Procrastination

Procrastination means delaying or postponing something that must be done because it seems difficult or unpleasant. If you are someone who procrastinates, it's important to remember that it IS possible to teach ourselves new behaviours. Let's get started!

Reasons you might be procrastinating

When procrastination becomes a problem, it can be helpful to explore reasons why you may find yourself avoiding certain tasks. These can include:

• lack of interest in the task
• fear of failure
• doubting your ability to complete the task
• having multiple tasks with looming deadlines
• fatigue
• distractions such as technology.

What can you do about it?

Everyone is different, so some of the following tips may be perfect for you and others may not. This will depend on the cause of your procrastination and your preferred ways of studying.

Identify when you are procrastinating

It's never too early to start an assignment! You may be doing things that are keeping you busy instead of getting work done. This could include:

• preparing your workspace rather than working at it
• actively seeking distractions, such as checking your phone for updates
• if you're at home, you may prioritise housework over your studies.

Break procrastination cycles

• Set small goals by breaking a big task into small pieces.
• Start with a task that can easily be completed.
• Study with your friends - seeing other people study can help you to get to work.
• Write up a 'Done' list as an alternative as a 'To-Do' list to remind yourself of your accomplishments.
• Plan regular times to focus on studying. Having a regular time to do something each day helps to form a good work habit.

Understand your ideal workspace

Being aware of distraction is your workspace can help you minimise their effect. To remove distractions, you could:

• turn your mobile phone on silent or leave it in another room while you study
• You can turn off notifications on your devices or set them to 'focus' mode.
• declutter your workspace by removing anything that isn't necessary for your studies
• if possible, adjust the lighting to avoid eye strain
• listen to music or sounds that help you to focus.

The pomodoro technique

This technique involves choosing a task and working on it in 25-minute bursts followed by short breaks, as directed by a timer. After four of these bursts, you can take a longer break. An online pomodoro timer that might help you stick to your task is Pomofocus.

Images on this page by RMIT, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0