encourage the writer to discover that for themselves. Then, it is up to the writer to find out if procrastination is a bad thing for them individually, and if not how to use it to their advantage. It is time for writing educators to stop always preaching the negative connotation and effects of procrastination and instead to encourage writers to discover for themselves how, if at all, procrastination can help their writing. Procrastination works if it is used to the writers advantage, this is the key to productive procrastination-seems impossible, but isnt. Dustin Wax explains the three different genres of procrastinators: the creative procrastinators, the undefined worker, and the mind game procrastinator. The creative procrastinator is the most productive of the three, and also the least common among writers. Creative procrastinators know what they want to do, they need time to let the ideas ferment before they are ready to sit down and put them into action. Some may
Comment [LP5]: This is sort of confusing in that you place the responsibility on both the instructor and the student. Thats a fine conclusion to come to (both/and, not either/or) but you do waiver back and forth. Why not just say more clearly that its both. I also think this clarifies your own position. Teachers teach procrastination as perhaps a valuable stage of the writing process. They can also encourage selfawareness about ones writing process. I like this idea a lot. Comment [LP4]: Thesis/ main argument. According to this, the rest of your paper should be as follows: a discussion of procrastination as a writing construct-the pros and cons- with you arguing that it is beneficial. Then you will discuss the problem of teachers attitudes toward procrastination and maybe suggest things they can do/ways to teach students that procrastination can be beneficial.

Comment [LP6]: Introduce this scholar and all the scholars you mention by name as well as the text you are referencing. Also mention what the significance of these 3 genres of procrastinators is

consider it to be strategic planning, and others may call it pure coincidence. Whatever you choose to call it, its the time spent dreaming up what you want to say or do, weighing ideas in your mind, following false leads and tearing off on mental wild goose chases, and generally thinking things through (Wax). From the outside looking in, it probably isnt a valid planning strategy because it does not stick to the run-of-the-mill make a concept map, then an outline writing preparation. However, if there is anything I have learned from my English 151 class, it is that it is nearly impossible to tell a student how to go about writing. Whether you are walking to class, or getting dinner with friends, as long as you are actively and productively thinking about your paper or assignment procrastination is working for you.
Comment [LP7]: Similar to Murrays incubation period. But its very important to note that Murray had gotten started thinking about/researching his topics.

However, you cannot consider yourself to be a creative procrastinator while staring at the wall for an hour because you dont know how to come up with a thesis, or dont know the topic youre discussing well enough to come up with one. That is not writing, it is just wasting time. The second type of procrastinator Wax explains is called the Undefined Worker. This procrastinator will do other activities besides their assignment and assume that the paper will simply write itself when the time comes. This procrastinator will put forth the time to do less important tasks, but will not put forth the imagination and mental planning that the Creative Procrastinator would. The third kind of procrastinator that Wax explains is called the Mind Game Procrastinator. This procrastinator knows they have an assignment to complete, and a lot of preparation also to do for the assignment, yet they keep busy by doing other, less important tasks. This is the student who only cleans their room the weekend before a paper is due on Monday. Here lies the problem with procrastination: our minds can often trick us into

procrastinating, often to the point that we dont realize were procrastinating at all. This type of procrastinator feels productive because they are completing a task. Even though it is not the task that needs to be completed.
Comment [LP8]: While I really like Waxs 3 categories- I think its a useful framing tool- my problem with it is that most people are aware that they procrastinate, dont like that they do it, but still nevertheless do it. How do we bridge the gap between self-awareness and selfmotivation/monitoring?

As a writer and especially as a student I am guilty of all three of these types of procrastination. The point is however, that there are potential benefits to procrastination, and educators need to encourage writers not to avoid procrastination but to see how they can use it to their advantage.

I am not out to prove that procrastination is the best kept secret to writing, nor am I trying to prove that procrastination benefits everyone. In fact, in a 2010 research study done by Applied Psychology Magazine, only 31% of writers benefit from some form of procrastination. In the same study, researchers concluded that 82% of students reported feeling more confidence in their assignment if it was not procrastinated (Yeo et al.). So, we cannot ignore the negative effects of procrastination, however, isnt that 31% substantial? If 1 in 3 students are being told taught a misleading way of writing, then isnt it worth writing educators time to look into who from their classroom would benefit from it, and who wouldnt?
Comment [LP9]: I think this is a good clarifying statement and sort of anticipates opposition to your argument.

One can conclude that procrastination is most often, an error of technicality, not morality. It is not logical for writing professionals to tell students that procrastinating is an awful thing with negative effects, while not using procrastination to your full advantage can have destructive effects, it is more important that they encourage students to discover for themselves if procrastinating does work for them or not.

John R. Perry in his essay How to Procrastinate and Still Get Things Done explains what he calls 'structured procrastination'. He emphasizes that procrastinating doesn't mean doing nothing. He also goes on to explain that one of the most common ways procrastinators avoid doing something is by doing something else. He includes a list of five ways to not only learn what kind of procrastinator you are, but distinct steps on how procrastination can be your number one writing tool. After reading his essay and looking through his research findings, I concluded that all writing professionals should encourage their students to make these discoveries and to follow these steps to a more efficient route of procrastination. In all of my years through grade school, and high school, and now college, no teacher of mine, at any point realized that the war against procrastination was a losing battle. Instead of meeting me halfway and teaching me how to use my procrastination to my full advantage, they simply told me to avoid it all together. With thirteen, almost fourteen years of schooling under my belt, I can say with certainty thatI will never stop procrastinating, but only because I have learned how to help my writing. I have learned to do so with these helpful hints regarding structured procrastination from Professor John. R Perry. 1. Always Have Something to Do Besides the assignment at hand, make a to-do list of other little things that need to get done. Work on your assignment for a set amount of time, then work on your other to-do list. While working on your other list, be thinking actively and progressively about your assignment. According to Mr. Perry, if you avoid your assignment by doing absolutely nothing, you are digressing. Instead, keep your to-do list full with other things you need to do besides the one(s) you are avoiding.
Comment [LP11]: Again- incubation/ subconscious thinking/planning. Comment [LP10]: Im not opposed to headings/partitions in this paper (Bernhardt), but this is sort of random and inconsistent with the rest of the paper. I would still prefer you discuss Perrys steps to be in paragraph form. It seems like a lazy way to discuss these steps, which also seem rather peripheral to your argument.

2. Daydream.

It has been proven again and again that the power of the human imagination is very impressive. If you have an assignment that is looming over you, and you just cant get the momentum to start daydream about it. Youll be amazed at what comes to mind. In the frame of mind, you can slowly start drafting your paper, or planning the paper out in your head.

3. Develop Momentum by Not Doing This is where your character flaw of procrastination comes into play to help you accomplish something. Take one of those tasks that seem less important than your assignment and do them. Completing those small tasks can help with the feeling of failure that procrastination seems to carry, and get some momtentum going. While completing these tasks, focus on your assignment being completed. Taking small breaks from your assignment and being productive can keep you in high spirits and give you the energy, once you go back to you assignment, to complete it. Professor Perry admits that one must have 'excellent self-deceptive skills' to accomplish this.

4. Give Up the Fantasy of Perfection In a later essay, Procrastination and Perfectionism, Mr. Perry discusses how the fantasy of perfection feeds procrastination simply because many procrastinators are perfectionists and assume that it is difficult and time consuming to do things perfectly. So, instead of working hard on something thoroughly today, procrastinators will wait until there is not enough time to do it thoroughly. So, when you are feeling overwhelmed about completing an assignment perfectly, step back and ponder: what are the

chances your assignment will be absolutely flawless. If the chances are low, then give yourself permission to make mistakes and go out on a ledge. Youll find, that after this release of false hope is gone, sitting down to do the assignment will be a lot less daunting.

5. When All Else Fails, Sit Down and Do It. The sad truth is that the anxiety of an approaching deadline and the feeling of running out of time is the strongest motivation for procrastinators. Sometimes, an hour countdown until the assignment due date is all you need to get the creative juices flowing. It is amazing what someone can accomplish under pressure. Especially if the student has done the last four steps, sitting down to actually complete the assignment with that time restraint should make it a lot easier.

Steven Witte addresses quite possibly the strongest case against anti-procrastinators. He believes that the traces of procrastination are so incredibly evident in our writing, it is nearly impossible to ignore. Witte also argues that pre-text or the writers tentative writing plan, has both a semantic and syntactic component, and they may take the form of phrases, dependent clauses, sentences or sequences (397). In other words, hesitation to complete an assignment leads most writers to pretext-like thoughts. Thus, they may not notice, but they are actually writing the paper in their heads. This explains why for the 31% of successful procrastinators, writing is so innate and sincere when it comes time for them to complete the assignment. In Dominique Ransoms article How Do I Write?, she argues that there are benefits and repercussions to strategically giving yourself that sense of rush due to extreme
Comment [LP13]: Id like to see you make some direct connections between these writers. It can seem to readers overwhelming to just receive name after name. Group these authors together by their similarities/differences. Comment [LP12]: Interesting

procrastination. She did a self-observation where she observed her writing habits in a natural environment, doing a timed writing exercise. As she did the writing assignment, she kept on a separate piece of paper, a record of her thoughts about the assignment, and her mood. She observed that timed writing exercises caused her to write faster and more of a need to "get to the point", although it hindered her writing performance and process. Many simple mistakes were made in the time restraint writing assignment. She even noticed that pausing to write down her thoughts caused her to defer her concentration from the prompt/assignment at hand. From this we can conclude that procrastination helps to cut out all of the fill that comes with some assignments and really get to the meat and potatoes of the whole paper. However, in Ransoms case, the cons outweigh the pros. Ransom noticed a lot of simple mistakes in her writing and did not fully respond to the prompts because she was so focused about getting all of her main thoughts on the topic out and onto the paper. This would be a case where Ransom is not using procrastination to her full advantage, thus, it is not helping her in return. For me, the benefits of procrastination happen about three to four days before I actually sit down to complete the assignment. I will read through the grading sheet and thing about my topic clearly. I will then think of multiple hooks and introduction options I like for my paper. Over the next few days, Ill think about the options in my head and then when it is finally time to sit down at my laptop to type a paper, I have a solid idea of how I want the paper to flow and sound. In my opinion, this is an exemplary way of getting procrastination to work best for you. Instead of adjusting myself to not procrastinate, I am adjusting procrastination to benefit me in the most productive way possible.
Comment [LP15]: Im not sure Im convinced by this. Is there another way to approach this counterargument- that writing under intense time constraints produces worse writing? Because she has to record her thoughts on a separate piece of paper, isnt she foregoing a vital part of the writing process (the pre-text stage)? Comment [LP14]: 1.Do you think there is a difference between how a professional writer performs under time constraints and how a novice student does?

Through my many years of schooling I learned that perhaps procrastination is not as bad as writing professionals make it out to be. I discovered there is a beneficial writing process that occurs during the procrastination, but to make procrastination productive, it is vital that you do not skip this process. I have learned that for some writers, procrastination is inevitable. We all are in some way, shape or form, professional procrastinators. While it may not work for everyone, it does work for some and it up to the writing professional to encourage the writer to discover that for themselves. Then, it is up to the writer to find out if procrastination is a bad thing for them individually, and if not how to use it to their advantage. Procrastination is a writing process unique to each and every writer. It is time for writing educators to stop preaching the negative connotation and effects of procrastination and encourage writers to discover for themselves how, if at all, procrastination can help their writing.
Comment [LP16]: This conclusion seems rather rushed, and I think your essay is missing an important niche- you arguing that instructors should describe procrastination as a useful stage of the writing process (perhaps based on Perry or Wittes thoughts. Or maybe you could come up with a new strategy.

Works Cited Flower, Linda, and John R. Hayes. "A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing" CCC 32.4 (1981): 365-387. Hairston, Maxine. "Different Products, Different Processes: A Theory about Writing." CCC 37 (1986): 442-52. Harris, Muriel. Composing Behaviors of One- and Multi-Draft Writers. College English 51.2 (1989): 17491. Perl, Sondra. The Composing Processes of Unskilled College Writers. Research in the Teaching of English 13.4 (1979): 31736. Print. Perry, John R. How To Procrastinate and Still Get Things Done. The Chronicle of Higher Education: n. pag. Web. 23 Feb 1996. Wardle, Elizabeth, and Doug Downs. Writing about Writing. Boston: Bedford St. Martin, 2011. Wax, Dustin. Life Hack. Stepcase Limited, 20 September 2011. Web. Witte, Stephen P. Pre-Text and Composing. CCC 38.4 (1987): 397425. Yeo, Lay See, et al. "Academic Procrastination In Two Settings: Motivation Correlates, Behavioral Patterns, And Negative Impact Of Procrastination In Canada And Singapore." Applied Psychology: An International Review 59.3 (2010): 361-379.

Student, I think youve done a wonderful job on this paper. Your discussion of your sources is very thorough and clear, and I like that you maintain a strong authorial voice (and an ironic voice) throughout the paper. I believe you are arguing that procrastination can be a beneficial step in the writing process. It is a dual responsibility of both instructors and students: instructors need to inform students of its potential benefits (incubation/ pre-text, momentum, etc.) and students need to be self-aware, selfmonitoring, and self-motivated in order to take advantage of its benefits. If you choose to revise, which I strongly encourage, here are some suggestions I have for another draft: 1. I would like to see some more connection/synthesis among scholars. I think you do a great job summarizing and clarifying your sources stances, but Id like to see you group them together. Even if the connections are obvious to you, make it as reader-friendly as possible by pointing them out. Moreover, Id also like to see some counterarguments addressed. Ransom is good, but Im not sure I buy how you reconcile her findings with your own argument. 2. I would like to see you offer an instructional method for teaching procrastination as a valuable, beneficial stage of the writing process. Are Perrys steps clear enough for students to grasp and are the benefits of these steps clear enough? Is Wittes pre-text theory applicable to most students? Youve identified a gap in the way in which teachers approach procrastination- they ignore its benefits. The strategies you offer for how they should teach procrastination would be your niche- what you add to the conversation. This essay was a pleasure to read, and I really hope you do choose to revise. -Lauren