Finals are upon us, and with those come the legendary “crunch-time”. While some parents are busy emailing teachers, begging mercy over their child’s shameful grade, we sit at home, textbooks in front, phone in hand. Some of us may not even add the textbook, but if we do, it’s to give the illusion that we are being productive.

However, no matter how much we would like that higher grade, our brains have already powered-off for winter break. If you’re anything like me, you much rather prefer watching the latest holiday movies and binge-watching reruns of The Office and Friends over studying. But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to work in a frenzy the night before the final project is due, or maybe even in the class beforehand.

Perhaps it’s just me being a senior, ready for the last semester of my high school year to begin. Yet, I find students in every grade, ready to throw in the towel. “Crunch-time” is now defined as munching on cereal while scrolling through Instagram and Snapchatting friends.

As we approach the weekend before finals, a few light-bulbs will go off when it finally dawns on us that this is really it for the semester. Our grades are doomed, and we have seven  or eight review packets to complete and memorize in a matter of days. Instead, we’ll look towards our past grades, believing that there is no way we can pass the final when all we’ve done is snooze the past month. We inquire our teachers, begging for any last minute tasks we can complete to get a single point. We ask about redoing past projects or rewriting essays. We’ll even consider scraping gum off the bottom of desks if it gives us another chance.

The end of semesters are always a stressful time as we battle out our grades and finally have to come to accept our displeasing overall percentage. If you’re a freshman, it is the time to learn that procrastination is not the key to success in high school, or life in general. While it may have worked on a few assignments to push back the deadline, in the end, the final grades have to be submitted at some point.

According to Ashton College, there are a few benefits to active procrastination. Researchers have found that putting decisions off until the last minute may lead to better choices as you have more time to gather and process information, and then weigh the possible outcomes of your choice. However, this requires you to actively think about the assignment, instead of hiding it in the corner while you hold an Xbox remote.

Another positive for active procrastinators is focusing on the necessary tasks, and skipping the things that aren’t vital. When finishing a project in the middle of the night, you aren’t focusing on every little aspect of the project, you are instead spreading the limited time on the final project to get the highest grade possible.

Now don’t those positives make it all worth it? Perhaps, but in order to receive those benefits, if you recall, you must be an active procrastinator. These are people who are in control of their time, and are aware of using it purposefully. You still might put things off, but you usually fill it with other tasks and aren’t worried about not getting the main job done.

The majority of us are considered passive procrastinators, where we put something off, and neglect to replace it with something useful. This leads to more negative effects including greater levels of stress and extrinsic motivation, a behavior driven by reward incentives. Passive procrastinators also have a lower life satisfaction, which is understandable considering we spend a lot of time doing nothing.

If you find yourself as an active procrastinator, and you are able to understand what needs to be priority on your to-do list, then let the procrastination begin! But if you are more of a passive procrastinator and you’re hiding from your duties, or trying to find an escape from school, then you may need to reassess this final week.

After passive procrastination has already commenced, it’s hard to get back on track and figure out where to even begin. Lists are helpful, as well as keeping a detailed schedule. While there’s not much time left for this semester, make sure to include breathing breaks to rest your mind. These are not meant to be an hour long, but take 10 minutes here and there to rejuvenate your mind. Eat a snack, move around, then come back and get back at it. Keep track of what you’ve accomplished, and what else you need to do. This will help keep you organized, as well as give you a sense of accomplishment after you get to cross off each item.

It might be too late to get the perfect grade in your class, but it’s never too late to start trying. Don’t find your escape in procrastination, because even when you come back to reality, it’s still sitting there waiting.

In this next week, ignore the distractions, do the unbelievable and power your phone off. I promise you, The Office, Friends and every other show will still be there in a week.