8 Proven Procrastination Techniques for College Students
College presents new challenges and stressors that you may not have experienced before, resulting in procrastination. You now have a set schedule, rather than the more flexible high school days. Procrastination is a tricky beast. You also have new classes with different requirements, assignments, and group projects.
On one hand, it can be a useful tool for channeling your creative energy in the right direction. On the other hand, procrastination is also known as the thief of time and can be detrimental if left unchecked.
To help you tackle the challenge of procrastination head-on, we’ve listed some helpful tips to stop procrastinating and get back on track with your college workload. If you’re used to being successful in your own way by planning ahead and completing work on time, the college will be a rude awakening for you.
College is filled with challenging people, assignments, and tests that require more time management skills than ever before. To make things even harder, there are numerous procrastination techniques for college students that can make your life harder if you let them into your head. The good news is they are all avoidable if you’re aware of what they are and how they work. Read on to learn more about these sneaky tricks…
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing something at the moment when you should be taking action. Common times when you’re prone to procrastinating include when you have an exam coming up, or a report due shortly after.
There are many reasons why people procrastinate, but the most common cause is fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of being judged, fear of not meeting expectations. When you procrastinate, you’re putting off your work until later when you hope you’ll feel more motivated to do it.
This rarely works because motivation is fleeting and can change quickly. When procrastination ends up being a habit, it becomes very difficult to break. Don’t let it become a problem for you. Fight back against the procrastination techniques for college students as soon as you realize you’re doing it.
Morning Procrastination: The most common type of procrastination for college students.
Morning procrastination is a phenomenon that most college students are very familiar with. It is the act of putting off your work until the last possible moment. The morning is the time of day when you’re feeling your least productive.
You’re not fully awake, you’re not as focused or as energized as later in the day. This is the perfect time for you to put off your work until later when you’re feeling a lot more like doing it. Just because you wake up a little later on the weekends, doesn’t mean you can put off your work until that afternoon.
Set a reminder on your phone for a couple of hours before you want to start your work. This way you have your morning to relax, and then you can get to work when you need to.
Evening Procrastination: The time you’re most likely to procrastinate.
Evening procrastination is the act of putting off your work until later in the day. You might not have the same morning feelings of laziness or lack of motivation, so you put off your work until the evening when you feel like doing it. This is one of the most dangerous types of procrastination for college students.
Each day has a limited amount of time. If you spend it putting off your work until the evening, you won’t have enough time to get everything done. You may think you’re being productive by putting off your work until the evening, but you’re not.
Evening procrastination can come with a variety of excuses. You’re tired, you’re hungry, you don’t have the right materials or you’re just not in the mood to do your work.
Distraction Procrastination: When you use your phone or computer to procrastinate.
Distraction procrastination is when you use your phone or computer to procrastinate instead of getting to your work. This is a very common problem for college students because we have phones and internet access with us at all times.
You may think you’re being productive when really you’re just procrastinating. You might be checking your phone for texts, social media notifications, emails, or just about anything else. You might also be scrolling endlessly through your phone looking at pictures, videos, or reading things that don’t matter.
If you find yourself doing this, put your phone away. You don’t need it for what you’re doing. If you need to use it, then take a short break from work and use your phone.
Reward Procrastination: When you “reward” yourself with food when your work is hard.
The next time you find yourself procrastinating while you’re burning your mouth on that cheesy pizza, think about how you’re actually procrastinating. You’re putting off your work in favor of eating a hot, gooey pizza. That’s not a good trade-off.
You may also be procrastinating by drinking soda, eating ice cream, or snacking on chips. When you reward yourself with food, you’re putting off your work for an unhealthy treat. You’re taking your focus off your work and giving it to your stomach.
That’s not fair to you. You want to give yourself a treat every now and again, but not when you’re in the middle of a challenging project.
Disorganization Procrastination: When you put off tasks by being disorganized.
Disorganization procrastination is when you put off your work because you have poor organization skills. You have the assignments, papers, and projects due, but you can’t find the materials or you don’t know where to start. You may be trying to avoid working on a challenging project, or you may not know how to proceed with an assignment.
You can stop this type of procrastination by being organized. Keep all of your materials together, label your folders and binders, and make sure you know what you have to do for each project.
Identifying the Problem
The first step to fighting back against procrastination techniques for college students is identifying when you’re doing it. You may think you’re being productive by checking social media, but you’re not. You’re not doing what you need to do.
You’re putting off your work. When you find yourself putting off your work, ask yourself why. Are you bored, tired, hungry, or are you just not in the mood to do it? Once you know why you’re putting it off, you can tackle the problem and get back to work.
Using your Body to Fight Back
We can’t always see our brains, but we can see our bodies. If you notice yourself putting off your work, but you don’t know why use your body to fight back. Put your hands on your desk and lift your legs off the floor for a few seconds. This is a very quick way to get your blood flowing.
If you’re getting bored or you feel yourself wanting to check social media, stand up. Get your blood flowing and get yourself excited about your work again. Take a walk to clear your head. The more you stay in one place, the more bored you’re likely to get. This can make you even more likely to want to procrastinate. If you feel your stomach growling, take a break and eat something. This will help you avoid any hunger-induced procrastination.
Putting on your headphones
If you’re a music person, put on your headphones when you need to get work done. Put on your headphones and play the music that you know keeps you motivated and focused. You don’t want to be distracted by other noises or people around you. Put on your headphones when you want to get work done. This shows that you are serious about the work and you don’t want to be distracted by anything. This shows that you are serious about the work and that you don’t want to be distracted by anything. If you like to listen to podcasts, put on your headphones and let the podcast play in the background while you work. It will help you stay focused and feel more productive.
Using your body to fight back
If you’re feeling stressed and tempted to procrastinate, try to use your body to fight back. This might sound a bit strange, but it works. And it’s been used as an effective strategy for years. One way to do this is to place your hands on your lower back.
Then, gently press your hands against your lower back as if you’re trying to push it into your body. Hold this position for 10 seconds or so, while you breathe deeply. This can help you to calm down and focus on your work. Another way to use your body to fight back against procrastination is to place your hand on your chest.
Place your hand over your heart, and hold it there for a few minutes. This can help you to focus on your breathing, which can help you to calm down and focus on your work.
Finding a place you love
Find a place you love and use it when you need to focus and get work done. This can be anywhere, like a coffee shop, library or even a park. After finding a place you love, create a ritual around going there. This can help you to associate this place with work and productivity.
It also makes it easier to ignore distractions, so you can stay focused on your work. If you don’t have a place that you love going to for work, try to find one. It can be hard to do this when you’re in college, but it’s worth the effort.
This means you can’t stay at home and work in your bedroom. You need to get out of the house and into a different environment where there are fewer distractions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x7MkLDGnu8
Conclusion
Procrastination can be a real problem for many people. However, it is something that can be overcome with the right strategy. The most important thing to remember is that procrastination is a symptom of something deeper.
It is not an isolated issue that can be solved with simple one-off solutions. It is a sign that something is off in your life and needs to be addressed.
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