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​​​​⏳ Estimated reading time: 11 min

Procrastination (​the habit of delaying) is a conscious behavioral engagement with activities that are not related to primary duties or work.​ It is therefore one of the individual's mechanisms for dealing with negative emotions and avoiding stressful situations. Among the key reasons for postponing certain tasks are most often fear of failure, lack of motivation to work or avoiding less pleasant tasks. Often this also means performing more pleasant activities at the expense of less pleasant but more important ones.​

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Empirical studies (Pychyl, 2013; Steel & Klingsieck, 2016) on the student population find that academic procrastination has a negative impact on both academic achievements and the individual's personal well-being.​ In extreme cases, it can lead to an increase in stress and the need for psychological help. In the work environment, it can also be manifested by reduced satisfaction with activities, lower productivity and burnout.​

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👉📺​ You can find out more about procrastination in Tim Urban's short video on TED Talk.

Can I also delay procrastination?

​The first step in overcoming procrastination is being aware of it and internalizing the desire to change. Focusing on the task in terms of progress can be helpful in the beginning, as opposed to constantly inhibiting work enthusiasm due to awareness of what should or at least could have been done.

​The most important thing in overcoming learning procrastination is awareness of the problem and the desire to change (Pychyl, 2013).

​​The following tips can help you avoid or at least mitigate the effects of procrastination:

1. ​Eliminate distractions: among the common triggers of learning procrastination are external stimuli, which can come in the form of technological devices, an untidy work environment, sounds from the surroundings, etc. Choose an appropriate place to study that will be quiet, free from distractions and temptations to switch attention to another activity (e.g., mobile devices, social networks, games, snacks). If necessary, choose a specific time of day (e.g., morning, afternoon) or a favorite place (e.g.,​ a specific table in the reading room).​​

2.​ ​Set achievable goals: setting goals are one of the most basic and at the same time the most effective approache against learning procrastination. You can set goals in a physical planner or with the support of one of the online applications (e.g., Asana, Microsoft To Do). Efficiency and subsequent motivation can be increased by prioritizing short and quick-to-solve tasks, which infuse joy with each marked tick and drive to continue working. Nevertheless, the individual goal should represent an achievable challenge and a specific step that can be visualized at any moment (e.g., mark the important concepts of the first chapter). Achieving banal goals without excessive effort (e.g., borrowing a book from the faculty library) does not bring the same satisfaction, and flat-set goals (e.g., writing a summary of the material by the end of the month, studying mathematics on Saturday) are difficult and inefficient to follow.​,​

3. ​Limit goals with deadlines: in order to avoid procrastination and postponing it to later, it makes sense to define precise deadlines, which also define the planned goals in terms of time. The latter makes it easier to follow "to-do lists" and prevents avoiding less pleasant tasks. A common mistake in planning deadlines is misjudgment and excessive attention to less important activities (e.g., design and classification of resources instead of content and analysis of results). It is also important to take into account spare time for unforeseen complications and to set the deadline a day or two before the requested submission of the task (e.g., project). This way, with more effective monitoring of activities, time will always be available for a careful review and final additions, and at the same time, work will generally be less stressful due to the impact on the course.​

4.  ​​Check priorities: by planning time-defined goals, it makes sense to determine their importance as well (e.g., A for priority tasks, C for less urgent ones). There are several approaches that depend mainly on the individual. For example, we devote the majority of the day more carefully to the most urgent activities, while placing easier routine tasks in a less efficient part of the day. We do demanding and important activities as soon as possible, when we are still rested, so that the rest of the day seems simpler and more manageable.​

5.  Establish routines​: activities are often easier to do if they become a habit, so it makes sense to follow the same principle when studying. Add individual learning activities to your regular daily schedule and stick to it for at least 21 days. Since the beginnings are always the most difficult (e.g., sports training), it makes sense to start with simple and pleasant tasks that you later upgrade (e.g., upgrade the initial on-the-fly writing of notes by searching and supplementing with additional resources). Also check any procrastination routines (e.g., I only check social networks before studying) and remove them from your activity patterns.​

6.  Follow your speed: ​even when learning, it is not bad to have role models, but do not forget that we are different. Therefore, find your own speed of work, and comparison with others should not be a driver for increased stress and the resulting drop in work enthusiasm. When planning your work, be careful not to fall into the myth of procrastination, to wait until the last moment for a greater effect when you have accumulated activities.

7.  Self-evaluate the learning process​: an important aspect of studying is also taking responsibility for its course. With the support of self-evaluation and self-regulation, you can detect insufficient planning of time and effort invested in the activity even before the critical phase. By tracking the activities, it will be easier to discover the reasons for possible deficits and to plan concrete approaches to improve learning achievements. With the help of the KWL method, you can effectively prepare for the course of the study process and, on the basis of guided questions, encourage the recognition and activation of prior knowledge in connection with the development of new knowledge.​​

8. Take time for a break: taking excessive breaks is often the most characteristic symptom of learning procrastination, however, short breaks between activities are important for maintaining concentration. To maintain focus while studying, a time frame of between 30 and 60 minutes of study with a break of 5 to 10 minutes is recommended. With the "pomodoro" technique, measure the break with a stopwatch for 25 minutes of active learning, followed by a 5-minute break. Places for breaks should be outside the work area (e.g., hallway, in the fresh air). In this case, the advice also applies that if it is a waste of time/energy to visit another place for a break, you probably don't need a break and just run away from the activity.​

9. ​Find your inner motivation: rewarding can increase the incentive to complete a task, or even create a positive affirmation when a goal is achieved. Motivation can come in a wide variety of forms and it is easy to link it to other activities (e.g., the completed part of the planned sets/steps). After mastering a carefully set goal, reward yourself with a measured review of online news, watching a favorite TV series, or better yet, physical activity to improve personal well-being before proceeding to the next set. You can also be motivated by motivational messages (e.g., a quote from a famous rhetorician or a role model).​

10. Get help: occasionally, progress on certain activities may be delayed, even though the solution is not challenging at first glance. Find inspiration and save time by asking for help. Perhaps all it takes is a brief direction or idea to keep going, and without the perspective of an outside observer, it can turn into a drop in motivation, stress, and a whirlwind of procrastination. At the University of Maribor, student tutors are available in addition to the providers of the study process, but there is always the possibility of establishing your own study group. Nevertheless, help should not only mean transferring activities to someone else, but the meeting to resolve the challenges should be prepared by structuring open questions, the course of the creation of the challenge, etc.​

​​Nothing is lost yet!

​Procrastination is not a special feature and can be eliminated with some effort and consideration. His Holiness the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, for example, was among the famous procrastinators. In the past, as a student, it was very difficult for him to motivate himself and complete his activities by the deadline. Today, he is better known for his thoughts on planning the day, among other things:

​You must not delay. Better prepare yourself in such a way that you won't regret it even if you die tonight. If you begin to appreciate the uncertainty and inevitability of death, your sense of the importance of using time wisely will become stronger.Dalai Lama

​​The writer Victor Hugo, author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables, used an extreme method to avoid procrastination, such as asking the servants to return their clothes at an agreed time. According to testimonies, Herman Melville even had himself locked to his desk when completing the creation of the novel Moby Dick.