Written by Julia Gralki. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Procrastination is putting off work and delaying important tasks even though it will have negative effects on you. However, procrastination has nothing to do with laziness. Reasons for procrastination are diverse and often have their roots in anxiety or feeling overwhelmed. But ignoring an important task doesn’t make it go away – it only increases stress.
Procrastination is a common issue faced by almost anyone – studies show that up to 95% of college students put off schoolwork at some point. But is there a way to manage the urge to procrastinate?
Why do we procrastinate?
Procrastination can have many reasons, but most commonly it’s because we want to avoid a stressful, difficult or boring task. That’s why we don’t procrastinate on things we enjoy doing.
There are different types of procrastinators: Those who are afraid of judgment or failing the assignment, those who avoid stressful choices because they are indecisive, and those who say they perform best when under time pressure. Studies show that procrastinators earn lower grades and experience more stress.
At the end of the day, procrastination is a choice. So what if, instead of choosing to put off an important task, we made a proactive effort to get it done with enough time to review before the deadline?
How to stop procrastinating
There are plenty of ways to stop procrastination. The following selection of anti-procrastination tips will get you through the next wave of assignments coming your way this quarter.
Always set clear deadlines
Deadlines are a procrastination remedy. They provide a framework for planning and scheduling your tasks. If you have an art history paper due in two weeks, make sure to add the deadline to your calendar and plan for enough time to research, outline, write, and edit the paper. Breaking the assignment down helps you tackle the assignment in smaller steps
Set goals and stay motivated
What’s the source of motivation? Goals. To avoid procrastination, write down your goals before the start of each quarter, project or assignment and keep them within sight. For example, your goals could be to spend twenty minutes on your storyboarding assignment each day or learn fifty new words for your Spanish class each week.
Reward yourself
If you reach your goals, treat yourself with a reward because rewards help build positive habits. For example, once you finish your design project, allow yourself to watch an episode of your comfort TV show.
Start with small steps
Oftentimes, the hurdle to starting a task is not knowing where to start. That’s why you have to start small. For example, tell yourself to read that research paper for art history for only 15 minutes. You might find yourself reading for way longer than planned because once you get started, it’s easier to keep going. Sometimes it just needs a little push to get over that initial obstacle.
Reduce distractions and find the right study location
Distractions are everywhere – that’s why it’s even more crucial to reduce them as much as possible. Turn off your phone while working on assignments, close browser tabs you don’t need and find a quiet study location. It’s all about erasing the option to scroll on social media or watch Netflix instead of writing that essay you find boring.
Work when you work best
There are night owls and there are early birds – and everything in between. To avoid procrastination, figure out when you work most efficiently. If you feel tired before you even start to work, it will be hard to finish the task. That’s why it’s important to schedule the most thought-intensive tasks during the times of day when you work best.
Schedule breaks
Taking breaks can improve your productivity. But only if they are used to the advantage of the assignment. Instead of rushing through an assignment, schedule frequent breaks to let your brain take a breather. You can try the Pomodoro study method to hold yourself accountable.
Final thoughts
The path to beating procrastination is not easy, and building new habits takes a while. But the effort is worth it. Procrastination leads to physical and psychological stress, headaches and poor sleep. Hang in there, take frequent breaks, and reward yourself after finishing big assignments.
