How to Overcome Procrastination!

Many of us have been there, we have a pressing task to do but we can’t bring ourselves to do it. We get distracted with other things…we end up procrastinating. How do we stop falling prey to procrastination? To help us overcome this beast it can be useful to first understand what procrastination looks like for you and what are some of the reasons why you may procrastinate.

Let's break it down!

What Does Procrastination Look Like for you?:

Procrastination is the act of delaying doing an important task. This may involve doing something else that’s less important such as scrolling through TikTok. When you notice yourself procrastinating it can be helpful to acknowledge what you are procrastinating from, and what you might be doing instead. You may pick up that you are more likely to procrastinate for certain tasks and tend to do similar avoidance activities. For me I tend to procrastinate when I am writing English essays, where I instead binge self improvement videos (gosh how ironic)! Noticing any patterns like this is great as it allows you to be more vigilant when you are doing those procrastination prone tasks.

Why Procrastination?

It can be also useful to find out why we are procrastinating in the first place. Knowing our reasons can help us decide what anti-procrastination strategies would work best for you. It's important to remember that procrastinating is a very normal behaviour and is certainly not a reflection of lack of effort or motivation. It can sometimes be a result of putting a lot of effort into the task! Here are some common reasons why we may fall into the procrastination trap. It's okay if you don’t identify with any of these reasons, they're here to give you some ideas of what your own reasons may be 🙂

Fear of Failure:

Oh boy! I am sure many of us can relate to this one! Sometimes the fear of not producing good enough work can make it all the more harder to get on with the task. Not only are you having to tackle the task at hand but you also have to push through all those negative thoughts and feelings. Very overwhelming! Therefore we may be drawn to having a “ little break from the task” and doing something less anxiety inducing. As you might predict this “little break” may lead to procrastination!

Being Trapped in the “Avoidance Spiral”:

As you have probably experienced yourself, the longer we put something off, the more anxiety and resistance we have towards doing the task! Frustratedly this means procrastinating in itself can cause further procrastination.

Protecting our Self Esteem:

Initially this one does not make much sense! As you often don’t feel good when you are not able to complete your assignments. However procrastination gives us a reason for why we may not do well in the task. It shifts the blame of not doing well away from our abilities to something less personal like not having enough time to do the assignment.

Time Management:

Many of us have commitments outside of studying, so it can be quite hard to juggle everything with the limited hours in a day. This can lead to having less than the ideal amount of time to complete assignments, creating anxiety around getting it done. As mentioned, anxiety is a real breeding ground for procrastination!

Getting Distracted:

We all have certain things we easily get distracted by. For me it's getting a text notification! Getting distracted can pull us away from the task, making it harder to get back into it.

The Task is Boring!:

Let’s be honest, writing an essay is not the funniest thing to do in the world! When we are doing a boring task, anything else sounds way more fun and attractive.

Note - Procrastinating may be a Sign of Something more Deeper:

Sometimes procrastinating can be a deeper sign that things are not going so well. Procrastinating could be a reflection of being extremely stressed and burnt out or feeling so low. It can also be a sign of having a neurological condition such as ADHD. If you feel this may be the case, you don’t have to do this alone. It may be helpful to reach out to a trusted loved one for support. If you feel like you might need some extra support, there’s a list of services where you can reach out too:

Indigo_LemurPosted 09-08-2024 02:53 PM

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Indigo_LemurPosted 09-08-2024 02:55 PM

Overcoming Procrastination

Now for what we all have been waiting for 😁. After identifying what you are procrastinating from, and what some of your reasons may be, you are in a good place to figure out how to overcome it! Below is a list of some anti-procrastination strategies recommended by Unis and internet productivity experts. It’s important to note that some of these strategies will work better than others depending on your situation. It's all about finding out what works best for you 🙂

Acknowledge the Fear:

If fear of failure is pushing the brakes on that assignment it might be helpful to acknowledge what some of these fears may be. It may even be helpful to say some of the main fearful thoughts aloud or write them down on a piece of paper, crumpling it up afterwards.

Reassure Yourself:

This involves reminding yourself of all the times you have successfully done a similar assignment before, and how doing it was not as hard as you first thought. It may also be helpful to give yourself gentle encouragement like “you are doing the best you can” and “ you are putting in the effort - that's good enough!”

Minimising Distractions:

If you are finding yourself easily distracted it can be helpful to minimise or remove distractions. Classics include turning your phone on silent, putting your phone in a place you can’t see and working in a quiet room on your own.

Breaking it Down:

This involves breaking the task down into manageable smaller steps that fits around your schedule. What helps me is writing down what I need to do for each of the weeks leading up to the assignment deadline, then I distribute the tasks into what days and times I can do them.

Looking for tips on time management? Here some helpful RO article on time management:

Having an Overall Time Limit and Taking Multiple Breaks:

This strategy involves having an overall time limit on doing the task, where you have regular work and break blocks. This technique is quite helpful as having regular breaks and a definite end to the work session can help you stay motivated. A popular work and break method is the Pomodoro technique, which involves working for 25 minute then having a short 5 minute break. This break/work cycle is continued until your overall work session is done. For example, if you have a 2 hour work session, you would then have 4x work/ break blocks. You don’t have to stick to 25 minute blocks either, you can adjust the work block to a time that suits you like having a 50 minute block with a 10 minute break. If you are keen to give this technique a try, here’s a link to a Pomodoro timer: https://pomofocus.io/

Another method is the 10 minute rule. This involves doing the task you are putting off for 10 minutes, with no pressure to do more. Some people find that after 10 minutes, they want to keep on working. This might be because they have overcome what's often the hardest part of a task- actually starting it!

Make it Fun!:

Finding ways to combine things you enjoy with the tasks you have to do can make doing the work all the more bearable. For example, if you enjoy watching movies, it may be fun to listen to movie scores while powering through that assignment. As I enjoy watching anime I found that listening to anime openings helps me stay motivated without getting distracted. Some other ideas may be eating your favourite snack whilst working or rewarding yourself with a fun activity afterwards. The idea here is to find out what you enjoy and see if you can fit it in with what you need to do.

Here is another Reachout article that provides more tips on staying motivated: