Procrastination

What is procrastination? It means putting off a task for no good reason. If you have a good reason to delay, it's not procrastination.

The Cost of Procrastinating

• Submitting work that reflects cramming
• Not submitting work and facing the consequences
• Increased stress levels/decreased self-esteem
• Increased likelihood of poor academic performance resulting in reduced education and career options

Why do students procrastinate?

• Fear (of both failure and success)
• Disorganized/don't know how to proceed
• Lack of interest
• Habit

Strategies to Reduce Procrastination

Tip:

1. Identify the roadblocks. Why do you think you're procrastinating? Awareness is the first step towards change.
2. Pay attention to self-talk. Don't fall into the "Mañana Trap." (Mañana means "tomorrow" in Spanish.) Whenever you are tempted to do it later, ask yourself why later is better than now. (Actually, yesterday was probably the best time to do it, right?)
3. Have trouble starting? Try the 5 minute plan. Spend five minutes actively working on the task. Your resistance will go down, and you'll likely want to keep working.
4. Reward yourself. Give yourself something to look forward to when the task is completed.

Download Procratination Tipsheet