From scrolling through social media to playing video games, students find creative ways to put off the stresses of their finals. With finals just around the corner, it feels like it is time to do anything but study.

For junior nursing major Jordan Greenshield, screens can often be a big distraction from studying.

“I usually get distracted by Netflix and YouTube and social media. And I just get kind of caught up in a movie or a TV show, and I start watching that,” Greenshield explained. “Next thing you know, it’s a day or two before a test or a day before something’s due.”

A TV show can particularly be a big distraction for students who have access to shows in the same space where they study. Greenshield has found that the specific shows he watches can also contribute to how much time he spends on them.

“I watched a show called “The Expanse,” which is like a space show on Amazon Prime. And it’s one of those shows, like, every episode [ends on] a cliffhanger, so I just want to watch one more,” Greenshield said.

Junior special education major Mary Coscolluela will sometimes put off studying by doing activities such as shopping or getting food.

“Since I am already on my computer a majority of the day, sometimes my mind wanders and I end up either using my phone or clicking through a plethora of websites, usually reading or shopping,” Coscolluela explained. “I choose them because they are at my disposal and because I think of them as ‘mental breaks.’”

For Coscolluela, stress is often the cause of her procrastination.

“I think I procrastinate because I shut down mentally when I start to feel too stressed out, but of course, the consequences of procrastination don’t appease that at all. I try to just keep pushing,” Coscolluela said.

For other students like freshman psychology major Tianna Flores, the lack of motivation and exhaustion from school work is a struggle.

“I think I procrastinate due to lack of motivation. My mind is elsewhere and sometimes focusing on school drains me the second I think about it,” Flores said.

Social activities or even work tend to be better options than focusing on homework all the time.

“When I do procrastinate, I tend to spend more time with my friends where I don’t feel stressed out, or I focus on things like my network marketing job because it brings me a peaceful focus,” Flores explained.

Procrastination does not always mean skipping out on school work to do something more fun.

Freshman psychology major Abby Kauffman admits she uses other school work to procrastinate.

“I honestly will do anything but the assignment that is due. I will even procrastinate with other school work or cleaning my room if it means I don’t have to do the assignment that is actually due soon,” Kauffman said.

Procrastination is a struggle for all students, but that is not always bad.

“As I’ve progressed through college, I’ve started to figure out, okay, like, I can kind of waste time here and there. Like, I kind of know where I can relax my time, and I can waste time, and I know what classes I need to really focus on,” Greenshield said. “I have a little bit more of a system behind it, but I definitely still procrastinate.”