Procrastination
We have all been there, we have a task to do, we get anxious about the task, we procrastinate over the task, we do anything but the task, avoiding it for days.
Worry, stress and anxiety build all the time, until we start the task and realise it’s not so bad after all, why didn’t we start sooner? Procrastination, the study devil. Procrastination is in fact a very complex psychological behaviour that can have numerous causes and is not just a simple problem of poor time management. Procrastination inevitably leads to feelings of guilt, inadequacy, self-doubt, frustration, and depression.
There are many potential reasons students procrastinate and understanding these can help you overcome your procrastination. Many students assume that they are just lazy or have no self-discipline, but it is rarely this simple.
Common reasons why students procrastinate include the following:
Perfectionism
If a task is important, unpleasant, or challenging, anxiety and other feelings, such as boredom or frustration can arise. Procrastination can be a way to avoid these difficult feelings in the short term. This can be problematic as procrastination often leads to an increase in anxiety as deadlines approach and work tasks pile up. A vicious cycle can emerge in which feeling anxious about a task can lead to procrastination, which in turn generates more anxiety, and causes someone to procrastinate further.
Fear of failure
This is a common concern for many students. Sometimes, failing due to a lack of effort can seem more desirable than completing a task and failing due to a perceived lack of ability.
Avoiding anxiety
If a task is important, unpleasant, or challenging, anxiety and other feelings, such as boredom or frustration can arise. Procrastination can be a way to avoid these difficult feelings in the short term. This can be problematic as procrastination often leads to an increase in anxiety as deadlines approach and work tasks pile up. A vicious cycle can emerge in which feeling anxious about a task can lead to procrastination, which in turn generates more anxiety, and causes someone to procrastinate further.
Poor time management
Time (and our awareness of it) plays a big part in procrastination. Long delays before a task needs to be completed make us less inclined to get started.
Sometimes we can have a distorted sense of the time available (for example we do not notice the deadline until it is very close, or we can underestimate the time that will be taken up by jobs, other classes etc.
If we lack time structure (clearly defined boundaries between ‘work’ hours and ‘leisure’, for example) it can be hard to focus or concentrate. We can spend many hours stuck in a grey area in between working and relaxing, where we are not really doing either.
Distractibility
This is our tendency to prefer immediate or short-term pleasures or distractions to longer-term rewards. It is suggested that some people are naturally more impulsive than others, and therefore more likely to procrastinate. But there are also situations which make us all more likely to be impulsive, where the distractions are particularly immediate, and the longer-term rewards are particularly remote. And 21st century life is full of easy-access technologies to hook our impulsive tendencies; we are ‘drowning in distractions’.
Undeveloped Study Skills
Students who have not developed effective study skills can be very frustrated with the process of studying because it isn’t paying off and leaves them feeling bored rather than stimulated. As a result it becomes easier to procrastinate than face your study material. Contact the University’s Academic Skills hub who will be able to help develop and improve your study skills
Resentment
Resentment can be generated from a number of sources including: being pushed to go to university by your parents, being disillusioned with the university environment and high expectations, not feeling like your lecturer’s care about you personally, or not getting into the program you wanted. One possible way of expressing your resentment is to passively resist doing the required work since no one can make you do it.
Do's
Set goals and achievable tasks
Break projects into smaller tasks and goals, tackling smaller sections of work will make it less overwhelming and manageable. Once you get into this route it will become easier to start work as you grow in confidence
Remove Distractions
Create a space that is just for work. This space should be free from distractions like clutter, television, mobile phones. Inform your family or house mates when you need time alone without interference so you can focus on assignments.
Don'ts
Say I’ll do it later
Fight the urge to make a habit of thinking “I’ll do it later”, create a schedule that includes the due dates of any upcoming assignments then break this down into work segments and mini deadlines for yourself, this will help keep you on track and you can see active progress.
Allow study breaks turn to procrastination
Take study breaks the right way. Avoid checking in on social media, Whatsapp or catching an episode of a show as these can steal focus, with 10 minutes quickly turning into an hour. Instead, keep your breaks for a quick walk or cup of tea. Schedule in free time for socialisation and binge watching
