Don't Let Procrastination Control You!

If you're like me, you probably have a tab open for your preferred social network. While reading this post for class and casually switching from tab to tab, ask yourself, are you really being productive. For us teens our frontal lobes, responsible for behavior, learning, personality, and voluntary movement, aren't fully developed until their early 20s. Teens are likely to be addicted to their daily habits, like checking up on Facebook every other minute. Fortunately, there are ways to help fight procrastination.

1. In order to fight procrastination, you have to stay away from procrastination. Find a work place where you only do work. For example, a spot at the campus library where there are no distractions. Leave your electronics behind so you don't feel the urge to check up who tagged who in what picture.

2. You need to tame that wild frontal lobe of yours, so try to make a deal with yourself and work for a certain amount of time with no distractions. You'll be surprised at the progress you've made and it'll make you determine to finish your assignment. Also, you'll feel better about yourself for doing so.

3. Clear your mind. Take deep breaths. If you're procrastinating, you're probably stressed because you have to complete more than one thing. Prioritize your objectives. Act upon the most important task, demolish it, and move on to the next one.

Practice these techniques a few times you find yourself procrastinating. The sooner you learn how to tame your mind, the easier it is to make it a good habit!

Also, if you're like me, you totally relate to Spongebob in this episode.

Pychyl, T. (November 1, 2013). Breathe, Count: This is a Basic Volitional Strategy. [article]. Retrieved from Psychology Today

Knezevic, M. (May 8, 2012). Procrastination: a student's worst enemy? [article]. Retrieved from The Guardian

Social Networks, A Place for Teens to Escape, Mentally

Maybe there's a much more deeper reason why we choose to use social networks. We seek comfort in our peers, the ones that know more about us than family. The only way to stay in touch with them is through social networks when we've restricted time from being outside the house. Teens spend time together to get through their problems together. Social networks provide a way for others to bond with each other which can result in more face to face time.

In Dr. Dan's Siegal's article "Why Our Teenagers Feel Compelled to Connect on Social Media", he states "social media may just be a modern means to make us become more deeply social and even more fulfilled in our lives" (Siegal, 2013). With that said, social networks can help transform teens and find deeper meaning to their lives. Social networks helps us see other lives right at home. It helps us see things in a new perspective, helps us adjust to new living environments, etc. Thanks to social networks, we can make friends from all over the world and share different perspectives. 

Siegal, D. (December 30, 2013). Why Our Teenagers Feel Compelled to Connect on Social Media. [Article]. Retrieved from Huffington Post

Are You a Smartphone Jerk?

Do you often find yourself picking up your phone while already engaged in a face to face conversation? Are you one of those people that are mostly on their phones at dinner rather than eating and talking? Well it's time to break that habit. Being on our smartphones is fun and kills time, but there are times where you should know when it's time to breathe without your phone. I guess if it's an emergency, you can politely ask if they mind if you may check your phone. But who wants to be that jerk that's always on their phone while hanging around their friends? It's probably a good idea to not multitask either. Believe it or not, humans cannot multitask, but we can divert our attention to another task pretty quickly. One more important thing to keep in mind is to be kind and respectful. Don't be that smartphone jerk, put the phone down and be part of the crowd. 

Plant, T. (April 22, 2014). 5 simple rules to avoid being a smartphone jerk. [article]. Retrieved from Psychology Today

Are We Addicted to Social Networks?

Everywhere you go, you notice that not only teens but everyone are constantly holding our phones. We wait to see who liked our picture on Instagram, who posted on our Facebook wall, or who mentioned us on Twitter. We are always on our phones, but does that make us anti-social? Not at all! If we're on our phones, it's to talk to those that matter. Most of us are busy with our lives and cannot find time to keep up with other people, thus we share things online for our friends to see. It's not like we would rather talk to them online, us teens would rather talk in person. With the crazy schedule that many of us have, it's more convenient to hop on Facebook where everyone is and see what everyone is doing. When we're at events with our friends, we don't feel the need to pick up our phone to tweet, text, call, etc when all our friends are here. As a teen, I wouldn't say we're addicted to social networks, we're just addicted to each other.


Thompson, C. (December 26, 2013). Don't Blame Social Media if Your Teen is Unsocial. It's Your Fault. [Article]. Retrieved from Wired

Creeping on Social Networks?!

You're on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and you receive a like from someone you don't know. You're either flattered or very creeped out. How did they find you? Why are they looking at your posts and pictures? Having everyone in on what's going on in your life seems like a good idea, at the moment. Is it a wise idea to keep your profile on public? Employers have a chance to check up on you to see what you do in your daily life. Maybe that picture of you chugging a bottle of Jack Daniels on Facebook isn't a good idea for everyone to see. We have social networks to keep up with old and new friends. Maybe we use it as a way to vent our problems. Be careful of what you type in spite of anger or sorrow, it might come back to bite you in the butt.

Admit it, we've all been guilty of creeping on someone we're interested in, dislike, or just plain curious about their lifestyle. Social networks are a PERFECT place to turn to when you want to find out what someone does on the daily. Maybe even finding out the latest gossip. Creep if you want, just be careful not to accidentally tap that like button or... well, you know the feeling when you accidentally like your crush's picture from several months ago.

What's the Deal with Twitter?

Are you so busy throughout your day that you cannot find time to watch the news? Do you find yourself in love with the main character on your favorite show and wish to know more of how they spend their day? Do you feel like you're so busy with school and work that you no longer have a life? Thanks to Twitter, you may now follow your favorite celebrity, your local news station (if available), and socialize with your friends locally, nationally, and internationally! I've often find myself on my phone reading tweets from celebrities, friends, and parody accounts. On other days, I find myself being informed of local and state news thanks to the people I follow. With the 140 character tweets, it's quick and easy to tell everyone what you're up to or what's on your mind.