how to stop procrastinating your homework

Daniel Wong

30 Tips to Stop Procrastinating and Find Motivation to Do Homework

Updated on June 6, 2023 By Daniel Wong 44 Comments

To stop procrastinating on homework, you need to find motivation to do the homework in the first place.

But first, you have to overcome feeling too overwhelmed to even start.

You know what it feels like when everything hits you at once, right?

You have three tests to study for and a math assignment due tomorrow.

And you’ve got a history report due the day after.

You tell yourself to get down to work. But with so much to do, you feel overwhelmed.

So you procrastinate.

You check your social media feed, watch a few videos, and get yourself a drink. But you know that none of this is bringing you closer to getting the work done.

Does this sound familiar?

Don’t worry – you are not alone. Procrastination is a problem that everyone faces, but there are ways around it.

By following the tips in this article, you’ll be able to overcome procrastination and consistently find the motivation to do the homework .

So read on to discover 30 powerful tips to help you stop procrastinating on your homework.

Enter your email below to download a PDF summary of this article. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus  3 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

How to stop procrastinating and motivate yourself to do your homework.

Procrastination when it comes to homework isn’t just an issue of laziness or a lack of motivation .

The following tips will help you to first address the root cause of your procrastination and then implement strategies to keep your motivation levels high.

1. Take a quiz to see how much you procrastinate.

The first step to changing your behavior is to become more self-aware.

How often do you procrastinate? What kinds of tasks do you tend to put off? Is procrastination a small or big problem for you?

To answer these questions, I suggest that you take this online quiz designed by Psychology Today .

2. Figure out why you’re procrastinating.

Procrastination is a complex issue that involves multiple factors.

Stop thinking of excuses for not doing your homework , and figure out what’s keeping you from getting started.

Are you procrastinating because:

• You’re not sure you’ll be able to solve all the homework problems?
• You’re subconsciously rebelling against your teachers or parents?
• You’re not interested in the subject or topic?
• You’re physically or mentally tired?
• You’re waiting for the perfect time to start?
• You don’t know where to start?

Once you’ve identified exactly why you’re procrastinating, you can pick out the tips in this article that will get to the root of the problem.

3. Write down what you’re procrastinating on.

Students tend to procrastinate when they’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

But you might be surprised to discover that simply by writing down the specific tasks you’re putting off, the situation will feel more manageable.

It’s a quick solution, and it makes a real difference.

Give it a try and you’ll be less likely to procrastinate.

4. Put your homework on your desk.

Here’s an even simpler idea.

Many times, the hardest part of getting your homework done is getting started.

It doesn’t require a lot of willpower to take out your homework and put it on your desk.

But once it’s sitting there in front of you, you’ll be much closer to actually getting down to work.

5. Break down the task into smaller steps.

This one trick will make any task seem more manageable.

For example, if you have a history report to write, you could break it down into the following steps:

• Read the history textbook
• Do online research
• Organize the information
• Create an outline
• Write the introduction
• Write the body paragraphs
• Write the conclusion
• Edit and proofread the report

Focus on just one step at a time. This way, you won’t need to motivate yourself to write the whole report at one go.

This is an important technique to use if you want to study smart and get more done .

6. Create a detailed timeline with specific deadlines.

As a follow-up to Point #5, you can further combat procrastination by creating a timeline with specific deadlines.

Using the same example above, I’ve added deadlines to each of the steps:

• Jan 30 th : Read the history textbook
• Feb 2 nd : Do online research
• Feb 3 rd : Organize the information
• Feb 5 th : Create an outline
• Feb 8 th : Write the introduction
• Feb 12 th : Write the body paragraphs
• Feb 14 th : Write the conclusion
• Feb 16 th : Edit and proofread the report

Assigning specific dates creates a sense of urgency, which makes it more likely that you’ll keep to the deadlines.

7. Spend time with people who are focused and hardworking.

Jim Rohn famously said that you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

If you hang out with people who are motivated and hardworking, you’ll become more like them.

Likewise, if you hang out with people who continually procrastinate, you’ll become more like them too.

Motivation to do homework naturally increases when you surround yourself with the right people.

So choose your friends wisely. Find homework buddies who will influence you positively to become a straight-A student who leads a balanced life.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun! It just means that you and your friends know when it’s time to get down to work and when it’s time to enjoy yourselves.

8. Tell at least two or three people about the tasks you plan to complete.

When you tell others about the tasks you intend to finish, you’ll be more likely to follow through with your plans.

This is called “accountability,” and it kicks in because you want to be seen as someone who keeps your word.

So if you know about this principle, why not use it to your advantage?

You could even ask a friend to be your accountability buddy. At the beginning of each day, you could text each other what you plan to work on that day.

Then at the end of the day, you could check in with each other to see if things went according to plan.

9. Change your environment .

Maybe it’s your environment that’s making you feel sluggish.

When you’re doing your homework, is your super-comfortable bed just two steps away? Or is your distracting computer within easy reach?

If your environment is part of your procrastination problem, then change it.

Sometimes all you need is a simple change of scenery. Bring your work to the dining room table and get it done there. Or head to a nearby café to complete your report.

10. Talk to people who have overcome their procrastination problem.

If you have friends who consistently win the battle with procrastination, learn from their experience.

What was the turning point for them? What tips and strategies do they use? What keeps them motivated?

Find all this out, and then apply the information to your own situation.

11. Decide on a reward to give yourself after you complete your task.

“Planned” rewards are a great way to motivate yourself to do your homework.

The reward doesn’t have to be something huge.

For instance, you might decide that after you finish 10 questions of your math homework, you get to watch your favorite TV show.

Or you might decide that after reading one chapter of your history textbook, you get to spend 10 minutes on Facebook.

By giving yourself a reward, you’ll feel more motivated to get through the task at hand.

12. Decide on a consequence you’ll impose on yourself if you don’t meet the deadline.

It’s important that you decide on what the consequence will be before you start working toward your goal.

As an example, you could tell your younger brother that you’ll give him $1 for every deadline you don’t meet (see Point #6).

Or you could decide that you’ll delete one game from your phone for every late homework submission.

Those consequences would probably be painful enough to help you get down to work, right?

13. Visualize success.

Take 30 seconds and imagine how you’ll feel when you finish your work.

What positive emotions will you experience?

Will you feel a sense of satisfaction from getting all your work done?

Will you relish the extra time on your hands when you get your homework done fast and ahead of time?

This simple exercise of visualizing success may be enough to inspire you to start doing your assignment.

14. Visualize the process it will take to achieve that success.

Even more important than visualizing the outcome is visualizing the process it will take to achieve that outcome.

Research shows that focusing on the process is critical to success. If you’re procrastinating on a task, take a few moments to think about what you’ll need to do to complete it.

Visualize the following:

• What resources you’ll need
• Who you can turn to for help
• How long the task will take
• Where you’ll work on the task
• The joy you’ll experience as you make progress

This kind of visualization is like practice for your mind.

Once you understand what’s necessary to achieve your goal, you’ll find that it’s much easier to get down to work with real focus. This is key to doing well in school .

15. Write down why you want to complete the task.

You’ll be more motivated when you’re clear about why you want to accomplish something.

To motivate yourself to do your homework, think about all the ways in which it’s a meaningful task.

So take a couple of minutes to write down the reasons. Here are some possible ones:

• Learn useful information
• Master the topic
• Enjoy a sense of accomplishment when you’ve completed the task
• Become a more focused student
• Learn to embrace challenges
• Fulfill your responsibility as a student
• Get a good grade on the assignment

16. Write down the negative feelings you’ll have if you don’t complete the task.

If you don’t complete the assignment, you might feel disappointed or discouraged. You might even feel as if you’ve let your parents or your teacher – or even yourself – down.

It isn’t wise to dwell on these negative emotions for too long. But by imagining how you’ll feel if you don’t finish the task, you’ll realize how important it is that you get to work.

17. Do the hardest task first.

Most students will choose to do the easiest task first, rather than the hardest one. But this approach isn’t effective because it leaves the worst for last.

It’s more difficult to find motivation to do homework in less enjoyable subjects.

As Brian Tracy says , “Eat that frog!” By this, he means that you should always get your most difficult task out of the way at the beginning of the day.

If math is your least favorite subject, force yourself to complete your math homework first.

After doing so, you’ll feel a surge of motivation from knowing it’s finished. And you won’t procrastinate on your other homework because it will seem easier in comparison.

(On a separate note, check out these tips on how to get better at math if you’re struggling.)

18. Set a timer when doing your homework.

I recommend that you use a stopwatch for every homework session. (If you prefer, you could also use this online stopwatch or the Tomato Timer .)

Start the timer at the beginning of the session, and work in 30- to 45-minute blocks.

Using a timer creates a sense of urgency, which will help you fight off your urge to procrastinate.

When you know you only have to work for a short session, it will be easier to find motivation to complete your homework.

Tell yourself that you need to work hard until the timer goes off, and then you can take a break. (And then be sure to take that break!)

19. Eliminate distractions.

Here are some suggestions on how you can do this:

• Delete all the games and social media apps on your phone
• Turn off all notifications on your phone
• Mute your group chats
• Archive your inactive chats
• Turn off your phone, or put it on airplane mode
• Put your phone at least 10 feet away from you
• Turn off the Internet access on your computer
• Use an app like Freedom to restrict your Internet usage
• Put any other distractions (like food, magazines and books unrelated to your homework) at the other end of the room
• Unplug the TV
• Use earplugs if your surroundings are noisy

20. At the start of each day, write down the two to three Most Important Tasks (MITs) you want to accomplish.

This will enable you to prioritize your tasks. As Josh Kaufman explains , a Most Important Task (MIT) is a critical task that will help you to get significant results down the road.

Not all tasks are equally important. That’s why it’s vital that you identify your MITs, so that you can complete those as early in the day as possible.

What do you most need to get done today? That’s an MIT.

Get to work on it, then feel the satisfaction that comes from knowing it’s out of the way.

21. Focus on progress instead of perfection.

Perfectionism can destroy your motivation to do homework and keep you from starting important assignments.

Some students procrastinate because they’re waiting for the perfect time to start.

Others do so because they want to get their homework done perfectly. But they know this isn’t really possible – so they put off even getting started.

What’s the solution?

To focus on progress instead of perfection.

There’s never a perfect time for anything. Nor will you ever be able to complete your homework perfectly. But you can do your best, and that’s enough.

So concentrate on learning and improving, and turn this into a habit that you implement whenever you study .

22. Get organized.

Procrastination is common among students who are disorganized.

When you can’t remember which assignment is due when or which tests you have coming up, you’ll naturally feel confused. You’ll experience school- and test-related stress .

This, in turn, will lead to procrastination.

That’s why it’s crucial that you get organized. Here are some tips for doing this:

• Don’t rely on your memory ; write everything down
• Keep a to-do list
• Use a student planner
• Use a calendar and take note of important dates like exams, project due dates, school holidays , birthdays, and family events
• At the end of each day, plan for the following day
• Use one binder or folder for each subject or course
• Do weekly filing of your loose papers, notes, and old homework
• Throw away all the papers and notes you no longer need

23. Stop saying “I have to” and start saying “I choose to.”

When you say things like “I have to write my essay” or “I have to finish my science assignment,” you’ll probably feel annoyed. You might be tempted to complain about your teachers or your school .

What’s the alternative?

To use the phrase “I choose to.”

The truth is, you don’t “have” to do anything.

You can choose not to write your essay; you’ll just run the risk of failing the class.

You can choose not to do your science assignment; you’ll just need to deal with your angry teacher.

When you say “I choose to do my homework,” you’ll feel empowered. This means you’ll be more motivated to study and to do what you ought to.

24. Clear your desk once a week.

Clutter can be demotivating. It also causes stress , which is often at the root of procrastination.

Hard to believe? Give it a try and see for yourself.

By clearing your desk, you’ll reduce stress and make your workspace more organized.

So set a recurring appointment to organize your workspace once a week for just 10 minutes. You’ll receive huge benefits in the long run!

25. If a task takes two minutes or less to complete, do it now.

This is a principle from David Allen’s bestselling book, Getting Things Done .

You may notice that you tend to procrastinate when many tasks pile up. The way to prevent this from happening is to take care of the small but important tasks as soon as you have time.

Here are some examples of small two-minute tasks that you should do once you have a chance:

• Replying to your project group member’s email
• Picking up anything on the floor that doesn’t belong there
• Asking your parents to sign a consent form
• Filing a graded assignment
• Making a quick phone call
• Writing a checklist
• Sending a text to schedule a meeting
• Making an online purchase that doesn’t require further research

26. Finish one task before starting on the next.

You aren’t being productive when you switch between working on your literature essay, social studies report, and physics problem set – while also intermittently checking your phone.

Research shows that multitasking is less effective than doing one thing at a time. Multitasking may even damage your brain !

When it comes to overcoming procrastination, it’s better to stick with one task all the way through before starting on the next one.

You’ll get a sense of accomplishment when you finish the first assignment, which will give you a boost of inspiration as you move on to the next one.

27. Build your focus gradually.

You can’t win the battle against procrastination overnight; it takes time. This means that you need to build your focus progressively.

If you can only focus for 10 minutes at once, that’s fine. Start with three sessions of 10 minutes a day. After a week, increase it to three sessions of 15 minutes a day, and so on.

As the weeks go by, you’ll become far more focused than when you first started. And you’ll soon see how great that makes you feel.

28. Before you start work, write down three things you’re thankful for.

Gratitude improves your psychological health and increases your mental strength .

These factors are linked to motivation. The more you practice gratitude, the easier it will be to find motivation to do your homework. As such, it’s less likely that you’ll be a serial procrastinator.

Before you get down to work for the day, write down three things you’re thankful for. These could be simple things like good health, fine weather, or a loving family.

You could even do this in a “gratitude journal,” which you can then look back on whenever you need a shot of fresh appreciation for the good things in your life.

Either way, this short exercise will get you in the right mindset to be productive.

29. Get enough sleep.

For most people, this means getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. And teenagers need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night to function optimally.

What does sleep have to do with procrastination?

More than you might realize.

It’s almost impossible to feel motivated when you’re tired. And when you’re low on energy, your willpower is depleted too.

That’s why you give in to the temptation of Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube videos more easily when you’re sleep-deprived.

Here are ways to get more sleep , and sleep better too:

• Create a bedtime routine
• Go to sleep at around the same time every night
• Set a daily alarm as a reminder to go to bed
• Exercise regularly (but not within a few hours of bedtime)
• Make your bedroom as dark as possible
• Remove or switch off all electronic devices before bedtime
• Avoid caffeine at least six hours before bedtime
• Use an eye mask and earplugs

30. Schedule appointments with yourself to complete your homework.

These appointments are specific blocks of time reserved for working on a report, assignment, or project. Scheduling appointments is effective because it makes the task more “official,” so you’re more likely to keep the appointment.

For example, you could schedule appointments such as:

• Jan 25 th , 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm: Math assignment
• Jan 27 th , 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Online research for social studies project
• Jan 28 th , 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Write introduction for English essay

Transform homework procrastination into homework motivation

Procrastination is a problem we all face.

But given that you’ve read all the way to here, I know you’re committed to overcoming this problem.

And now that you’re armed with these tips, you have all the tools you need to become more disciplined and focused .

By the way, please don’t feel as if you need to implement all the tips at once, because that would be too overwhelming.

Instead, I recommend that you focus on just a couple of tips a week, and make gradual progress. No rush!

Over time, you’ll realize that your habit of procrastination has been replaced by the habit of getting things done.

Now’s the time to get started on that process of transformation. 🙂

Like this article? Please share it with your friends.

Images: Student and books , Homework , Group of students , Consequences , Why , Writing a list , Organized desk , Gratitude

January 19, 2016 at 11:53 am

Ur tips are rlly helpful. Thnkyou ! 🙂

January 19, 2016 at 1:43 pm

You’re welcome 🙂

August 29, 2018 at 11:21 am

Thanks very much

February 19, 2019 at 1:38 pm

The funny thing is while I was reading the first few steps of this article I was procrastinating on my homework….

November 12, 2019 at 12:44 pm

same here! but now I actually want to get my stuff done… huh

December 4, 2022 at 11:35 pm

May 30, 2023 at 6:26 am

October 25, 2023 at 11:35 am

fr tho i totally was but now I’m actually going to get started haha

June 6, 2020 at 6:04 am

I love your articles

January 21, 2016 at 7:07 pm

Thanks soo much. It’s almost like you could read my mind- when I felt so overwhelmed with the workload heap I had created for myself by procrastination, I know feel very motivated to tackle it out completely and replace that bad habit with the wonderful tips mentioned here! 🙂

January 21, 2016 at 8:04 pm

I’m glad to help 🙂

January 25, 2016 at 3:09 pm

You have shared great tips here. I especially like the point “Write down why you want to complete the task” because it is helpful to make us more motivated when we are clear about our goals

January 25, 2016 at 4:51 pm

Glad that you found the tips useful, John!

January 29, 2016 at 1:22 am

Thank you very much for your wonderful tips!!! ☺☺☺

January 29, 2016 at 10:41 am

It’s my joy to help, Kabir 🙂

February 3, 2016 at 12:57 pm

Always love your articles. Keep them up 🙂

February 3, 2016 at 1:21 pm

Thanks, Matthew 🙂

February 4, 2016 at 1:40 pm

There are quite a lot of things that you need to do in order to come out with flying colors while studying in a university away from your homeland. Procrastinating on homework is one of the major mistakes committed by students and these tips will help you to avoid them all and make yourself more efficient during your student life.

February 4, 2016 at 1:58 pm

Completely agreed, Leong Siew.

October 5, 2018 at 12:52 am

Wow! thank you very much, I love it .

November 2, 2018 at 10:45 am

You are helping me a lot.. thank you very much….😊

November 6, 2018 at 5:19 pm

I’m procrastinating by reading this

November 29, 2018 at 10:21 am

January 8, 2021 at 3:38 am

March 3, 2019 at 9:12 am

Daniel, your amazing information and advice, has been very useful! Please keep up your excellent work!

April 12, 2019 at 11:12 am

We should stop procrastinating.

September 28, 2019 at 5:19 pm

Thank you so much for the tips:) i’ve been procrastinating since i started high schools and my grades were really bad “F” but the tips have made me a straight A student again.

January 23, 2020 at 7:43 pm

Thanks for the tips, Daniel! They’re really useful! 😁

April 10, 2020 at 2:15 pm

I have always stood first in my class. But procrastination has always been a very bad habit of mine which is why I lost marks for late submission .As an excuse for finding motivation for studying I would spend hours on the phone and I would eventually procrastinate. So I tried your tips and tricks today and they really worked.i am so glad and thankful for your help. 🇮🇳Love from India🇮🇳

April 15, 2020 at 11:16 am

Well I’m gonna give this a shot it looks and sounds very helpful thank you guys I really needed this

April 16, 2020 at 9:48 pm

Daniel, your amazing information and advice, has been very useful! keep up your excellent work! May you give more useful content to us.

May 6, 2020 at 5:03 pm

nice article thanks for your sharing.

May 20, 2020 at 4:49 am

Thank you so much this helped me so much but I was wondering about like what if you just like being lazy and stuff and don’t feel like doing anything and you don’t want to tell anyone because you might annoy them and you just don’t want to add your problems and put another burden on theirs

July 12, 2020 at 1:55 am

I’ve read many short procrastination tip articles and always thought they were stupid or overlooking the actual problem. ‘do this and this’ or that and that, and I sit there thinking I CAN’T. This article had some nice original tips that I actually followed and really did make me feel a bit better. Cheers, diving into what will probably be a 3 hour case study.

August 22, 2020 at 10:14 pm

Nicely explain each tips and those are practical thanks for sharing. Dr.Achyut More

November 11, 2020 at 12:34 pm

Thanks a lot! It was very helpful!

November 15, 2020 at 9:11 am

I keep catching myself procrastinating today. I started reading this yesterday, but then I realized I was procrastinating, so I stopped to finish it today. Thank you for all the great tips.

November 30, 2020 at 5:15 pm

Woow this is so great. Thanks so much Daniel

December 3, 2020 at 3:13 am

These tips were very helpful!

December 18, 2020 at 11:54 am

Procrastination is a major problem of mine, and this, this is very helpful. It is very motivational, now I think I can complete my work.

December 28, 2020 at 2:44 pm

Daniel Wong: When you’re doing your homework, is your super-comfortable bed just two steps away? Me: Nope, my super-comfortable bed is one step away. (But I seriously can’t study anywhere else. If I go to the dining table, my mum would be right in front of me talking loudly on the phone with colleagues and other rooms is an absolute no. My mum doesn’t allow me to go outside. Please give me some suggestions. )

September 19, 2022 at 12:14 pm

I would try and find some noise cancelling headphones to play some classical music or get some earbuds to ignore you mum lol

March 1, 2021 at 5:46 pm

Thank you very much. I highly appreciate it.

May 12, 2023 at 3:38 am

This is great advice. My little niece is now six years old and I like to use those nice cheap child friendly workbooks with her. This is done in order to help her to learn things completely on her own. I however prefer to test her on her own knowledge however. After a rather quick demonstration in the lesson I then tend to give her two simple questions to start off with. And it works a treat. Seriously. I love it. She loves it. The exam questions are for her to answer on her own on a notepad. If she can, she will receive a gold medal and a box of sweets. If not she only gets a plastic toy. We do this all the time to help her understand. Once a week we spend up to thirty minutes in a math lesson on this technique for recalling the basic facts. I have had a lot of great success with this new age technique. So I’m going to carry on with it for now.

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How to Do Your Homework on Time if You're a Procrastinator

Last Updated: January 31, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Katie Styzek . Katie Styzek is a Professional School Counselor for Chicago Public Schools. Katie earned a BS in Elementary Education with a Concentration in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She served as a middle school mathematics, science, and social studies teacher for three years prior to becoming a counselor. She holds a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in School Counseling from DePaul University and an MA in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University. Katie holds an Illinois School Counselor Endorsement License (Type 73 Service Personnel), an Illinois Principal License (formerly Type 75), and an Illinois Elementary Education Teaching License (Type 03, K – 9). She is also Nationally Board Certified in School Counseling from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 552,703 times.

Procrastinating on your homework assignments can make school more stressful and can hurt your grade if you're always finishing homework at the last minute. Once you learn a few techniques to beat procrastination can make homework much easier for you! By keeping organized, setting specific goals, and asking for help, you can transform yourself into an academic star who still has time to watch TV and catch up with friends on Facebook.

Getting Organized

Establishing a Routine

• Set an alarm on your phone to remind you when to get back to work!

Setting Goals

• Very few people can actually work effectively with music playing. If you like to listen to music while you work but find you aren't getting anything done, try going without it for an hour to see if your concentration improves.

Asking for Help

• This doesn't work for everybody. If you find another person distracting, quit working with them.

How Can I Stop Procrastinating?

Community Q&A

• Good health can improve your study habits and can help you retain what you learn. Exercise, eat well, get plenty of sleep, and skip the alcohol and caffeine. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Ask your parents or a friend to keep your smartphone so you don't get distracted. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Try to set an alarm or a task reminder in your phone. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Even the best students know that they can't work all of the time. Allow some relaxation time for yourself, particularly on the weekends. Good study habits make you work smarter, not harder. Thanks Helpful 120 Not Helpful 9

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Katie Styzek. Professional School Counselor. Expert Interview. 26 March 2021.
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-stop-procrastinating/
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/focused.html
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
• ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/take-charge-of-distractions/
• ↑ Ted Coopersmith, MBA. Academic Tutor. Expert Interview. 10 July 2020.
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/school-help-teens.html
• ↑ https://blogs.iu.edu/dbauman/2018/12/18/homework-writing-tips-for-college-students/

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What Is Procrastination?

Putting off tasks we don't enjoy is common, despite the consequences

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Why Do You Procrastinate?

Types of procrastination.

• The Negative Impact
• Strategies to Stop

Procrastination is the act of delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute, or past their deadline. Some researchers define procrastination as a "form of self-regulation failure characterized by the irrational delay of tasks despite potentially negative consequences."

According to Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago and author of "Still Procrastinating: The No Regret Guide to Getting It Done," around 20% of U.S. adults are chronic procrastinators.

No matter how well-organized and committed you are, chances are that you have found yourself frittering away hours on trivial pursuits (watching TV, updating your Facebook status, shopping online) when you should have been spending that time on work or school-related projects.

Whether you're putting off finishing a project for work, avoiding homework assignments, or ignoring household chores, procrastination can have a major impact on your job, your grades, and your life.

In most cases, procrastination is not a sign of a serious problem. It's a common tendency that most people give in to at some point or another.

Remember that time that you thought you had a week left to finish a project that was really due the next day? How about the time you decided not to clean up your apartment because you "didn't feel like doing it right now?"

We often assume that projects won't take as long to finish as they really will, which can lead to a false sense of security when we believe that we still have plenty of time to complete these tasks.

One of the biggest factors contributing to procrastination is the notion that we have to feel inspired or motivated to work on a task at a particular moment.

The reality is that if you wait until you're in the right frame of mind to do certain tasks (especially undesirable ones), you will probably find that the right time simply never comes along and the task never gets completed.

The following are a few other factors that cause procrastination.

Researchers suggest that procrastination can be particularly pronounced among students. A 2007 meta analysis published in the Psychological Bulletin found that a whopping 80% to 95% of college students procrastinated on a regular basis, particularly when it came to completing assignments and coursework.  

According to researchers, there are some major cognitive distortions that lead to academic procrastination.   Students tend to:

• Overestimate how much time they have left to perform tasks
• Overestimate how motivated they will be in the future
• Underestimate how long certain activities will take to complete
• Mistakenly assume that they need to be in the right frame of mind to work on a project

Present Bias

The present bias is a phenomenon observed in human behavior that may result in procrastination. The present bias means that we tend to be motivated more by immediate gratification or rewards than we are by long-term rewards. This is why it feels good in the moment to procrastinate.

For example, the immediate reward of staying in bed and watching TV is more appealing than the long-term reward of publishing a blog post, which would take much longer to accomplish.

Procrastination can also be a result of depression . Feelings of hopelessness , helplessness, and a lack of energy can make it difficult to start (and finish) the simplest task. Depression can also lead to self-doubt . When you can't figure out how to tackle a project or feel insecure about your abilities, you might find it easier to put it off.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Procrastination is also pretty common in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder . One reason is that OCD is often linked with maladaptive perfectionism, which causes fears about making new mistakes, doubts about whether you are doing something correctly, and worry over others' expectations of you.

People with OCD also often have a propensity toward indecision, causing them to procrastinate rather than make a decision.

Many adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle with procrastination. When you're so distracted by outside stimuli, as well as internal thoughts, it can be hard to get started on a task, especially if that task is difficult or not interesting to you.

Is Procrastination a Mental Illness?

Procrastination itself is not a mental illness. But in some cases, it may be symptomatic of an underlying mental health condition such as depression, OCD, or ADHD.

We often come up with a number of excuses or rationalizations to justify our behavior. According to researchers, there are 15 key reasons why people say they procrastinate:

• Not knowing what needs to be done
• Not knowing how to do something
• Not wanting to do something
• Not caring if it gets done or not
• Not caring when something gets done
• Not feeling in the mood to do it
• Being in the habit of waiting until the last minute
• Believing that you work better under pressure
• Thinking that you can finish it at the last minute
• Lacking the initiative to get started
• Blaming sickness or poor health
• Waiting for the right moment
• Needing time to think about the task
• Delaying one task in favor of working on another

Press Play for Advice On Completing Tasks

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how to get tasks done with a science-backed trick known as 'temptation bundling.' Click below to listen now.

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Some researchers classify two types of procrastinators: passive and active procrastinators.

• Passive procrastinators : Delay the task because they have trouble making decisions and acting on them
• Active procrastinators : Delay the task purposefully because working under pressure allows them to "feel challenged and motivated"

Others define the types of procrastinators based on different behavioral styles of procrastination, including:

• Perfectionist : Puts off tasks out of the fear of not being able to complete a task perfectly
• Dreamer : Puts off tasks because they are not good at paying attention to detail
• Defier : Doesn't believe someone should dictate their time schedule
• Worrier : Puts off tasks out of fear of change or leaving the comfort of "the known"
• Crisis-maker : Puts off tasks because they like working under pressure
• Overdoer : Takes on too much and struggles with finding time to start and complete task

Procrastinators vs. Non-Procrastinators

"Non-procrastinators focus on the task that needs to be done. They have a stronger personal identity and are less concerned about what psychologists call 'social esteem'—how others like us—as opposed to self-esteem which is how we feel about ourselves," explained Dr. Ferrari in an interview with the American Psychological Association (APA).  

According to psychologist Piers Steel, people who don't procrastinate tend to be high in the personality trait known as conscientiousness , one of the broad dispositions identified by the Big Five theory of personality. People who are high in conscientiousness also tend to be high in other areas including self-discipline, persistence, and personal responsibility.

The Negative Impact of Procrastination

It is only in cases where procrastination becomes chronic and begins to have a serious impact on a person's daily life that it becomes a more serious issue. In such instances, it's not just a matter of having poor time management skills, it's a major part of their lifestyle.

Perhaps they pay their bills late, don't start work on big projects until the night before the deadline, delay gift shopping until the day before a birthday, and even file their income tax returns late.

Unfortunately, this procrastination can have a serious impact on a number of life areas, including a person's mental health and social, professional, and financial well-being:

• Higher levels of stress and illness
• Increased burden placed on social relationships
• Resentment from friends, family, co-workers, and fellow students
• Consequences of delinquent bills and income tax returns

How to Overcome Procrastination

You might find yourself wondering, How can I stop procrastinating?

Fortunately, there are a number of different things you can do to fight procrastination and start getting things done on time. Consider these your procrastination exercises:

• Make a to-do list : To help keep you on track, consider placing a due date next to each item.
• Take baby steps : Break down the items on your list into small, manageable steps so that your tasks don’t seem so overwhelming.
• Recognize the warning signs : Pay attention to any thoughts of procrastination and do your best to resist the urge. If you begin to think about procrastinating, force yourself to spend a few minutes working on your task.
• Eliminate distraction : Ask yourself what pulls your attention away the most—whether it's Instagram, Facebook updates, or the local news—and turn off those sources of distraction.
• Pat yourself on the back : When you finish an item on your to-do list on time, congratulate yourself and reward yourself by indulging in something you find fun.    

Prem R, Scheel TE, Weigelt O, Hoffmann K, Korunka C. Procrastination in daily working life: A diary study on within-person processes that link work characteristics to workplace procrastination . Front Psychol . 2018;9:1087. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01087

American Psychological Association. The Psychology of Procrastination: Why People Put Off Important Tasks Until the Last Minute . 2010.

Bisin A, Hyndman K. Present-bias, procrastination and deadlines in a field experiment . Games and Economic Behavior. 2020;119:339-357. doi:10.1016/j.geb.2019.11.010

Steel P. The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure . Psychol Bull . 2007;133(1):65-94. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65 

Ferrari, Joseph & Johnson, Judith & McCown, William. (1995). Procrastination and Task Avoidance - Theory, Research and Treatment . doi: 10.1007/978-1-4899-0227-6

Beutel ME, Klein EM, Aufenanger S, et al. Procrastination, distress and life satisfaction across the age range - A German representative community study .  PLoS One . 2016;11(2):e0148054. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148054

Limburg K, Watson HJ, Hagger MS, Egan SJ.  The relationship between perfectionism and psychopathology: A meta-analysis .  J Clin Psychol.  2017;73(10):1301-1326. doi:10.1002/jclp.22435

Altgassen M, Scheres A, Edel MA.  Prospective memory (partially) mediates the link between ADHD symptoms and procrastination .  Atten Defic Hyperact Disord . 2019;11(1):59-71. doi:10.1007/s12402-018-0273-x

Tuckman BW, Abry DA, Smith DR. (2008). Learning and Motivation Strategies: Your Guide to Success (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Zohar AH, Shimone LP, Hen M. Active and passive procrastination in terms of temperament and character .  PeerJ . 2019;7:e6988. doi:10.7717/peerj.6988

American Psychological Association. The first step to overcoming procrastination: Know thyself .

Svartdal F, Nemtcan E. Past negative consequences of unnecessary delay as a marker of procrastination . Front Psychol. 2022;13. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.787337

Schrager S, Sadowski E. Getting more done: Strategies to increase scholarly productivity .  J Grad Med Educ . 2016;8(1):10-13. doi:10.4300/JGME-D-15-00165.1

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Solving Procrastination

Homework Procrastination: Why You Procrastinate on Homework and How to Stop

Homework procrastination involves unnecessarily postponing working on homework assignments. For example, if a student delays starting a homework assignment until right before its deadline for no good reason, even though it would have been better for them to start earlier, that student is engaging in homework procrastination.

Homework procrastination can take various forms, from wasting hours trying to bring yourself to start writing an essay, to putting off an important project until the end of the semester. This is a problem not only because it can harm your performance at school, and therefore cause you to receive lower grades , but also because it can cause you to suffer from various other issues , such as frustration, anxiety, and stress .

If you often procrastinate when it comes to doing homework, know that you’re not alone. Procrastination is a common problem among students ; in terms of statistics, studies show that approximately 80%–95% of college students engage in procrastination to some degree, approximately 75% consider themselves to be procrastinators, and approximately 50% say that they procrastinate in a consistent and problematic manner.

Fortunately, however, there are some things that you can do to solve this problem, as you will see in the following article. Specifically, you will first see an explanation about why students procrastinate on their homework, so you can understand your own behavior better. Then, you will see what you can do in order to stop procrastinating on your homework, so you can start getting them done on time.

Why you procrastinate on homework

You procrastinate on homework because issues such as exhaustion and anxiety outweigh your self-control and motivation. These issues include personal factors, like fear and perfectionism, and situational factors, like distractions and unclear instructions.

Specifically, when you need to get homework done, you rely primarily on your self-control in order to get yourself to do it. Furthermore, your self-control is sometimes supported by your motivation, which helps you complete your homework on time.

However, in some cases, you suffer from issues that interfere with or oppose your self-control and motivation, such as exhaustion and anxiety . When these issues are stronger than your self-control and motivation, you end up procrastinating, until you reach a point where the balance between them shifts in your favor, or until it’s too late.

This explains why you might end up procrastinating on your homework even when you have the necessary motivation and you truly wish that you could just get started. This also explains why you might end up procrastinating on your homework until right before deadlines , when the increased motivation, often in the form of stressful pressure, finally pushes you to get to work.

Accordingly, common reasons for procrastinating on homework include the following :

• Abstract goals , in terms of being vague about how and when you intend to do the homework.
• Feeling overwhelmed , often while being unsure of how to complete the homework.
• Perfectionism , in the form of refusing to create work that has any flaws.
• Fear of failure , often because of concerns over how such failure might reflect on you.
• Anxiety , often in light of potential negative feedback.
• Task aversion , especially in cases where you find the homework boring or unpleasant.
• Lack of motivation , often as a result of feeling disconnected from your future self or having rewards that are far in the future.
• Physical or mental exhaustion , often due to a combination of reasons, such as a high academic workload and associated stress .
• Resentment , generally toward the homework, toward its source, or toward something related, such as a parent pushing you to do well in a subject that you’re not interested in.
• Sensation seeking , generally in the form of enjoying working on things right before the deadline, when there’s intense time pressure.
• Problematic work environment , generally as a result of having many distractions or temptations around.
• Lack of sufficient communication from instructors, for example when it comes to not having clear directions and due dates for a certain class project.

In addition, other issues can also make you more likely to procrastinate on your homework. For example:

• Problematic behaviors like self-handicapping , which involves procrastinating so that if you fail you can blame your failure on procrastination rather than your abilities, and self-sabotaging , which involves procrastinating as a result of a tendency to sabotage your progress.
• Personality traits like distractibility and impulsivity .
• Underlying issues like lack of sleep , ADHD , and depression .

Finally, note that some of these issues can lead to problematic procrastination cycles . For example, this can happen if you’re anxious about your homework, so you procrastinate on it, which makes you even more anxious about your homework due to the added negative emotions that you now associate with it (e.g., guilt and shame), which in turn makes you more likely to keep procrastinating on your homework in the future.

Understanding why you procrastinate on your homework can help you learn how to overcome your procrastination. However, while understanding why you procrastinate can be helpful, in many cases you can reduce your procrastination even without figuring this out. As such, if you find that you’re struggling with this step, don’t worry, and don’t get stuck; simply move on to the next step, which involves trying out various anti-procrastination techniques, until you find the ones that work best for you.

How to stop procrastinating on homework

To stop procrastinating on your homework right now , you should identify the smallest possible thing you can do to make progress on it, and then modify your environment to make it as likely as possible that you will do it.

For example, if you need to write a paper for a university course, the smallest possible step that you can take toward finishing it might be opening the relevant document on your computer, and writing just a single opening line, even if it’s poorly phrased initially. Once you realize that this is all you need to do, you can start modifying your work environment to help yourself achieve that, for example by going to a room with no distractions, leaving your phone outside, and turning on airplane mode on your laptop to disable your access to online distractions .

There are many other anti-procrastination techniques that can help you stop procrastinating on your homework. You don’t need to use all of these techniques, since some won’t be relevant in your case, and since you will generally need only a few of them in order to make significant progress toward overcoming your procrastination. As such, try skimming through this list, and finding the techniques that you think will work best for you.

Improve your planning:

• Set concrete goals for yourself. For example, instead of a vague goal, such as “finish my psychology paper over the weekend”, set a concrete goal, such as “start writing an outline for the psychology paper on Thursday at 5 pm in the library, right after I finish the last class for the week”).
• Break your homework into small and manageable steps. For example, if you need to write a research paper, you can start with steps such as “(1) brainstorm three potential topics, (2) figure out which topic I like best, and (3) find five relevant sources”. If the project that you’re dealing with is large and will therefore require a large number of steps, don’t worry about outlining the whole thing from the start; simply identify the first few steps that you need to take, and add new ones as you go along, to avoid feeling overwhelmed or getting stuck.
• Set a series of milestones and deadlines for yourself. This will help you be accountable and plan ahead, and can also motivate you and give you a rewarding feeling of continuous progress.
• Identify your productivity cycles. Different people are more productive at different times, based on factors such as whether it’s morning, noon, or evening. To reduce procrastination, you should take your personal productivity patterns into account, and schedule your homework for times when you’re most likely to be able to actually work on it.

Improve your environment:

• Change your environment to make it easier for you to focus. For example, if you know that you work best when there are no distracting noises, go somewhere quiet, or put on some noise-blocking headphones.
• Change your environment to make it easier for yourself to get started. For example, if you know that you will need to write an essay tomorrow after you wake up, then leave the document open on your computer before you go to bed.
• Change your environment to make it harder for yourself to procrastinate. For example, if you tend to procrastinate by browsing apps on your phone , leave your phone outside the room where you plan to work.

Change your approach:

• Start with a tiny step. For example, if you need to write an essay, help yourself get started by committing to only write a single sentence at first. This can help you push yourself to get started on homework, and often, once you do so, you’ll find it easy to keep going.
• Start with the best or worst part first. Some people find that starting with the most enjoyable or easiest part of an assignment helps them get going, while others find that getting the worst part out of the way first helps them avoid procrastinating over time. Use either approach if you feel that it works for you.
• Add a time delay before you procrastinate. If you can’t avoid procrastinating entirely, try committing to having a time delay before you indulge your impulse to do so. For example, this can involve counting to 10 before you’re allowed to open a new tab on the social media website that you usually use to procrastinate.
• Use the Pomodoro technique. This involves alternating between scheduled periods of work and rest. For example, you can work on your homework for 25-minute long stretches, with 5-minute breaks in between, and a longer 30-minute break after every 4 work sets that you complete.

Increase your motivation:

• Make doing the homework feel more rewarding. For example, you can gamify your work, by marking down streaks of days on which you’ve managed to make sufficient progress on your assignments, and potentially also give yourself some reward once you reach a sufficiently long streak.
• Make doing the homework feel more enjoyable. For example, you can do your homework in a pleasant location, while listening to energizing music.
• Visualize your future self. For example, you can visualize yourself being able to relax after you finish working, visualize yourself being rewarded for getting a good grade in a course, or visualize yourself having to handle the issues associated with not finishing your homework on time.
• Focus on your goals instead of your assignments. Instead of focusing on the fact that you have an aversion to your homework, for whatever reason, try focusing on your end goals for completing the homework, such as getting a good grade in an important class so you can have a better application for grad school.

Change your mindset:

• Give yourself permission to make mistakes, and accept the fact that your work won’t be perfect, especially at first. This can be helpful, for example, when it comes to assignments that involve writing, where you can give yourself permission to write a bad first draft, and then edit it afterward.
• Address your fears. If you’re procrastinating because you’re afraid of something, try to identify your fears and resolve them. For example, if you’re afraid that your writing won’t be good enough, you can say to yourself that your goal is to just start by getting something written down, and that you can always improve it later.
• Develop self-compassion.   Self-compassion can help reduce your procrastination, as well as various issues that are associated with it, such as stress. It consists of three components that you should develop: self-kindness , which involves being nice to yourself, common humanity , which involves recognizing that everyone experiences challenges, and mindfulness , which involves accepting your emotions in a non-judgmental manner.
• Develop self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief in your ability to carry out the actions that you need to achieve your goals, and it can help you reduce your procrastination. To develop self-efficacy, try to identify the various strategies that you can use to finish your homework, and think about your ability to execute those strategies successfully.

When deciding which approach to use in order to overcome your procrastination , keep in mind that anti-procrastination techniques are especially effective when they’re tailored to the specific causes of your procrastination. For example, if you procrastinate because you set abstract goals for yourself, you should focus on setting concrete goals instead. Similarly, if you procrastinate because of available distractions, you should remove those distractions from your study environment, or go work somewhere else instead.

In addition, note that if you suffer from an underlying issue that leads to procrastination, such as lack of sleep , depression , or ADHD , you will likely need to resolve that issue, using professional help if necessary, if you want to successfully overcome your procrastination.

Finally, keep in mind that most people need more than one technique in order to overcome their procrastination , and that different techniques work better for different people in different circumstances. Accordingly, don’t expect a single technique to solve all your problems, and don’t feel that if some technique works well for others then it will necessarily also work well for you. Instead, try out the various techniques that are available to you, until you figure out which ones work best for you, in your particular situation.

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How to Stop Procrastinating

• Alice Boyes

Seven strategies backed by science

Do you keep postponing work you need to do? The problem probably stems from one of three things: your habits and systems (or lack thereof), your desire to avoid negative emotions (like anxiety and boredom), or your own flawed thinking patterns (which can make a task seem harder than it is). Luckily, there are simple strategies for managing each.

To develop good habits, for instance, do your important work in a consistent pattern daily: After I do this, I do my deep work. Devise a system for starting new tasks (drawing on one you’ve handled well); that will make it easier to get the ball rolling. When a task makes you anxious, do the easiest part first and progress from there; motivate yourself to do a boring task with a reward for completing it. And if you’re cognitively blocked, consider what would make a task impossible—and then identify its opposite.

Novel work often is filled with friction. You must recognize that tension doesn’t mean you’re not making progress. And if a project still feels overwhelming, tackle it in small chunks of time, not big ones.

Most of us procrastinate . We feel guilty about it and criticize ourselves for it. And yet we still do it. Why? Because of at least three factors: the absence of good habits and systems (poor discipline), intolerance for particular emotions (like anxiety or boredom), and our own flawed thinking patterns.

• Alice Boyes , PhD is a former clinical psychologist turned writer and the author of The Healthy Mind Toolkit , The Anxiety Toolkit , and Stress-Free Productivity .

Partner Center

How to Stop Procrastinating With 25 Tools

Understanding the science behind procrastination is essential for developing effective strategies to overcome it.

This article looks into the science behind the psychological, cognitive, and behavioral factors that contribute to procrastination and how to stop procrastinating.

It explores evidence-based strategies and tools, such as mindfulness, self-compassion, goal setting, time management, and accountability partnerships, to help individuals stop procrastinating and achieve their goals.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Productivity Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients become more productive and efficient.

This Article Contains

The science behind procrastination, the link between fear and procrastination, 10 procrastination prevention strategies, 6 ways to motivate a procrastinator, 9 procrastination tools to overcome this habit, resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

There are several theories that explain the science of procrastination . Temporal motivation theory suggests that motivation is influenced by task value and proximity to completion (Steel et al., 2018). That means that procrastination occurs when the perceived value of a task is low or when the perceived distance to its completion is far.

Similarly, expectancy-value theory emphasizes our belief in task completion and its perceived importance as motivating factors that may mitigate or exacerbate procrastination (Wigfield, 1994).

Self-determination theory , on the other hand, highlights autonomy, competence, and relatedness as motivators (Ryan & Deci, 2002). This aligns with both goal management theory, which underscores difficulties in prioritizing and managing goals (Gustavson et al., 2014), and trait self-control theory, which links procrastination to weak impulse regulation (de Ridder et al., 2012).

These theories offer insights into motivation, goal setting, and self-regulation to stop procrastination. So, what does the science behind these theories tell us?

Procrastination is a complex phenomenon influenced by various psychological, cognitive, and behavioral factors (Le Bouc & Pessiglione, 2022). Understanding the science behind procrastination involves examining these factors and how they may affect people’s tendency to procrastinate. Some of the factors associated with procrastination include:

Temporal discounting

Temporal discounting refers to our tendency to prioritize immediate rewards over future ones (Zhang et al., 2019). This tendency leads to procrastination, as tasks with distant rewards are often postponed in favor of more immediately gratifying activities (Le Bouc & Pessiglione, 2022).

Task aversion

Procrastination can stem from negative emotions associated with a task, such as anxiety, fear of failure, or boredom (Ferrari et al., 1995). When faced with unpleasant tasks, we may procrastinate to avoid these negative emotions (Blunt & Pychyl, 2000).

Impaired self-regulation

Procrastination often involves a failure of self-regulation or self-control (Ramzi & Saed, 2019). This means that impaired self-regulation may cause your client to struggle to resist immediate temptations, such as checking social media, and prioritize long-term goals, such as completing a project.

Perfectionism

Perfectionists are particularly prone to procrastination because they set excessively high standards for themselves (Ferrari et al., 1995). Fear of failure or making mistakes can lead them to delay starting or completing tasks.

Dopamine regulation

Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with reward and motivation, plays a role in procrastination (Jaffe, 2013). This research suggests that procrastinators may have differences in dopamine regulation, leading to difficulty experiencing motivation until the task becomes urgent.

Andrew Huberman discusses dopamine and its effects on procrastination in his Huberman Lab podcast.

Environmental factors

Distractions, such as social media, smartphones, or noisy environments, can contribute to procrastination by diverting attention away from tasks (Wiwatowska et al., 2023).

Lastly, another factor that plays an integral role in procrastination is fear (Duru et al., 2023). The role of fear is so important in understanding procrastination that it warrants its own section.

You may notice that you or some of your clients often delay tasks to avoid negative emotions associated with fear. This perpetuates a cycle of avoidance. Fear can also fuel perfectionism, leading to procrastination symptoms such as paralysis or excessive revision.

And if these links weren’t enough, we now know that the brain’s self-preservation instinct triggers procrastination when tasks threaten self-esteem or competence (Zhang et al., 2016). This causes fear and anxiety, which can make tasks seem overwhelming, prompting procrastination as a coping mechanism (Kowalski et al., 2024). Additionally, the fear of loss, cognitive biases, and learned behaviors can further contribute to procrastination tendencies.

Effective coping strategies for managing fear and anxiety are essential to helping you or your client navigate procrastination tendencies successfully. By addressing these underlying fears, you can cultivate resilience, embrace progress over perfection, and stop procrastination.

Check out Nic Voge’s TEDx presentation to learn more about how fear of failure and diminished self-worth play a role in procrastination.

Preventing procrastination requires addressing the underlying psychological, cognitive, and behavioral factors we discussed in the previous sections. The first step in this process is to create a deeper level of awareness of what might be causing procrastination and then to start implementing strategies that will help to prevent procrastination (Sanaghan, 2021).

This is an outline of how I help clients develop prevention strategies:

1. Mindfulness practice

I find that by starting with mindfulness , I can help clients create awareness of their own cognitive, psychological, and behavioral processes that may be causing and sustaining their procrastination. Then we can use mindfulness practices to help address procrastination factors and tendencies as they arise (Schutte & del Pozo de Bolger, 2020).

2. Develop self-compassion

Learning to cultivate self-compassion by treating yourself with kindness and understanding, especially when facing setbacks or challenges, can help reduce the fear and anxiety that exacerbate procrastination (Sirois, 2014).

Avoid harsh self-criticism, which can fuel procrastination and negatively impact self-esteem.

3. Address perfectionism

Use mindfulness and compassion to challenge perfectionistic tendencies and embrace a growth mindset focused on learning and improvement rather than perfect execution (Ng, 2018).

Accept that imperfection is a natural part of the creative process and prioritize your progress over perfection.

4. Develop accountability and support

Share your goals and progress with a trusted friend, colleague, or mentor who can provide encouragement, feedback, and accountability. Peer support and accountability partnerships can help maintain motivation and commitment to goals (Handayani et al., 2021).

5. Set clear and mindful goals

Establish clear goals for each task or project. Clear goals provide clarity and direction, making it easier to initiate and stay focused on tasks. These goals need to be realistic and compassionate, and they should take your abilities and time constraints into account.

6. Practice time management & prioritize tasks

Use time-blocking or scheduling techniques to allocate specific time slots for tasks on your calendar. Set aside dedicated blocks of time for focused work, breaks, and leisure activities.

Use time management techniques like the Eisenhower matrix to prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency (Dmytryshyn & Goran, 2022). Focus on high-priority tasks first to ensure that essential work gets done efficiently.

However, if an essential task is proving to be a block or a reason for your procrastination, it can be helpful to focus on another easier task to get your momentum going, build your confidence, and then move onto the more difficult task.

This is an example of where mindful awareness is helpful, as it can help you recognize these types of blocks more quickly and adapt your strategies accordingly.

7. Break tasks into smaller steps

Divide larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps or sub-tasks. This approach reduces overwhelm and makes tasks feel less daunting, increasing the likelihood of getting started.

8. Set deadlines

Establish your own deadlines for tasks to create a sense of urgency and accountability. Break down deadlines into smaller milestones to track progress and maintain momentum.

9. Minimize distractions

Identify and minimize potential distractions in your environment, such as turning off notifications, setting boundaries with colleagues, or using website blockers. Create a dedicated workspace conducive to focus and productivity.

10. Reward progress

Implement a system of rewards or incentives to reinforce productive behavior and celebrate progress. Break larger goals into smaller milestones, and reward yourself for achieving each milestone.

Consistency and persistence are key to implementing these strategies effectively. Experiment with different approaches to find what works best for you, and be kind and patient with yourself as you develop new habits and override old tendencies.

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Motivating a procrastinator involves working with them to identify their underlying reasons for procrastination and helping them address those factors. This often involves overcoming fear-based procrastination factors, which requires challenging irrational beliefs, breaking tasks into smaller steps, and fostering a growth mindset (Spagnola & Yagos, 2021).

As a therapist or coach, it is important to create a safe and encouraging space and to work using a client-centered approach so that the client identifies strategies that will work for them (Sanaghan, 2021). Here are several effective ways to motivate a procrastinator:

1. Identify and address barriers

Help the procrastinator identify and address any underlying barriers or obstacles contributing to their procrastination. This may involve addressing fears, perfectionism, self-doubt, or other psychological factors that inhibit motivation and productivity (Walker, 2004).

2. Create a supportive environment

Foster a supportive and encouraging environment so your client feels safe and open to identifying their reasons for procrastinating. Offer positive reinforcement for progress and provide constructive feedback to help them stay on track. Encourage self-compassion and self-care as part of the process.

3. Identify strengths

Identifying and harnessing strengths , such as organization, focus, or creativity, can empower individuals to combat procrastination (Walker, 2004). By leveraging their innate abilities to plan effectively, maintain concentration, and find innovative solutions to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals, clients can find a sense of agency and empowerment.

4. Provide support and resources

Offer support and resources to help the procrastinator surmount challenges and obstacles. This may include providing access to relevant information, tools, or training, as well as offering assistance or guidance as needed. See our recommendations below.

5. Develop accountability

Assist the procrastinator to set deadlines and establish mechanisms for accountability, such as sharing goals with a friend, colleague, or mentor who can provide support and hold them accountable (Trivedi, 2013).

The point here is that these measures should be identified by and implemented by the client. It is about developing a skill rather than external control measures.

6. Use visualization and positive affirmations

Encourage the procrastinator to visualize their goals and success and use positive affirmations to boost motivation and confidence (Ossebaard et al., 2012). Visualization techniques can help them envision the benefits of completing tasks and stop procrastinating (Sohnen-Moe, 2016).

By implementing these strategies and providing consistent support and encouragement, you can help motivate a procrastinator to overcome barriers, take action, and achieve their goals.

1. Task management apps

Use task management apps like Todoist , Trello , or Asana to organize tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. These apps often feature reminders, priority settings, and collaboration options to help users stay on top of their to-do lists.

2. Time-tracking software

Use time-tracking software such as Toggl or RescueTime to monitor how you spend your time and identify patterns of procrastination. These tools provide insights into productivity levels and help users make more informed decisions about time management.

3. Pomodoro Technique

Employ the Pomodoro Technique, which involves breaking work into intervals separated by short breaks (Amit et al., 2021). Apps like Focus Booster or TomatoTimer can help time intervals and breaks, promoting focus and productivity while reducing procrastination.

4. Website blockers

Install website blockers like StayFocusd , Freedom , or Cold Turkey to restrict access to distracting websites and social media platforms during scheduled work periods. These tools help minimize temptation and maintain focus on tasks.

5. Mindfulness apps

Practice mindfulness and meditation using apps like Headspace , Calm , or Insight Timer to reduce stress, improve focus, and cultivate a greater awareness of thoughts and emotions.

Mindfulness techniques will help you become more aware of procrastination triggers and develop healthier coping mechanisms (Pychyl & Flett, 2012).

6. Distraction-free writing tools

Use distraction-free writing tools such as Writemonkey or Werdsmith to create a conducive writing environment free from distractions. These minimalist writing apps can help you stay focused on writing tasks without the distractions of formatting or internet browsing.

7. Accountability partners or groups

Partner with a friend, colleague, or accountability group to support each other to stop procrastinating. Regular check-ins, goal-setting sessions, and mutual encouragement can help keep procrastination tendencies in check and maintain motivation (Koppenborg & Klingsieck, 2022).

8. Self-reflection journals

Keep a self-reflection journal to track procrastination triggers, identify patterns, and explore underlying reasons for procrastination. Reflective writing can help increase self-awareness and facilitate personal growth and behavior change (Hensley & Munn, 2020).

9. Skill-building platforms

Invest in skill-building platforms like Coursera , Udemy , or Skillshare to develop time management, organization, and productivity skills. Online courses and resources offer practical strategies and techniques to stop procrastinating and enhance productivity.

By incorporating these procrastination tools into your routine and experimenting with different approaches, you can develop effective strategies to stop procrastinating and achieve greater productivity and success.

17 Science-Based Productivity & Efficiency Exercises

Arm yourself with these 17 Productivity & Work Efficiency Exercises [PDF] and use positive psychology to increase flow, engagement, and goal achievement in the workplace.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

The PositivePsychology.com repository has a number of resources that you may find helpful in your journey to understand procrastination and how to help your clients stop procrastinating.

The following articles make for good additional reading:

• What Is Motivation? A Psychologist Explains discusses motivation from a psychologist’s perspective, and this will give you further insights about how to help motivate your procrastinator clients.
• What Is Perfectionism According to Psychology? 7 Examples looks at the complexities of perfectionism. Understanding this phenomenon is helpful, as it has been identified as an underlying psychological factor involved in procrastination.
• Ever wondered what is on the other side of procrastination? Deep work . Read all about this heightened state of concentration, flow ,and productivity in our article discussing the book of the same name, its meaning, and the author.

These free worksheets can be great tools for helping your clients stop procrastinating:

• When stress and worry seep the energy out of you, and your whole day seems filled with dread, be gentle with yourself and allow yourself “ worry time .” By allowing yourself allocated time for negative thoughts, you can spend the rest of your day more focused and productive.
• Building a vision board can help you visualize the intended outcome of your goals.
• Feeling overwhelmed and frozen with indecision? Grab your phone, set your timer for an hour, and work through this one-hour stress plan worksheet. This focused tool will help you chip through tasks with ease.

If you’d like to go deeper, this masterclass is a great place to start:

The Motivation & Goal Achievement Masterclass© is a comprehensive six-module coaching package that will provide you with the skills to help your clients stop procrastinating and achieve meaningful success through the science of motivation and goal setting.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others become more productive and efficient, check out this collection of 17 validated productivity and work efficiency exercises . Use them to help others prioritize better, eliminate time wasters, maximize their personal energy, and more.

Although procrastination is a persistent and common challenge that many of us face, the science behind it has a lot to offer in terms of understanding, prevention, and addressing the problem.

If you don’t know how to stop procrastinating, finding the often hidden causes behind a problem can be invaluable in resolving it. Being mindful and applying self-compassion can help you delve into the reasons why task-avoidance is ruling (and ruining) your day.

Once those barriers have been identified, create a supportive environment to help you overcome your challenges. Use visualization, accountability partnerships, and a variety of the tools listed above to leverage your strengths and form new habits.

Your strengths and new habits will help you become more productive and overcome procrastination once and for all.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Productivity Exercises for free .

• Amit, A. J., Shankararam, S. G., Pradeep, P., Perumalraja, R., & Kamalesh, S. (2021). Framework for preventing procrastination and increasing productivity. In 2021 3rd International Conference on Signal Processing and Communication (pp. 228–232). IEEE.
• Blunt, A. K., & Pychyl, T. A. (2000). Task aversiveness and procrastination: A multi-dimensional approach to task aversiveness across stages of personal projects. Personality and Individual Differences , 28 (1), 153–167.
• Le Bouc, R., & Pessiglione, M. (2022). A neuro-computational account of procrastination behavior. N ature Communications , 13 (1), Article 5639.
• de Ridder, D. T., Lensvelt-Mulders, G., Finkenauer, C., Stok, F. M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2012). Taking stock of self-control: A meta-analysis of how trait self-control relates to a wide range of behaviors. Personality and Social Psychology Review , 16 (1), 76–99.
• Dmytryshyn, M., & Goran, T. (2022). Proposal of an effective time management system. Management: Journal of Contemporary Management Issues , 27 (2), 283–298.
• Duru, E., Balkis, M., & Duru, S. (2023). Procrastination among adults: The role of self-doubt, fear of the negative evaluation, and irrational/rational beliefs. Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies , 23 (2), 79–97.
• Ferrari, J. R., Johnson, J. L., & McCown, W. G. (1995). Procrastination and task avoidance: Theory, research, and treatment . Springer Science & Business Media.
• Gustavson, D. E., Miyake, A., Hewitt, J. K., & Friedman, N. P. (2014). Genetic relations among procrastination, impulsivity, and goal-management ability: Implications for the evolutionary origin of procrastination. Psychological Science , 25 (6), 1178–1188.
• Handayani, E. T., Sugiharto, D. Y. P., & Sugiyo, S. (2021). The relationship between self-efficacy and peer support in academic procrastination behavior. Jurnal Bimbingan Konseling , 10 (3), 148–155.
• Hensley, L. C., & Munn, K. J. (2020). The power of writing about procrastination: Journaling as a tool for change. Journal of Further and Higher Education , 44 (10), 1450–1465.
• Jaffe, E. (2013, March 29). Why wait? The science behind procrastination . Association for Psychological Science. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/why-wait-the-science-behind-procrastination
• Koppenborg, M., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2022). Group work and student procrastination. Learning and Individual Differences , 94 , Article 102117.
• Kowalski, R. M., Gagne, M., Drolet, G., Burzin, K., Carroll, H., Korson, H., Aurilio, E., Bunche, R., Mochizuki, G., Cote, N., & Ridder, A. (2024). Psychological dread and extreme persistent fear. The Journal of Social Psychology , 1–19.
• Ng, B. (2018). The neuroscience of growth mindset and intrinsic motivation. Brain Sciences , 8 (2), Article 20.
• Ossebaard, M. E., Korthagen, F. A., Oost, H., Stavenga-De Jong, J., & Vasalos, A. (2012). A core reflection approach to reducing study procrastination. In F. A. J. Korthagen, Y. M. Kim, & W. L. Greene (Eds.), Teaching and learning from within (pp. 148–161). Routledge.
• Pychyl, T. A., & Flett, G. L. (2012). Procrastination and self-regulatory failure: An introduction to the special issue. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy , 30 , 203–212.
• Ramzi, F., & Saed, O. (2019). The roles of self-regulation and self-control in procrastination. Psychology and Behavioral Science International Journal , 13 (3).
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2002). Overview of self-determination theory: An organismic dialectical perspective. In E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 3–33). University of Rochester Press.
• Sanaghan, P. (2021). How to be a “better” procrastinator: Over 100 strategies to help you manage your procrastination habit . AuthorHouse.
• Schutte, N. S., & del Pozo de Bolger, A. (2020). Greater mindfulness is linked to less procrastination. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology , 5 (1), 1–12.
• Sirois, F. M. (2014). Procrastination and stress: Exploring the role of self-compassion. Self and Identity , 13 (2), 128–145.
• Sohnen-Moe, C. (2016). Business mastery . Sohnen-Moe Associates.
• Spagnola, R., & Yagos, T. (2021). Driving out fear in the nontraditional classroom: Five practical strategies from neuroscience to build adult student success. Adult Learning , 32 (2), 89–95.
• Steel, P., Svartdal, F., Thundiyil, T., & Brothen, T. (2018). Examining procrastination across multiple goal stages: a longitudinal study of temporal motivation theory. Frontiers in Psychology , 9 , Article 327.
• Trivedi, A. (2013). A study of literature review on individual accountability . SSRN. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2314551
• Walker, L. J. S. (2004). Overcoming the patterns of powerlessness that lead to procrastination. In H. C. Schouwenburg, C. H. Lay, T. A. Pychyl, & J. R. Ferrari (Eds.),  Counseling the procrastinator in academic settings  (pp. 75–89). American Psychological Association.
• Wigfield, A. (1994). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation: A developmental perspective. Educational Psychology Review , 6 , 49–78.
• Wiwatowska, E., Pietruch, M., Katafoni, P., & Michałowski, J. M. (2023). “I can’t focus now, I will study tomorrow” The link between academic procrastination and resistance to distraction.  Learning and Individual Differences ,  107 , Article 102364.
• Zhang, S., Liu, P., & Feng, T. (2019). To do it now or later: The cognitive mechanisms and neural substrates underlying procrastination. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science , 10 (4), Article e1492.
• Zhang, W., Wang, X., & Feng, T. (2016). Identifying the neural substrates of procrastination: A resting-state fMRI study. Scientific Reports , 6 (1), Article 33203.

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How to Stop Procrastination (10 Tips for Students That Work)

• by Daniel Friedman
• 6 minute read

Waiting until the very last minute to complete your homework? Here are 10 tips for students on how to stop procrastination!

Over 80% of students have a habit of procrastinating. That’s a large chunk of people!

No one ever teaches us how to work on it or what the best practices are to avoid it. It’s time that those questions get answered!

Let’s get started with some basics…

What is Procrastination?

Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something,

In other words, you don’t want to do your work when you should be. Homework and studying sucks, I get it.

We’ve all been at a point where we say, “I’ll get it done tomorrow.” Tomorrow comes around and suddenly, you catch yourself saying the same thing.

Let’s take a look at a few reasons to stop now that you know what it means…

Why You Should Stop Procrastinating

If you’re reading this, you probably already want to stop. Pat yourself on the back because you’re on the right track!

Here are a few reasons you should stop procrastinating :

• You’re failing assignments
• You feel stressed out doing things so late
• You want to develop better habits
• You’re afraid you’ll procrastinate your whole life
• You find that procrastination just leads to more problems

If any of these feelings sound familiar to you, then you’re part of a massive pool of students who are also looking to better themselves.

Ready to get this procrastination out of your system? Hang in there, because it’s going to take a bit of effort!

Related Post: How to Get Back on Track in College

How to Stop Procrastination

Here are 10 tips for students who want to stop procrastinating and finish assignments on time…

1) Work on Your Stress

The #1 reason you procrastinate in the first place is because you’re stressed. It may not feel so intense when you’re in the middle of it, but it’s there.

It’s common to procrastinate out of stress that you’re going to fail a task or that the task is going to be too intense for you.

Our brain’s natural response is to keep us out of danger. That’s exactly what your brain is doing when you say “I’ll get it done later”.

Work on relaxing your thoughts and be realistic about what you actually have to get done. I promise it’s not as bad as it seems.

2) Have a Schedule

A goal is just a dream without a plan… and that plan is going to be a schedule.

At first, a schedule may seem daunting. As if you’re obligated to write out every little thing that comes to your head.

Without an organized day, it’s very hard to get anything done efficiently. 

Here’s an easy way to create a schedule :

• Write down your daily plans the night before (include time for homework)
• Create at least 3 things to do
• Categories them by time and priority
• Check things off as you complete them

That’s it! No elaborate plans or extra work.

You can write out your schedule for the next day in less than 5 minutes. Sticky notes are great for this. You can also get a planner and use that for more organization!

3) Set Reminders

Students have it hard enough as it is. That’s why you should take the load off of your mind to remember every little thing.

This is the best tool you can use when learning how to stop procrastination as a student!

Set reminders on your phone to keep you in check throughout your day. Even the smallest of tasks can be set into reminders.

Remind yourself to start studying at a certain hour or even to take breaks in the middle of homework!

Related Post: 10 Time Management Tips for Students

4) Use a Timer

Remember, the ultimate goal here is to reduce your overall stress when completing tasks such as studying and homework.

Using a timer during those tasks can help remind you when to take breaks so that you’re not overwhelmed with work.

There is a specially designed technique to help you work in the most efficient way possible. It’s called the Pomodoro Technique and here’s how it works :

• Work for 25 minutes
• Take a 5 minute break
• Repeat 4 times
• After the 4th cycle, take a longer 30 minute break

It’s quite simple, but WOW does it work!

I highly recommend that you try it the next time you work on a longer assignment and see how it makes you feel.

5) The 2 Minute Rule

If you’ve never heard of the 2-minute rule, here’s what it is…

If it takes less than 2 minutes to complete, do it now!

The more you remember this rule, the more it will start to work on you and take effect into your life.

Here are a few things that take less than 2 minutes to complete :

• Washing a few dishes
• Taking out the trash
• Getting a paper signed
• Writing a short paragraph
• Looking up something on Google
• Getting yourself a glass of water
• Getting dressed

You get the point. Procrastination can seep through all aspects of life; even the small ones mentioned above.

Use this rule until the day you day and you’ll already be WAY less lazy!

6) Create a Routine

Creating a routine is a super healthy way to get your work done on time. You might be wondering… how is this different from creating a schedule?

Well… a routine is a sum of daily habits that you perform throughout the day (no matter what you have to get done).

For example , you can develop a routine where you do your homework at the exact same time everyday. This will mentally rewire you to feel the need to complete it at that time after a while.

You can also work on following a similar pattern while you’re studying or make your schedule for the next day at the same time every night.

Related Post: How to Remember What You Study

7) Work with Friends

Sometimes, all it takes is a little push, and your friends can be that push.

You might all be procrastinators as individuals, but together, you can motivate each other to keep working on your assignments.

You don’t even have to be working on the same thing. Sitting next to someone else while studying is enough to keep you going.

Plus, being around friends will turn study time into an enjoyable experience.

Just make sure you’re doing it with the right friends (aka the ones that won’t make you procrastinate even more).

8) Start Small

It’s important that you divide up tasks into smaller, more digestible pieces to learn how to stop procrastination.

The point is that you start. Otherwise, nothing will ever get done.

Of course it’s hard to feel motivated to get anything done when you don’t care too much about what you’re doing.

However, you have to look at the end goal…

Do you want to graduate with good grades? Are you trying to go to a good college? Do you want to look back and say you could’ve done better in school?

All of these questions can help you find motivation to start with the smallest of tasks (like pulling out your homework).

9) Develop Useful Habits

Along with your daily routine comes your habits.

Your individual habits are what’s going to give you a little push into getting your work done.

Here are a few good habits to develop to stop procrastination :

• Take out your homework right when you get home
• Place it right in front of you at your desk
• Always complete 1 question/page before doing anything else
• Gather necessary tools before you start working

All of these habits can be enough to get you to start. That’s what matters!

Related Post: Daily Routine for Teenage Girls and Teenage Guys

10) Turn Work Into Fun

Once again, reducing that overall stress is the key to stop procrastination.

Here are a few ways to turn work into fun :

• Listen to music
• Reward yourself with a snack when you’ve completed a task
• Make studying a game
• Look forward to something exciting when you finish

Simple things like this will make or break your success when working on your laziness. 

The moment your brain makes the switch from boring to fun, it will also turn procrastination into productivity.

Hopefully these 10 tips have helped you start your journey to becoming more productive and reduce that laziness.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions leave them down below. Thanks for reading!

Daniel Friedman

Hey, I'm Daniel - The owner of Modern Teen! I love sharing everything I've experienced and learned through my teen and college years. I designed this blog to build a community of young adults from all around the world so we can grow together and share our knowledge! Enjoy and Welcome!

The Pomodoro technique works well. It’s like an ultimatum or a self-deal – 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of well-deserved rest. This way you can do even the work you don’t like, which you put off until the last moment. But procrastination as a thing is bad, an indication that there is something in your life that you are not happy with. And you need to rethink your routine and your goals and plans.

Well said Philippa! The only tough part about that is the thing that most students are unhappy with is the work itself. Take care!

i really appreciate these tips, as someone who struggles with procrastination! thank you for doing what you do!

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3 Reasons Students Procrastinate—and How to Help Them Stop

Psychologists have uncovered reasons why students put off important work. But there are a few simple things teachers can do to keep students on track.

Leonardo da Vinci spent nearly 16 years painting the Mona Lisa —and never completed it . The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams famously wrote , “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” And Frank Lloyd Wright spent a mere two hours designing Fallingwater —after delaying for nine months.

“Procrastination is extremely prevalent,” Piers Steel, a business professor at the University of Calgary, noted in a 2007 study . “Estimates indicate that 80 to 95 percent of college students engage in procrastination, approximately 75 percent consider themselves procrastinators, and almost 50 percent procrastinate consistently and problematically.”

If you’re a middle or high school teacher, it’s likely that you have procrastinators in your class—students who consistently wait until the last minute to turn in their assignments, or put off studying until the night before a test. This delaying has a cost: A 2015 study found that the longer business school students waited to turn in an assignment, the worse their grades were, with last-minute hand-ins costing them five percentage points on average, or half a grade. And a 2015 meta-analysis confirmed this result, finding that procrastination was associated with lower grades across 33 studies that included over 38,000 students (most of whom were in college). Even worse, medical research has linked procrastination to higher levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and fatigue.

It’s a common perception that students who procrastinate do so because they don’t care about the assignment—and that’s usually wrong, argued Devon Price, a social psychology professor at Loyola University, in 2018. More often than not, the underlying reasons for procrastination fall under two categories: fear of failure or confusion about the first steps of an assignment.

“Procrastination is more likely when the task is meaningful and the individual cares about doing it well,” Price explained. Procrastinators can stare at a screen or book for hours, paralyzed by fear. At that point, the best solution is to take a short break and engage in a relaxing activity.

Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University and leading expert on procrastination, has performed several studies on why students put off important work. In a groundbreaking 1989 study , Ferrari found that college students often procrastinated because of indecision: They spent too much time worrying about whether they were doing an assignment correctly, prolonging the time they spent on even simple tasks. For these students, procrastination was a coping mechanism to avoid stressful experiences.

“It is very helpful and useful to gather information to make an informed decision, but when one simply continues to gather beyond the point of adequate resources, then they are being indecisive and the waiting is counterproductive,” Ferrari told an interviewer in 2010 .

In a follow-up study , Ferrari found another reason why some students procrastinate: fear of criticism. He discovered that many college students engaged in self-sabotage because they could then blame low grades on the deadlines rather than their own abilities. These students preferred to “choose situations in which their public image would not be damaged by poor performance.” Once again, procrastination was a coping mechanism—in this case, to protect the students’ self-esteem and perceptions of their identity.

Ferrari discovered yet another, very different, motive for procrastination in a 1992 study . Some college students delayed starting on an assignment because they enjoyed the perceived thrill of working against a deadline. Putting assignments off until the last minute was a way of “adding drama to life,” giving these students a rush of adrenaline.

Indecisiveness, avoidance, and thrill-seeking are thus more likely explanations for procrastination than laziness or lack of motivation. So what can teachers do? Here are some suggestions.

5 Ways to Encourage Students Not to Procrastinate

1. Spread deadlines out. Researchers have investigated the impact of three types of deadlines for a series of tasks: evenly spaced, self-imposed, or a single, final deadline. In the first experiment, students were assigned three papers and were asked to either turn one in at the end of each month, choose their own deadlines, or submit all three papers by the end of the course. In the second experiment, students were given a task—to proofread three passages—and submitted their assignments weekly, at their own self-chosen pace, or all at once. In both experiments, evenly spaced deadlines not only yielded better student work but also decreased the chances that students would miss their deadlines.

The takeaway for teachers? Instead of giving students a big project with a single deadline, break it into smaller tasks with evenly spaced out deadlines. Ask for multiple drafts of a paper, for example. In a project-based learning unit, have students present their progress at specified checkpoints. This can be especially helpful for students who are paralyzed by large projects—by making each part more manageable, you can reduce the anxiety associated with intimidating deadlines.

2. Provide supportive feedback. Students with low self-esteem may be reluctant to put forth their best work if they’re worried about criticism or afraid of failing. Avoid giving highly critical or negative feedback, which may have the unintended consequence of making students feel nervous or self-conscious. Students may also respond poorly to feedback that feels controlling, so avoid being too explicit about what needs to be corrected. Finally, be cautious about giving feedback to students in front of their peers—they may feel uncomfortable and become disengaged.

3. Teach time management and study skills. A 2017 study found that many students lack the metacognitive skills they need to be able to study effectively, such as the ability to schedule ample time for studying or knowing when to ask for help. Many study participants were surprised when their initial scores were lower than they had expected—they did not have an accurate sense of how well prepared they were. They were then encouraged to plan ahead for an upcoming test, and were shown examples of how they could prepare. The results were significant: Compared to their peers, the students who participated in the metacognitive activities scored a third of a letter grade higher, on average.

4. Be mindful of workload. According to a 2015 study , the likelihood that students will turn in late work increases when deadlines for different projects coincide—something that can easily happen in middle and high school, when students have multiple teachers. Students also experience higher stress levels if they can’t manage multiple assignments that are due at the same time. Consider coordinating with other teachers to spread out major deadlines.

And when students face adversity that impacts their ability to finish assignments on time, such as taking care of a family member or having to financially support their family, being flexible about deadlines can help them stay on track.

5. Have clear instructions and examples. Students are more likely to put off a project if they don’t understand how to start. Ensure that all students know your expectations and the requirements of the assignment—it’s best to put instructions in writing so that students can refer to them as needed. You can also use exemplars , such as examples of past student work, to help them better understand what the assignment is.

Adolescence

8 ways to help your teen stop procrastinating, strategies for executive function disorder, adhd, and procrastination..

Posted October 13, 2022 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk

• What Is Procrastination?
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• When it comes to ADHD and other issues of executive functioning, what causes procrastination are intense feelings of overwhelm.
• Getting the most challenging task out of the way first is one strategy that can help.
• Breaking procrastination habits is not easy, so self-forgiveness is an important component for perseverance and staying the course.

One of the primary symptoms of attention -deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) and executive function issues is procrastination . Most parents have struggled with this—when their child or teen seemingly takes his or her sweet time to follow through on chores and homework. In my practice, most parents interpret this behavior as either laziness or defiance. However, it is often procrastination.

When it comes to ADHD and other issues of executive functioning , what causes procrastination are intense feelings of overwhelm. This is because the teen struggles with poor organizational skills, which hinders his or her ability to prioritize and plan ahead for tasks he or she has to complete. This leads to feelings of overwhelm, which leads to feelings of anxiety , which triggers the fight-or-flight response system of the hind brain.

So, if your teen comes up with excuses as to why he or she can’t attend to the chore or homework, they are putting up a fight to avoid engaging in the task. If your teen agrees to do the chore or homework, and several minutes later he or she has not started the task, this means he or she is fleeing from a conflict with you while buying time to avoid engaging in the task or homework.

Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to teach your teen how to conquer procrastination. The following tips will help your teen reduce procrastination, stay on task, and increase his or her productivity .

1. Minimize Distractions

If your teen’s workspace is full of distractions, he or she is more likely to procrastinate. Have your teen eliminate as many distractions from his or her work area as possible. Have your teen’s phone silenced or turned off. Install an app to block social media and other distracting sites while he or she is doing homework. If your teen is doing homework in the living room, leave the TV off.

2. Start With the Most Challenging Task

Your teen’s most challenging task isn't necessarily the most difficult. It's the task he or she has been putting off because he or she dreads the thought of tackling it. Have your teen start with his or her least-pleasant task and get it over and done with early, and your teen spends the rest of the day working on something more enjoyable. You will notice your teen feeling a lot better once his or her perceived worst task is out of the way.

3. Break Down Longer Tasks

Children and teens often procrastinate when a chore or schoolwork feels too large and overwhelming to handle. You can teach your teen to overcome this by breaking large tasks down into smaller, more manageable steps. Have your teen make a to-do list and mark off each step as it is completed. A to-do list will keep your teen on task, ensure he or she doesn’t skip any steps, and give your teen a sense of accomplishment as each task is completed.

4. Commit to a Deadline

A deadline is a powerful motivator. A great way to teach your teen to overcome procrastination is to set a nonnegotiable deadline for the completion of the chore and mark it on a family calendar. Deadlines for schoolwork can also be integrated into this calendar. If you have your teen tackling a large project, give him or her a soft deadline for each task on his or her to-do list. Setting specific deadlines will keep your teen on track to meeting his or her goals .

5. Try the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique is a popular time- management method developed by Francesco Cirillo. The idea is to break down large tasks into short intervals with short breaks in between them. You won't need any apps or special tools; all that's required is a timer. Here's how the Pomodoro technique works, in five steps:

• Assign a task for your teen to work on.
• Set a timer for 25 minutes, which is one "pomodoro."
• Work on your task without interruption until the timer rings, then write a checkmark on a piece of paper.
• Have your teen take a 5-minute break.
• After completing four "pomodoros," take a longer break—20 to 30 minutes.

Repeat this process several times during your workday, and you may be surprised by how much your teen is able to accomplish.

6. Schedule Leisure Time Into Your Teen’s Day

Have your teen schedule a block of time in his or her day for video games, watching television, and other leisure activities. Have your teen keep such tasks to their scheduled time and keep focus on his or her work for the rest of the day. Having your teen incorporate leisure time into his or her schedule may help alleviate the guilt he or she may feel about procrastinating.

7. Hold Your Teen Accountable

Set up times during the week when you have check-in meetings with your teen to inspect the completion of chores and homework he or she has done. It is important to note that you must be punctual with this schedule as it will help your teen take his or her new schedule very seriously.

8. Reward Your Teen

Give your teen a reward as he or she completes each task on his or her to-do list of chores and homework. It could be a monetary reward or a gift you know your teen will appreciate. Have a snack or take a short walk. This system will trigger the release of dopamine in your teen’s brain, leading him or her to become conditioned toward consistently following through with chores and homework.

Most teens will procrastinate from time to time. Be kind to your teen and forgive your teen for procrastinating in the past. You will be role modeling to your teen on how to practice self-forgiveness . Self-forgiveness is an important step in conquering procrastination. Teaching your teen to break his or her procrastination habits will not be easy, and, so, forgiveness is an important component for perseverance and staying the course.

Ugo Uche is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in adolescents and young adults.

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How to Stop Procrastinating Homework

Procrastination creates stress for students and can impact the production of quality work.  Putting things off, for all of us, creates an overall feeling of things hanging over our heads and never being free from responsibility.  

When students procrastinate, they can create a situation that makes it difficult to self-regulate .  When a student is not well-regulated – in other words, they’re experiencing a moderate to high level of anxiety related to homework –  it’s more difficult for their frontal lobe to be engaged in thinking and problem-solving.  

Want to help your student stop procrastinating homework and reach their full academic potential?  This article takes an objective view of homework procrastination to examine the root cause and provides some expert advice on how parents and educators can best help students.

Common Reasons for Procrastinating Homework

So, why is procrastination so common?  Contrary to what many might believe, the root cause has nothing to do with students being ‘lazy’ or dismissive about their schoolwork.  Rather, some of the most common reasons for homework procrastination include,  

• Students may underestimate the length or complexity of a project because they have not fully developed the concept.
• When students feel overwhelmed or become aware of the significance of the project/paper/essay etc, they can ‘freeze up’, rendering them incapable of completing any work at all.  
• Trying to accomplish homework with ADHD presents unique challenges for students; students with ADHD often need help further developing essential executive functioning skills .
• Some students may not be getting enough sleep and feel exhausted – both physically and mentally; an exhaustive state robs them of their natural ability to motivate. 
• The home environment where students typically complete homework may have too many distractions. 

The rule of thumb for parents: perspective is key for parents .  Motivating students from a place of shame is a non-starter.  Alternatively, parents will have more success when they objectively consider the root causes for procrastinating homework – anxiety, exhaustion, constant distractions, or living with ADHD – and look for ways to help alleviate these common factors. 

Homework Tips for Parents : A Word On Motivation

First, motivating students is a misnomer.  Students may want to do well, but really do not know how to do well.  Others may procrastinate because they’re afraid to fail or not be perfect.  

Try following these steps to help your student,  

• Begin by asking your student if they are open to help.  While students may say no, parents have the ability to respond by saying they respect their position but would kindly ask them to reconsider.  In other words, forcing students to comply simply compounds the stress and frustration the student is experiencing. 
• Recognize that your student may be more emotional with you than with a tutor.  It’s not personal – by keeping your emotions in check, you provide a great example of self-regulation for your student to model.  If you need to step away to get a break, do so.  
• Model, model, model!  Get involved by reading the assignment out loud with your student, and create a schedule of how to do a little each day so the student learns how to complete a little at a time 
• Perhaps the most important thing to do: empathize!  Kids, just like us, want to be understood and supported.  Even as adults, having to do what you don’t like to do stinks – we call it ‘adulting’. Want to shorten the proverbial gap between you and your student? Provide some real-life examples of how you have to do things you don’t like as an adult and acknowledge their feelings.  You will become instantly relatable. 

Additional Homework Tips for Students

• Start with something easy to help you get going – we call this behavioral momentum.  Format your paper, write your name at the top of the assignment, and answer the question you feel most comfortable with – just get the ball rolling. 
• After you establish behavioral momentum, tackle something more challenging – but set a timer (around 30 minutes) so you don’t feel like it will take all night. 
• Some research shows that individuals are more likely to perform better on an assessment when part of a group.  If you have the time and opportunity, join a study group of people who are all working like you.  
• Create a work/break schedule and definitely put distractions in another room (phone! Or games/Youtube or other streaming videos).  

Creating an Efficient Homework Schedule 

Okay, parents – you likely already know how important structure and routine can be for your kids. In helping your student learn how to stop procrastinating homework, creating a schedule can give them a greater sense of autonomy while helping them manage expectations.   

In a de-escalated environment, (when things are chill) ask your student to create a homework schedule that he/she would like to implement.  After they present it to you, you’ll have an opportunity to give feedback and set up a trial period.  

The proposal itself is a plan;  the student is evaluating their resources (time) and responsibilities (tasks) and formulating a plan.  Ask your student how they want to be held accountable and let them know you want to discuss it with them at the end of the week to evaluate their progress.  

With this approach, parents demonstrate trust in their students and give them an opportunity to practice being self-direct.  The key word here is practice – so, don’t expect it to be perfect!  Over time and with further practice, they will develop these skills.  

Academic Coaching with Effective Students

Fortunately, for parents and students who feel overwhelmed by homework or are frustrated trying to help their kids, there is help in the form of academic coaching from Effective Students. Our academic coaching services empower students who may be struggling to manage materials or assignments, apply what they’re learning, transition into a new academic environment (high school to college, for example), and procrastinate homework due to heightened feelings of anxiety, fear, and exhaustion. 

Learn how to help your child meet and exceed their academic goals – contact us today!

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How To Stop Procrastinating? Helpful Tips for College Students!

Updated: July 18, 2022

Published: December 30, 2019

Your to-do list is piling up, but you’d rather do anything than start crossing items off your list. From procrastinating studying to procrastinating submitting that assignment, most college students wish they know how to stop procrastinating.

Did you know that there are actual reasons why you’re likely procrastinating? So, if you can overcome these barriers, it may get easier to know how to not procrastinate. We’ll share them so that you can maximize your time management skills and be your best self as a college student.

Why Do Students Procrastinate?

At any point in your student lift, you may find yourself taking longer to get things done than necessary. That will lead you to want to know how to not procrastinate on homework, studying, assignments, and chores.

Let’s first break down the common reasons why college students procrastinate in the first place. Some or all of these reasons may resonate with your own experience.

Unclear goals

If you have no clearly defined goals as to what you wish to accomplish, it could be harder to understand why you have to do certain things.

Fear of failure

An all too common occurrence is that those who procrastinate actually are just afraid to fail. So, they’d rather not start to avoid this potentially displeasing sentiment.

If there’s a lot going on in your school life and/or personal life, you may feel unsure how or where to even start.

You could feel worried or anxious about the potential outcomes of whatever you have to get done, be it a homework assignment or test results.

Perfectionism

Often in line with the fear of failure comes the idea of perfectionism. When you have the goal of everything being perfect, then you may never want to start something to avoid any flaws or mistakes (which are inevitable).

Lack of motivation

It could be possible you feel a lack of motivation because goals are too far out in the future or are unclearly defined

Perhaps, the most important thing to do is to ask yourself why you are procrastinating in the first place. This could prove to be a useful exercise because you may have to tackle the more deeply rooted issue and the shackles of procrastination will be released.

For example, you could fear that you don’t know how to do something, and to get started, you simply need to know a little more information or ask for help to understand a concept. Once you do that, you could find yourself easily finishing the required assignment.

How to Stop Procrastinating in College

Now that we’ve covered some of the reasons why students procrastinate in the first place, let’s take a look at some best practices to learn how to stop procrastinating.

Get Organized

To avoid the sense of overwhelm of having too much to do or not knowing where to start, organization proves to be crucial. It’s a great idea to use tools that help you stay organized, whether they are calendars or scheduling apps on your computer or the trusted old-school method of writing things down. Consider writing down upcoming assignments and deadlines, estimating how long the task will take you to perform, and counting backward from the due date to give yourself adequate time to get it done.

Of course, it still comes down to you having the motivation to start rather than procrastinate, but it’s easier to do when you have a clear idea of what you need to get done and by when.

Set Deadlines and Reasonable Goals

If you’re a person who procrastinates because your goals seem unattainable, then consider resetting your goals. While you can’t choose when assignments are due, you can choose when you want to have it ready by. In the same vein, you can’t choose when test dates are, but you can choose when to start studying. You can break down these items into smaller, achievable segments so that you can maintain momentum and feel accomplished. For example, if you have a 10-page research paper due, consider setting a goal to finish two pages per day so you can avoid having to write it fast. 

Remove Distractions

Sometimes, the only way to want to get things done is to have no other alternative. You can position yourself for this scenario by removing distractions. Put your phone in another room. Turn off the TV. Tell your friends that you’re busy. Then, you can free up your own time to get your to-do list crossed off.

Take Breaks

Getting things done doesn’t have to feel tiring or undesirable. Remember to relieve yourself of your efforts and give yourself breaks. This can also help to increase your motivation to get things done because you can look forward to the upcoming break. And, you can make your break as fun or as relaxing as you see fit. Some examples of break ideas you can try after you accomplish items on your list include: walking, cooking, calling a friend, scrolling through social media, playing with your dog, taking a nap, etc.

Reward Yourself

In the same way that breaks can serve as rewards and help to boost your motivation, so can actual rewards! Depending on what you enjoy, you can set rewards both big and small accordingly. Say you enjoy food and trying new eateries. Tell yourself that if you ace your next big exam, you’ll treat yourself to a dining experience at the restaurant you’ve always wanted to try. Or, if you like fashion, then buy yourself something new when you finish your semester with a good GPA. 

Ask for Help

If you’re struggling to hold yourself accountable, ask your peers or friends for help. You can help each other meet deadlines if you are unable to maintain your own self-control. Having people around you who will support you in reaching your goals and aspirations can help to manage your motivation levels as you are answerable to people besides yourself.

The Bottom Line

While there is no single answer as to how to stop procrastinating for college students, there are different behaviors and habits that you can try to overcome this common challenge.

So, if you’re a constant procrastinator or you find yourself stuck these days more than before, try to figure out why. Then, practice some of the above tips to overcome any mental hurdles.

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Global Cognition

Teach your teen how to stop procrastinating homework (without nagging).

by Winston Sieck updated September 18, 2021

“Trust me?”

You send him off to school. Drive him to soccer practice. Then there’s dinner. And, you know, a little TV.

Says he’s getting homework done. But there doesn’t seem to be that much. Gets it all done in school . Hmm. Trust me . Hmm.

You want to trust him. You don’t have time to review each assignment. And that’d go over like a lead balloon, anyway. Nagging is out. Major hassle. Tiny return.

But when the grades come back, you know you’ve got to do something. Trust me didn’t work.

You might think that getting things done has to do with grit or simple hard-nosed discipline. That he’ll wake up and do it, or he won’t. But this is far from the truth.

He’s got to learn how to stop procrastinating homework.

You can’t manage his time for him anymore. But he still needs support.

Supporting him to get his work done simply requires that you teach him a few study tips and time management techniques. Teach him how to stop procrastinating homework, rather than trying to manage his time for him.

It’s much easier because you coach him on tools and processes, without getting into the nitty-gritty of his business. This is a central idea of our study skills course .

The procrastination cycle affects us all (or “It’s not just you, kid”)

You know what I mean by the procrastination cycle, right?

Say your son has a tough homework assignment. About geometry theorems. It seemed pretty complicated in class. He doesn’t get it right away, so he decides to put it off.

Later that evening comes. He puts it off again. Until tomorrow and then to the next day. Now he’s feeling like he really doesn’t know what’s going on in class. More assignments begin to slip, and class is less fun every day.

He’s walking around with an uneasy feeling that he’s not going to do very well in this course. And feeling like that, it becomes easy to procrastinate his homework even more.

Procrastination is a beast that feeds on itself.

And you’ve met that beast yourself, haven’t you?

It shouldn’t be too hard to feel some empathy. Procrastination haunts us all.

Can you think of a time when you didn’t feel very motivated to study (or work)? A time when you were sorely tempted to put off the task until later? My guess is that you don’t have to think that far back.

What was it about the task that gave you an itch to procrastinate? Did it seem too difficult, boring, or just tedious?

How did it turn out? Did you break the cycle, or did things get worse and worse?

You’ve got a story about procrastination. Think it through. Get it straight in your head.

Now, tell your teen all about it.

Don’t worry if it turned out badly. It’s fine to show a little weakness. We’re all humans here.

My kids love and remember stories of my failures best.

The point is to empathize with your teen’s struggle. Show him that you really do know what it’s like.

Get momentum and spiral up

We all face the procrastination beast at one time or another. Yet, you have the benefit of experience. To get where you are now, you’ve figured out a few ways to overcome it.

You may not have them on the tip of your tongue, but they’re there. You’ve internalized your tricks. They’ve become part of your habit.

It’s time to bring them back to the forefront of your consciousness so you can pass them on.

Need some help?

Here are four ways to overcome procrastination. Share these tips with your teen.

• Nip procrastination in the bud . Recognize this cycle early on, and imagine where it will lead you. By acting early, even if just to do a little, you can avoid the downward spiral.
• Set small goals to focus on , rather than on a big task that seems like too much. Break the assignment or study activity into little pieces. Congratulate yourself as you finish a small task. Making a little progress will help increase your motivation to do some more.
• Make a deal with yourself . Promise yourself a reward for finishing the task, or a reasonable chunk of it. Tell yourself that you’ll watch some TV, listen to a song you like, or call a friend after you are done.
• Concentrate on the most recent tasks when too much has piled up. Figure out what tomorrow’s lecture is going to be about, or what homework assignment is due next, and put your energy into preparing for those. This way, you can enjoy a small win of a more positive class experience, because you understand what’s being said a bit better and have turned in a more complete assignment on time.

Which of these have you used? Maybe at work, instead of school. Do they jar your memory for other tricks you use?

The harsh truth about how to stop procrastinating homework

We all have trouble with procrastination. At least now and then.

It’s the same for your teen. And he’s had less practice handling it. He hasn’t picked up all the tricks you’ve come across for working through the sticky spots.

How can you help him get his tedious, daunting tasks done?

Not directly, at least. He’s got to learn to get himself unstuck.

But you can talk with him about procrastination. Empathize with his struggles.

You’ve know you’ve been there.

Think about what works for you.

Share your tips for getting things done (even when you don’t feel like it).

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About Winston Sieck

Dr. Winston Sieck is a cognitive psychologist working to advance the development of thinking skills. He is founder and president of Global Cognition, and director of Thinker Academy .

Reader Interactions

March 15, 2017 at 7:31 pm

Hi, I am a mom of a 13 yrs old, my son is a great kid, at everything he does. Somehow, regadless of his procrastination he always comes out of it either withan A or winning his science proyect. He is really good at writing (he does not get it from me,☹️) he reads 10-12 grade books, plays the guitar and violin, He loves music… He was just accepted at advance orchestra and he swims 3 hrs a everyday. But, I dont know if it is me or what, but it makes me lose it and I get so angry at him when I find out he procrastinate his work or projects. I feel he is ignoring his own capacities not just to have an “A” or get second or third place on his science projects, it angries me he could have done it better, not just to pass the test or finish the project, but to really leaves us all with something he can really blow our minds…. am I been to harsh on him? how can I help him to see that? or should I be the one who changes?

May 13, 2017 at 4:48 am

Read what you have written …the answer is within. Ask yourself is it procrastination or is he time starved ? To be good at one thing requires time, to be good at a multitude of things takes even more time.

April 4, 2020 at 3:41 am

Hi my son has just turned 13, he has started his homeschooling this year and it’s his first experience in homeschooling. He procrastinates all his chores a lot, be it be assignments or daily chores. At the end he gets very frustrated because of his unfinished tasks. Please can I request you to help me so I could help my child overcome his problem.

April 11, 2020 at 3:57 pm

This is all about my brother! His attitude to homework is hard to describe. And we have a constant struggle over it. And also misunderstandings and resentments. As a person who loves to learn, I can’t figure out how he can avoid homework all the time. I mean, I’m not a study fan, but I like the process of learning. I mean, he’s not interested in anything but computer games. I’ll try to find an approach to it using your advice. Because he needs to learn to be independent and of course to develop his cognitive skills.

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Why Can’t I Stop Procrastinating? How to Overcome the Medical Student’s Nightmare

Table of contents.

Most of us have done it. We sit down at our study desks, grab a comfy seat, ready our highlighters, open a book, and… browse our phone for the next two hours. Suddenly, it’s time to sleep and we’ve barely gotten anything done, and we feel awful about it. Procrastination is hard to stop once you’ve started. That’s what we’ll be tackling in this article.

What is Procrastination?

Procrastination is when you put off the things you need to do until it’s too late. It can be something with your academics or daily tasks. As long as you’re ignoring the things you need to do when you could be doing them, you’re procrastinating. Most, if not all of us, have procrastinated in some way, no matter how disciplined we are.

In a way, it’s normal to procrastinate from time to time. Everyone needs those moments of rest or reprieve while studying. That’s fine, but it becomes a problem when it starts to affect how you work. Studies have shown that procrastination negatively affects medical students’ academic outcomes. They have a hard time catching up with requirements, attending classes, and performing tasks well.

A common occurrence among medical students is preparing their study materials only to end up spending most of their time browsing on their phones or playing games on their computer.

So, no, having your book open or your handouts printed doesn’t mean you’re being productive.

Why Can’t I Stop Procrastinating?

There are many reasons why people procrastinate. It is especially common with schoolwork because it’s hard to feel the urgency to do it until the last minute. Of course, there are several other factors in play that enable this behavior. Other reasons for procrastinating could be:

• Underestimating the amount of schoolwork . Many students put off homework because they think they can cram it at the last minute. These  students put off their work only to find that their report takes a lot more time to write than they thought. This results in stressful hours and subpar results.
• Overwhelming amounts of work . It can be intimidating to see how much you have to burn through in medical school. It’s a lot of material in a short amount of time. Some days, you might not want to burn through anything at all.
• Switching between tasks . Multitasking is a skill that you need in medical school. But if you don’t know how to prioritize your tasks, you’re not going to get anything done. Many things in medical school need a majority of your attention, like studying. So, multitasking might not produce great results. Learn to prioritize and find time for each of your tasks.
• Distractions . This is the most common reason why people procrastinate. As you are pondering something about your studies, your gaze shifts to your phone or another window on your computer. Next thing you know, 3 hours have passed and you haven’t gotten back to studying. Distractions are everywhere and they’re hard to get rid of.
• Positive reinforcement . Many students claim to be “crammers,” which may work for them, but not for everyone. However,the fact that some people cram and still get good grades can lead to more cramming because the behavior is rewarded.
• Unfulfilling tasks . When you don’t place enough value on a task, you don’t feel motivated to do it. For example, when you don’t like a subject, you’ll find it a lot harder to study it simply because it doesn’t seem interesting. Remember that everything you do in medical school, even if it’s about a topic you don’t like, is a step closer to graduating and becoming a great doctor.
• Burnout . Sometimes it can feel like no matter how much you motivate yourself, you’re hitting a wall that’s stopping you from working. This is usually what burnout feels like. On some days, I don’t even feel like thinking and I just want to rest. There were days I still forced myself to work even though I was beyond tired, and I was actually less productive than if I had just taken a break for myself. Always take breaks and ask for help when you’re burned out or getting close to it.

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Ways to Stop Procrastinating

A common question students ask themselves is how to stop procrastinating. It can feel frustrating to leave studying for later and ending up  looking at internet memes for an hour. But now that we know what causes procrastination, we can tackle the problem from its roots . Here are a few tips:

• Lower your expectations, but do your best . You might be the kind of student who wants to make sure they know absolutely everything . Well, that’s not always possible in medical school. You need to prioritize your need-to-knows over your nice-to-knows because there isn’t enough time to work with.
• Place value in the work you do . There’s more to studying medicine than passing an exam. Motivate yourself by remembering how far you’ve come and why you decided to get into medical school in the first place. You can even reward yourself with a small gift or an activity you enjoy afterwards.
• Cut the tasks into smaller chunks until it doesn’t feel overwhelming anymore. You can reward yourself after each task or you can take breaks in between. You can even try working in intervals. The point is to work in manageable chunks.
• Know how you study best . Not everyone finds it fun to read through books. Some people prefer watching videos or looking at diagrams to help them study. Some prefer to read real patient cases. Try not to waste your time reading over pages you can barely understand and look for resources that match your study style the best.
• Minimize distractions . Your study space needs to be sacred and used for work and studies only. Avoid eating or resting in that space so that your brain knows that once you get there, it’s study time!
• Avoid cramming . Although it may work at times, many people feel anxiety when cramming and even pull all-nighters. That isn’t healthy, especially for someone planning to make their career in the health industry. You might think cramming works well. What you actually experience is an adrenaline rush that helps you focus. However, it’s a short-term solution that doesn’t help you in the long-run . It actually doesn’t help you memorize things. But if you must , the next section is a guide to help you make the most of your short time.

How to “Procrastinate” Like a Pro

Okay, I’m not actually going to teach you how to procrastinate. But there will be times when you have to cram. Whether it’s because you’re really a cramming type of student, you forgot that there was a test today (yes, it happens), or you accidentally slept through the whole week somehow. Chances are, if you’re reading this, at some point you’re going to cram . So, let’s talk about how you can make the most of your adrenaline-fueled study bonanza:

• Prepare your equipment for a battle . Bring out your notes, a handy laptop, pens, highlighters, snacks, and a drink of your choice (i.e. coffee). You’re in for a stressful time, but preparing your materials helps prime your brain to study.
• Turn off any distractions . Turn off your TV, your phone, and any other applications you could open. Personally, I turn off the Wi-Fi connection on all my devices. You’ll need your undivided attention for this.
• Get a timer . Contrary to popular belief, cramming isn’t about forcing yourself to keep going for hours and hours. It’s about rhythm . If you study without resting, you’re going to lose momentum by the time the exam starts, or worse, fall asleep. Instead, work in intervals of studying and resting.
• Focus on the basics . Prioritize the general subject and key ideas of your readings. You won’t have enough time to study the details, so you’ll need to trust that your knowledge of general ideas will help you deduce the correct answer. At the very least, you should be able to eliminate a few choices in a multiple choice exam and make an educated guess.
• Set goals and rewards . Having goals and rewards can motivate you to focus and finish what you need within a set amount of time. You’re going to need a lot of motivation, especially if you plan to pull an all-nighter (I don’t recommend this).

Remember that the material in medical school isn’t meant to be crammed in a night.

While cramming may work for an immediate exam, you’re not in medical school to just pass.

You need to space out your study hours and get enough sleep to retain what you learn in the long-run, which is the real goal of medical school. Doctors are more than the exams they pass or fail. They’re products of discipline, hard work, and a bit of luck. So, study smart and take breaks responsibly. You’ll thank yourself for it later.

Bianca is a medical intern at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health in the Philippines. She is a BS Psychology graduate, currently working on her double degrees in MD and MBA.

Further Reading

Choosing the Best Study Tools as a Medical Student

Finding Fun Ways to Study in Med School

Studying Together: Should I Join a Study Group?

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