Confronting Procrastination

By Morenike

Recently I have been on a quest to better understand my study habits and why I am so prone to procrastination. Is procrastination just a part of the student experience? Is it part of our youthful exuberance and a sense that we have so much time to accomplish things?

I used to think that procrastination was a trait that would eventually fizzle out as I matured. However, I learned that there is a science to procrastination, and there are several reasons why we might procrastinate:

• we derive motivation and energy from having to submit a paper last minute.
• we spend too much time thinking about the task at hand and trying to make our work perfect
• we feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start because the task at hand seems so daunting
• we are are easily distracted and unable to focus on the task at hand

I noticed that I seem to procrastinate at the most pertinent of times, such as during reading week or finals. It can be so easy to fall into unhealthy and familiar habits and wait until the very last minute to study or finish a project. I also find that I procrastinate when I am super excited about something and have so many ideas, but the idea I have in my mind doesn’t seem to translate to reality.

Once you identify what is enabling your procrastination, you can start to confront and manage it with some of these strategies:

1. Set earlier deadlines.

If you need to tell yourself that a paper is due one week before the actual deadline to simulate that high energy, do it! Nothing beats having time to read and edit your work.

2. Ask for help.

Whenever you find yourself avoiding work because things aren’t going the way you want to, reach out to supervisors, professors, or a university resource, and get someone else’s perspective. You may find that the work isn’t as terrible as you think. Help and support is available, we just have to reach for it.

3. Break down a large task into smaller manageable and measurable tasks.

Write down all the tasks you need to complete and be specific about them, like “I will read two papers today and make at least two notes from each paper.” You can make the goals as specific as you want, but it must be something that is measurable and not just a generic statement like “I will do some research today.” Writing down specifically what you need to do takes some of the fear out of the undefined steps that float around in your head that make the task at hand appear more daunting than it actually is. Spread out the smaller tasks over a few days or weeks will make the larger task more manageable than cramming it into one day. Prioritize the tasks you have to do and focus on one task at a time.

If you aren’t sure how to do this, it might help to invest time watching YouTube videos and teaching yourself how to organize a larger task into smaller, sizable chunks. This is a useful skill that will become more valuable as we continue to navigate the ever challenging thing called “adulting.”

4. Create boundaries.

Try putting certain stringent boundaries in place to ensure you only engage your distractions after you’ve completed a task, like putting your phone in a different room while you study. Think of something that you can reward yourself with after completing a task. That said, definitely ensure you plan your breaks into your study routine as well.

5. Create a schedule.

I know it can be difficult not having a set in-person class schedule and just have to jump from one Zoom session to the next. What you can do to combat this is to create your own schedule. You know yourself best and you know what works best for you. Identify whether you work better early in the morning or late at night, then move things around so that you are saving your most tedious tasks for the times of the day where you are at your optimum. Creating a schedule helps provide some structure to your day and life, and can help combat the feeling that things are just happening to you. Making a plan helps you take responsibility for and control of the tasks you have to complete.

6. Learn how to identify burnout.

For my fellow grad students, check out Episode 3 of the Grad School Confidential podcast for a discussion on burnout in grad school. The reason you are procrastinating may be that you are simply burnt out and unable to identify and manage it. As a grad student you can always reach out to your supervisor for support, and if you’re lucky they may even reach out to you to offer support you didn’t even know you needed!