Q: Dear Danielle, I have a really bad procrastination habit. It first started when I became a freshman in high school. In middle school I always handed in my work on time, never missed assignments, always did my homework and studied a lot. But ever since I got into the high school, I started procrastinating with my work. It has gotten worse ever since. Lately, I can not seem to do any of my work. I do my class work just fine, but when it comes to doing homework and projects, I either put it off until the last minute or I just don’t do it at all. My grades have dropped dramatically due to my bad habit. What can I do to get rid of my procrastination habit and do better in school? – Procrastinating My Grades Away

A: Dear Procrastinating My Grades Away, Looks like you have a problem on your hands. Procrastination is never a good habit to develop, especially in high school. From what it seems like, your grades have always been important to you. The first thing you have to do to get rid of your bad habit is to get yourself organized. Get in the habit of writing down all of your assignments and their due dates in a planner every day. Make sure you check that planner everyday so you don’t forget about your assignments. Next, plan your time out evenly. Get in the habit of doing your homework once you get home. Give yourself a few minutes to relax and have a snack, then start your homework. Next, don’t leave projects and essays until the last minute. If you know that it will be a long assignment, do a little bit of it everyday until the day that its due. Give yourself a deadline of when you would like that project to be done and stick to that deadline. It works for me. Don’t wait until the last minute to do your work because then your work will be sloppy and not as good as you would like it to be. Also, remember that good feeling that you got every time you got a good grade. Let that good feeling be your motivation to do your work. I hope these tips helps you out. Good luck to you. -Danielle