Three Strategies for Avoiding Procrastination
Exam time is a busy few weeks for students everywhere. In law school, the added stress of exams largely revolves around the grading reality — that one’s performance on a final exam will decide most, if not all, of their final grade in a particular course.
Perhaps the most universal weakness among students is our tendency to procrastinate on what we should be doing. People procrastinate for a variety of reasons. Some are stressed out and believe that reviewing course material will exacerbate their stress levels because studying can reveal what they are struggling with in the course. Others manage their time poorly, and procrastination is already baked into their routine. In addition to that, sometimes we would just rather do something else instead of studying! Regardless of one’s motivations for procrastinating, we can all benefit from coping strategies to keep ourselves on track and maximize our efficiency during a critical time of the year. Below are three of my most effective strategies in counteracting my own procrastination tendencies in law school, which I believe can benefit all students!
1. Avoiding the “sunk cost fallacy” in relation to procrastination.
As many may know, the sunk cost fallacy is a term to describe when people are reluctant to abandon an activity because they have already invested heavily in it, even when it is evident that foregoing further investment in the activity would serve them better in the long-term. In essence, they do not want to abandon the activity because that would mean all prior investment was a waste of time. The fallacy aspect comes into play when people continue to irresponsibly spend time or money on something that is returning relatively little value to them, thus “digging themselves into a deeper hole”.
While the sunk cost fallacy is usually a phenomenon seen in an economic context, we can also apply it to studying and procrastination. For example, say you had procrastinated your exam studying for an hour past when you were supposed to begin. The fallacy would be to say, “oh well, I have wasted an hour already — what’s one more hour? I will study after!”. This mindset undoubtedly causes problems for the procrastinator because not only have they left themselves with less time to devote to studying, but they also may feel guilty for procrastinating more. This, in turn, may lower the quality of studying they do when they actually begin, as they may feel pressure to rush and make up for the lost time.
The answer to this? Catch yourself and resist the temptation to procrastinate further. Of course we are all human, and most humans procrastinate, so this is easier said than done. However, even if you allow yourself to procrastinate a little, it is just as essential to be able to reel yourself back in and refocus on what you really should be doing. For instance, recognizing that you are about to give in to the sunk cost fallacy helps many students realize that it is better to start studying an hour late than five hours late. Remember, the work will still be there, and all we are doing is impeding ourselves when we put it off!
2. Making a schedule so that you recognize if you are off course.
It may be cliché to advise students to make a study schedule — after all, it is a standard piece of advice, yet many students do not utilize it. Not only do schedules keep us efficient in spending our time, but they also make it glaringly obvious when we are veering off course due to procrastination.
For instance, when you have something like “Study for criminal law exam” allotted for 1–4 pm on Thursday, and you still have not started at 1:30 pm on Thursday, you will start to feel some pressure. This can be a positive type of pressure because it reminds you that you planned to study during that time and have not followed through. Contrast this with a schedule that says, “Study for criminal law exam later this week”, it is clear that the more specific and detailed schedule will be more beneficial. The more general schedule may inadvertently facilitate procrastination, as the procrastinator could convince themselves that they are still on track (i.e. “Oh, I will just study Thursday night or Friday sometime”). Simply put, creating a specific schedule and sticking to it is one of the best ways to avoid procrastination, or at least catch yourself in the process.
3. Differentiating between rest and procrastination.
It is crucial to recognize when you are procrastinating versus when you are taking a well-deserved break. While some people may view taking a break as procrastination, I believe that rest is something you require to continue studying effectively. By timing your breaks and not letting yourself take too many, you remain fresh and prevent your rest periods from bleeding into procrastination territory.
One technique that has popularized frequent, short breaks is the “Pomodoro Method”. This study technique emphasized that we should be taking 5 minute breaks for every 25 minutes of working. It is based on the reality that the human brain is not meant to focus on a particular task for long periods of time. Thus, the method asserts that we should work for 25 minutes in a distraction-free environment, take a 5 minute break, and then repeat this process until the task is completed. Of course, people may adjust the working time for what works for them individually. For example, some people prefer 30–40 minutes of working time before taking a break, but it is generally agreed upon that 45 minutes, consecutively, would be the maximum amount of working time before requiring a break.
Consider experimenting with these strategies and making adjustments based on what yields results and productivity for you. Happy studying!
