Procrastination leads to time wasted and opportunities lost. The longer you put off that project, the harder it is to tackle. And if you procrastinate your way into a deep enough hole, it can seem impossible to dig out of.
According to Lucie Moussu, director of the University of Alberta's Centre for Writers (C4W), procrastination is especially common among university students. They are often juggling heavy academic workloads, after-school jobs and extracurricular activities along with their social lives.
Which is why C4W hosts the Long Night Against Procrastination (LNAP)-a free, all-night event that provides a safe and supportive space for students to pull an all-nighter and catch up on some of the work they've put off.
"If you think students don't procrastinate, you're living on a different planet," says Moussu, lead organizer for the annual event. "We can tell them it's terrible, but students will do it anyway. So it's better to teach them how to avoid it and help them get through it when it happens."
The LNAP offers a lineup of free events from Thursday, Nov. 19, to Friday, Nov. 20, at the U of A's Rutherford Library.
This year kicks off with an opening show by Rapid Fire Theatre, and includes one-on-one writing support, peer support sessions, workshops, a computer lab, creative breaks, yoga, stress therapy dogs and dance lessons.
Along with help to catch up on any projects that may have piled up, the event also offers workshops on how to avoid future procrastination, says Moussu.
"We'll be sharing strategies and tips on how to plan your workload, how to deal with distraction, lots of different ways to avoid procrastinating. It's about promoting healthy study habits, getting some work done and having fun too," she says.
LNAP begins Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. An international dinner is scheduled for midnight, followed by a survivors' breakfast at 7 a.m. on Nov. 20.
Last year, more than 500 students spent the night at LNAP, and about 100 of those made it all the way through to the early morning survivor's breakfast.
Arts student Fiona Madsen attended last year's event in the hopes of catching up on both a midterm and a paper she'd been avoiding.
"I had a couple of things due that I had, well, procrastinated on," said Madsen, who was thrilled with the advice she received on how to stay on top of her workload. "I think a lot of students face procrastination and look for a process to try to tackle it, so I think this was really awesome."
LNAP is supported by the Provost's Office and sponsored by several faculties, departments and centres across campus.
For more information, visit the LNAP Facebook page and C4W's LNAP website where students can pre-register now.