Overcoming Procrastination: 7 Strategies for College Students

Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that there could be negative consequences for doing so. It's a very common human experience, one that we have all been guilty of at one point or another. Procrastination can be caused by a low level of motivation, or task aversion, maybe a lack of self-confidence, stress, distractions, not enough focus or in the somewhat worse cases; a habit too hard to break.

There is nothing to be ashamed of about procrastinating, as long as you can put up some effort to change it. Because in the end, these strategies for overcoming procrastination are about breaking the habit, not about fighting ‘laziness.’ Also, an unofficial first step is, admit that you’re procrastinating.

Writing Things Down and Prioritizing

To start, one of the strategies you can employ is simply writing things down on a piece of paper. After that, with all the tasks you must do for that day or that week laid out in front of you, now comes the time to prioritize each task and see what you "need" to do and what you "can" do with the time you have been given.

Commit to finishing them, in whatever order might please you and befit your busy schedule. Use appropriate language, no uncertainty can be in you, speak with certainty, not with resignation at having to do a task, but with determination to do your best no matter what happens. You can also spend five minutes every night writing down what you must do tomorrow or for that very week. This readies you for work and keeps you grounded.

Set goals and alter your daily perspective, hold yourself accountable to them. What tasks are most time-sensitive? And what do you have to do no matter what? What takes you the least time and what needs to be done as soon as possible? Please keep this in mind as you prioritize and things will flow much easier from then on.

You can also try to knock out the hardest task first and then go on to the more manageable ones. Or break up big tasks into smaller, more manageable steps to help you begin, along with appropriately timed resting periods.

Change Of Environment and Limiting Distractions

I had a hard time working on a lot of my projects when I was in college, staying in my dorm, sitting at my desk, surrounded by distractions and never really finishing anything until the deadline hung over my head like a guillotine. But these problems I had were fixed bit by bit when I changed my work environment and limited my access to social media and other distractions.

Finding a productive environment can be complicated. But sometimes you don’t even need that. Just go to a place, a coffee shop, a library, but it must be some other place outside of your comfort zone. When you are there, get to work. Work hard at your goals, and slowly, your brain will associate that new environment with working. This will help you if you treat that place like a promise to yourself; that whenever you go there, you will work.

Another crucial part of fighting procrastination is to push away distractions. Distractions will cause you to procrastinate. Turn off your phone, stay away from social media, and make sure you’re setting yourself up to stay on-task rather than deviating to something new. Or you could reward yourself with timed breaks after reaching certain goals, like 10 minutes of playtime for every half-hour of work done, to give your brain a reward for a job well done, be it with favorite snacks or whatever best fits your working process.

Apps and Websites

Technology need not be your enemy, it can be your greatest ally in your fight against procrastination. The website or app you choose depends on your goals and the type of tasks you want to accomplish. Do not be afraid of trying, dropping and searching for more apps or websites; this is all about what fits you, not an all-purpose ‘save my grades’ kit.

One app I would recommend for mobile phone users is one sec. It delays your use of certain apps, assigned by you of course, and forces you to take a deep breath whenever you open them. Sometimes we do things unconsciously, “why did I open that app?”, and one sec is designed to help you change these habits. It is also fully automated, which is a big plus.

A far stronger solution, especially for those who work on the computer, is Cold Turkey. This extension helps you block websites, games and applications to help increase your productivity. It is also very customizable, you can make it so that the block only comes off at certain times of the day. It's easy to use and you don’t miss much by using the free version.

Regardless of which you pick, please take short breaks when studying to allow for increased focus. Explore productive breaks that help you re-energize and refocus when the time is right.

Cycling Through Tasks

Sometimes getting hung-up on a task can break the momentum of your day. It can be something mundane or academic, regardless, we all feel the fatigue of doing too many things at once, or having too much to do in our day/week. Cycling through tasks is an interesting way to fix this problem, and a popular method to do so is the Pomodoro Technique.

The Pomodoro Technique is a way to ration out periods of productivity in order to get things done while in a state of flow and focus. You decide on a task you need to do and set a timer of 25 minutes, you work on the task without interruptions, then stop working only when the timer runs out, taking a break of 5 to 10 minutes. After the break is over, you go back to the timer of 25 minutes and repeat the cycle 3 times, afterwards you take a longer 15 to 30 minute break.

And after that break is over? Return to step 2 and the cycle repeats.

After the task is completed, you can take time to review it and see what you have accomplished, or review the list of upcoming tasks for the next Pomodoro time blocks.

Creating SMART Goals

• Specific.
• Measurable.
• Achievable.
• Relevant.
• Time-bound.

That is what a SMART goal is, the purpose of these goals is quite simple. They are meant to address your necessities for completing a certain task, as well as your major responsibilities. SMART goals are for focusing your attention and resources on what’s important and succeed where you want to succeed. Let’s start with Specific. Be specific about what you want to accomplish. Think about it like a mission statement of your goals. Measurable, by what metrics do you assess your goals? What is the material end that you can measure? Is it your objective to write 10,000 words for your essay in three days? Good, that is measurable. If it's a project that will take a few months to complete, then set some milestones within that goal to accomplish. Achievable is a little simpler. It's meant to inspire motivation within you. Basically, you reflect on how important this goal is to you, what you can do to make it achievable and what skills/tools you might need to develop in order to achieve it. Relevancy is about narrowing your focus down to something that makes sense for your goals. Make sure all of these are clear in your mind, and your goals will feel less intimidating. Time-bound is self-explanatory, give yourself a measure of time you think is necessary to finish that task, give yourself a clear deadline and hold yourself accountable to it, be realistic but also be decisive.

Practice Self-Compassion

Self-criticism can be quite healthy, but it’s not a surefire cure for your procrastination, especially when you start berating yourself and ignoring your own achievements. Self-kindness is important too, but many of us fail to see it sometimes.

When self-doubt is the root of your procrastination, doubting your own ability to complete the task, address those emotions and how they affect your ability. Use facts and rational reasons to dispel these doubts.

Now, while you can overestimate the amount of time needed to complete a task, which can work to help your self-doubt, always be sure to check in on yourself every once in a while to make sure that you’re not pushing yourself into burnout.

Find A Buddy

Holding yourself accountable to someone can be a great way to battle procrastination. When we do things alone it can allow us to concentrate better. But when we ally ourselves with people who want to learn, same as us, you can both be sharpened by the learning experience. Not only is it good for your mental health, as studying for a new degree can be a little scary, but it can also make studying much more effective. We are social animals, after all.

Friends on campus, people chasing dreams like yours, help feed your own ambition and improve your grades. Of course, you will have to actually study with them, as contrary to popular belief, playing videogames doesn’t really count.

Asking for help does not make you lesser, be it in intelligence or ability. We all need help, but asking for it is not shameful, but sometimes necessary, a new perspective is not a perspective wasted after all. Getting a buddy to study with and hold yourself accountable can do wonders.

Conclusion

Don’t get me wrong, it's okay to put things off sometimes, but it's also important to make sure long-term procrastination does not take over your life. You must be careful that this doesn’t become a “I am intimidated by a task, I get scared, I run away,” because that negative habit could later transfer to other parts of your life.

The point of this blogpost is not meant to shame you, but give you some tools you can use for your own benefit in life. Your work and responsibilities won’t go away over time, so it’s time to tackle them while you are still capable of doing so, so go! Go and use these tips to avoid procrastination.

Do it now by the way, not later.