Procrastination Student Success tips for overcoming procrastination

How do you fix it?

That depends on why you procrastinate in the first place. Every case is different because every student is different, but here's a list of the most common causes and cures for procrastination. Scroll through, find your cause, try the cure.

Lack of Organization

You procrastinate because your schoolwork is unorganized and overwhelming. Use a daily planner to keep track of homework assignments, quizzes, and exams—this includes due dates, study and review dates, and related tasks you don’t want to forget, like meeting with professors, tutoring, or study groups. Click here for more on getting organized.

Lack of Time Management

You put off schoolwork because—after tending to work, family, social, and personal commitments—you just don't have the time. Create more time with a study schedule, a time chart where you plan out your weekly activities and commitments. Up for the challenge? Download this Study Schedule Template and follow these steps:

1. Block off Fixed Commitments - obligations that can't be moved (commutes, class, work, etc.).
2. Block off Flexible Commitments - activities that are important but can be moved (sleep, meals, gym, family, friends, hobbies).
3. Now block off Study Times, considering course difficulty, academic goals, prime study hours.
4. Step back, assess, adjust as necessary.

Remember: Be realistic to promote persistence and schedule non-academic activities to avoid burnout! Click here for more on Time Management.

Lack of motivation

You just don't feel like it? We get it. Motivation and procrastination are inversely related. Meaning, as motivation goes down, procrastination goes up. It also means that beating procrastination could be as simple as finding new motivation. But how?! Where?!

First, LOOK INSIDE YOURSELF. If you, as a human, are hardwired to pursue things that are satisfying, enjoyable, or beneficial, then find something—anything!—satisfying, enjoyable, or beneficial about completing schoolwork. Maybe the material is interesting after all. Maybe you enjoy feeling educated. Or, if nothing else, maybe you just want to practice stoicism, self-discipline, and focus. With an open mind and a dash of creativity, you'll get out of bed for even the most "boring" tasks.

Next, LOOK OUTSIDE YOURSELF. Do you want to provide some benefit to others (financially support family), gain a material possession (buy a house or vehicle), keep a scholarship or club membership, or obtain a dream job or promotion? The hard truth is, your chances of achieving your goals rise and fall with your attitude toward schoolwork. Mull that over for a burst of motivation.

Fear

You avoid schoolwork because you fear failing, fear being judged by others, fear the unknown or uncomfortable, or fear that you lack the skills and knowledge to get the job done. The only way past this mental block is, you guessed it, right through it! The next time you're faced with an intimidating task, and you feel those ole' familiar fears surface, instead of giving in, try this:

• Identify: What am I afraid of?
• Question: Why am I afraid of that?
• Rationalize: Is that a good reason to put off this task?
• Plan: What's the smallest, easiest thing I can do to get started?
• Start: Do a little. When the coast is clear, do a little more. Climb one rung at a time, without looking down, until you reach the top!

BONUS: Positive Self-Talk is great fear repellant! My fears will not hold me back today! I can do this! I am more than my grades! Say these truths out loud or write them down and put them wherever you'll see them daily. Let the good in and watch it transform your mindset and, in turn, procrastinating behaviors.

Lack of Self-care

Procrastination could just be the result of feeling tired, hungry, fidgety, or stressed. Regardless, when rooting out the cause of procrastination, it never hurts to err on the side of self-care. Worst-case scenario: you become a healthier procrastinator! 😜 Try this:

• Eat well and keep healthy snacks nearby.
• Sleep well, which may mean limiting late-hour screen time.
• Exercise, which increases endorphins and decreases stress hormones.
• Hobby. Do things that engage and relax your mind.

Extreme Perfectionism

Perfectionism can cause procrastination. If that sounds absurd, it’s not. Some perfectionists have such a fear of not doing work perfectly, they put it off as long as possible. This toxic mindset—whose motto is You Can’t Miss Shots You Don’t Take!— stems from the misbelief that achieving anything less than perfection means that you yourself are inadequate or unworthy.

Please, be kind to yourself. Neutralize perfectionist thoughts with Positive Self-Talk, like I am not my work! Accept mistakes as a part of a daring life, remembering that, as Theodore Roosevelt famously put it, "The only person who never makes a mistake is the person who never does anything." Lower unhealthy standards. Focus not on perfection, but on doing the best you can with what you have. The result may not be perfect, but diligence always leave you psychologically and academically better off than procrastination.

Trouble Concentrating

Limit the distractions around you, get more work done. It’s that simple. You probably knew that but needed a nudge. Well, here it is.

Silence or put away your phone, find a quiet place to study, listen to soft music (or try noise-cancelling headphones) to drown out background noise. And never forget: when doing schoolwork, choose wisely where and with whom you study. Putting yourself in situations where you probably won’t get much done—“studying” in bed, while watching TV, near a buzzing phone, or at a noisy café with friends—is a self-sabotaging form of procrastination.

Check out this article on how to achieve Flow State for studying!

Mental health

Not surprisingly, mental health is directly correlated with procrastination. If you feel your procrastination stems from depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem, UTSA has free counseling services on standby and ready to help! To learn more or start services, call (210) 458-4140 or visit their website.