72% of students say they procrastinate. Here’s how to stay on track

As a high school or uni student, you might sometimes find yourself putting off study to do other tasks even when an important assessment deadline or exam is looming over you.

This can look like doom-scrolling, texting friends, or checking emails for the seventh time. You might even turn to tasks you usually avoid, such as cleaning, to put off study.

After procrastinating, you may feel more negative, guilty, or stressed because you know the task you put off is important.

So why do we still do it? And how can we overcome it?

What is procrastination?

Procrastination is an unnecessary delay in starting or finishing a task. It’s voluntary, but quite unhelpful. Any short-term feelings of relief that come when avoiding the task often have longer term costs for your learning and sense of self.

Procrastination is extremely common. In a US study, published last month, researchers asked more than 65,000 college students about 18 common lifestyle and health issues. This included finances, family, career, procrastination, ADHD, insomnia, anxiety, stress and depression.

Procrastination and stress were the two most prevalent issues in students’ lives, with each experienced by more than seven in ten students. Procrastination was also the lifestyle factor most likely to harm students’ academic performance and cause them further distress.

Why do we procrastinate?

Procrastination is not simply a question of your willpower. It typically involves a failure in self-regulation. This is our ability to direct our thoughts and behaviours towards achieving specific goals.

Self-regulation is also tied to how we see ourselves as learners. When worried about underperforming, we may avoid challenging tasks to protect our sense of self. For example, you might tell yourself:

did I really fail if I didn’t try?

While some students work well under the pressure of deadlines, others may find it makes their procrastination worse. Knowing you are behind is stressful, and procrastination can be a way to feel more in control.

When are you more likely to procrastinate?

Research suggests you’re more likely to procrastinate about anything if you:

• are aged between 14 and 29 years

• have a tendency towards perfectionism

• have ADHD symptoms related to inattention

• find the task challenging or the rewards too far away in the future.

We are also more likely to procrastinate when we lack confidence in our ability to perform the task at hand.

This can create a vicious cycle, where the skills or knowledge we most need to learn become the ones we practise the least.

But this doesn’t mean it’s all over. These are some practical ways you can get back on track.

1. Start small

Sometimes starting the process of studying is half the battle.

To help yourself ease into it, set aside five to ten minutes to start your work. Keep the task simple too. For example, you might review a few notes or answer some practice questions.

Taking the first small step can make the task feel less overwhelming and build momentum to keep learning.

2. Set clear, achievable goals

Ensure you know what the goal of a study session will be. Is it to practise a specific skill, review a topic, or write a draft?

When you set clear goals for study, it can help you track your progress and adjust your approach when needed.

3. Break tasks into manageable chunks

People are more likely to procrastinate when tasks feel overwhelming, especially when they think everything needs to be done in one go.

Breaking larger tasks into smaller chunks can prevent procrastination. Research shows spacing study over time can also be better for memory and learning than cramming.

4. Avoid ‘all or nothing’ thinking

We all become distracted sometimes. This doesn’t mean the entire day is lost when you procrastinate.

If you find yourself off task, avoid “all or nothing” thinking, such as telling yourself the rest of the morning is a write-off. Instead, praise yourself for jumping back on track.

5. Create a study environment free from distractions

Attention is core to learning, and distractions, such as those that come from devices, encourage procrastination.

So it is important to enter the “do not disturb” zone while studying.

Consider a digital disconnect to reduce the amount of distractions around you. This might look like leaving your phone in another room or putting your email, social media, and smart watch notifications on mute.

6. Learn how to study effectively

You may procrastinate if you feel your study isn’t leading to better results. However, you might be using study techniques that aren’t as effective for learning, such as repeatedly reading your textbook.

It’s important to engage study practices we know strengthen memory pathways and build strong bodies of knowledge. These include:

• quizzing yourself on topics

• explaining concepts to friends

• doing practice problems

• thinking of examples

• looking for connections across the content you have learned.

7. Be self-compassionate

Learning can be hard and preparing for important final assessments is often stressful.

Procrastination can make us feel like “bad” students, even if this is not true.

When you find yourself procrastinating, pause, take a break for a set period of time if you need it, then regroup and get back to it.