How to Stop Procrastinating

How to Stop Procrastinating for Students

Procrastinating. We’ve likely all done it at least once. In college, with papers due and tests to study for, it becomes all the more tempting for students to put things off till the last minute.

Everyone has different abilities; some breeze through their calculus and algebra problems, while others are able to speedily type out papers and get through readings, but procrastination is the common denominator among students in just about every major.

Here’s a nifty guide to help you stop procrastinating, get ahead, become more productive, and stop stressing out.

What Percentage of College Students Struggle with Procrastination?

Procrastination is incredibly common among college students; based on recent research from the American Psychological Association, anywhere from 80 to 90 percent of college students procrastinate, particularly when it comes to academic coursework. With virtually all college students procrastinating, even on the conservative end of the estimates, it becomes increasingly important not to make it a habit.

Why Do College Students Procrastinate?

College is an exciting time of independence, and for many students, it’s the first time they’ve truly been solely accountable for their academics. As a result, many fall into procrastination behaviors, putting off assignments, homework, and studying until the last minute. The specific source of it varies by student.

For some, it’s a lack of motivation and a sense of perfectionism. Students who fear failure feel they have to excel at absolutely everything, even at the cost of wasting time. For others, it might be a time management issue. It can be challenging to go from a scheduled environment to one where it falls on the student to make their own schedule and follow their own timetable amidst new distractions like extracurricular clubs and friend groups.

No matter the driver, the consequences of procrastination are significant. Procrastination means students have less time to study and sleep. Chronic procrastination can lead students to become more stressed out, resulting in poor academic performance and worsened health issues.

How to Stop Procrastinating for Students

Keep yourself accountable and jump off the procrastination station with these seven useful tips.

Understand How You Procrastinate

Like any negative behavior, the first step to reducing procrastination is to admit you have a problem. Realizing how you procrastinate goes a long way toward stopping it. Perhaps there’s a show you’ve gotten into the habit of watching when you should be doing homework. Maybe you spend a lot of extra time on social media in between classes when you could be studying. Maybe you’re such a social person who values spending time with friends that you often lose track of time and find it difficult to make time for academics.

Start Tracking Your Time

Keep a notebook of how you spend your time each day, either hour-by-hour or block-by-block. Reviewing how you spend your time every day increases accountability and makes you more apt to be productive with your time. It can also help you identify specific areas of improvement and stay more focused throughout your day. If you don’t want to use paper and pencil, consider a time-tracking app or software tool that can provide you with a breakdown of what you spend your time on and send you encouragements.

Prioritize Your Tasks

At the start of every week, write down your top tasks for the week, organized in order of importance. This ensures you’ll have more time to get through the toughest tasks first, like studying for a big midterm or writing a longer paper. Save the less important tasks or the ones you know won’t take you very long for later in the week so you’ll have less of an excuse to put off the most important ones. Keeping a checklist can help you track your progress and check off what you’ve already done, allowing you to fit in some time to relax and breathe instead of rushing.

Set Goals for Yourself

Reflect on why you chose your program and major in the first place. What are your long-term goals, and how does what you do now fit into them? At the start of every new semester, list out some of the goals you have for yourself in each of your classes. When you’re feeling unmotivated, you can go back to those goals. Try to keep your goals as attainable as possible. If you’re already struggling in a particularly challenging class, you may not benefit greatly from pushing yourself to get the “perfect” grade.

Explore Different Time Management Techniques

Time management looks a little different for everyone. If you’re a bigger-picture person, you may benefit from chunking or time-blocking techniques where you opt to set aside larger chunks of time for strategic planning, as opposed to scheduling your time by the hour or task. If you struggle to study for extended periods, consider employing a method like Pomodoro, where you break time up into smaller intervals, taking breaks in between each.

Build Accountability Mechanisms

Establish accountability mechanisms for yourself so avoiding procrastination becomes second nature. You can do this by updating a weekly list of tasks and tracking deadlines. Reward yourself for accomplishing especially challenging or time-consuming projects to keep yourself motivated. If you get your studying done early, opt to go out with friends or watch an extra episode of your favorite show.

Eliminate Distractions

Distractions are the number one hurdle in preventing procrastination. Turn off the notifications on your cell phone and devices and keep the TV off when working and studying. If you have a compulsion to check your phone for notifications, opt to change your home screen to a minimalistic design so you can only access a handful of icons at a time, like your contacts, calendar, and calculator. Or, better yet, put your phone in a drawer or place where it’s not easily accessible until you finish your work.

Top Long-Term Tips for Overcoming Procrastination

Here are some additional long-term tips for overcoming procrastination so you can reduce stress and truly thrive:

• Find an accountability buddy.
• Take advantage of study groups.
• Explore healthy coping strategies for stress like exercise.
• Take it slow and recognize your wins.
• Improve your study environment.
• Change your mentality to one of progress over perfection.
• Surround yourself with motivators.

Avoid Procrastinating at Regent University  

Regent University has a plethora of useful resources for students looking to overcome procrastination and get ahead of their studies. Find academic resources to help you develop your study skills and time management strategies, life coaching to help you manage stress, career coaching to help you prepare for your career, and more at the Center for Student Happiness. Learn more at regent.edu/resources.