Why Do We Procrastinate?

Procrastination is all about putting things off, delaying the task. Many people push the work back until the deadline and then end up working 24/7 to make it in time. There are many reasons for this behaviour, but none of them are laziness or self-control issues. A lot of adults struggle with it, and it mainly affects students. 

One of the causes is feeling overwhelmed. When you’re swamped with different tasks and deadlines, it can make your brain go into a fight-or-flight response, causing you to freeze and not do anything. Unless you know how to prioritise and have proper productivity and time management skills, and you won’t be able to do anything about it. So, you end up spending your time elsewhere, just not at the desk.

Unclear goals can also contribute to that feeling. If you don’t know what you’re working towards and why you should be completing certain tasks, you won’t have enough motivation to complete them. In many cases, fear of failure and perfectionism can paralyse you. You’re scared that you won’t be able to do a good job or even complete the assignment at all, which stops you from starting it.

Impulsive people, such as those with disorders like ADHD, can struggle around distractions. Unless they are completely isolated in the room without any notifications and sounds, they’ll pay attention to everything around and suddenly stop working.

Other mental health issues are also linked to procrastination, including depression and anxiety. It doesn't matter how complex the task is; they’ll end up putting it aside because they’re not confident in their skills or don’t see a point in completing it.

5 Practical Tips on How to Stop Procrastinating

If you feel like you struggle with procrastination, there are a few ways you can try to overcome it. Remember that it’s possible — being aware of the problem is already a first step to resolving it. But these five tips can help you even more.

1. Break Large Tasks Into Smaller Steps

Sometimes, big projects can seem overwhelming. You look at the task and don’t know how to start it, when to take breaks, and whether you can even manage to complete it in time. This can make anyone anxious and unsure. 

The key is to break it down into smaller tasks. Create a practical timeline with each step and set dedicated deadlines. Make it as detailed as you need it to be so it no longer appears that scary. Start with daily goals and work with task prioritisation. Once you complete one, you will feel more motivated to reach the next ones and, eventually, the main one.

When you have bigger projects, set weekly and monthly deadlines with relevant goals. Then, you won’t get lost in daily aims but will have enough urgency and motivation to make consistent progress.

2. Set Clear and Realistic Goals

Setting goals as is might not be enough. Even a small goal can be unreachable: you can’t expect yourself to write a 50,000-word assignment in one day, even if you set the deadline. That’s where practical time management skills can help.

Make your aims realistic and clear so you can definitely tackle them. Setting goals you can’t reach will only demotivate you because you’ll constantly think you can’t finish any tasks in time or lack the skills to do so. Understanding the tasks at hand is just as important for gradual progress. So, improve your goal-setting abilities to stay more confident and driven.

3. Use Focused Work Sessions

Another way to avoid procrastination is to work on your focus. Choose a place you’re most comfortable in. It can be different for everyone. Some like noisy spaces with a lot of people; others prefer a calm, empty room to stay focused. Try these variants:

• coffee shop;

• local library;

• classroom;

• empty bedroom;

• office cubicle;

• coworking space.

Once you understand which is your favourite and organise your tasks, you can start focusing on the first one. At times, this is the hardest part. So, you can try setting up a short timer and work in bursts. 20 to 30 minutes is an achievable amount of time anyone can commit to, and it’ll be enough for reading, writing, coding, or any other assignment.

When you finish on set and take a short 5-minute break, you’ll find yourself ready for another one. If you’re prepared to continue the flow, you can quickly carry on. But that’s not always the reality, and you can stop and regroup, evaluating your progress.

4. Reduce Distractions

As we have already established, not all spaces can work in your favour. Some will have too many distractions keeping you from reaching your goals. A noisy TV in the background, people talking around you, having your phone ringing with each notification — these can raise your stress level, pull your focus elsewhere, and increase procrastination. 

Whenever possible, try to leave to a different, calmer room, turn off your phone, and minimise the noise. If you live in a dorm or have roommates, you can try different tools to reduce distractions. A pair of earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones often do the job. 

5. Use Accountability and Reward Your Progress

You might want to punish yourself for procrastination. Yet, this is not the right approach. You are not being lazy or unproductive — that’s just a psychological response to stress and overwhelm. Putting yourself down will only make things worse. Instead, follow the rules of wellbeing in education taught by IHCL, many teachers and team leaders adhere to, and try to reward yourself when you do a good job. A little treat here and there will help you stay more motivated.

When you want to punish yourself, look at the bright side of things and remember how many tasks you’ve finished. Celebrate them. Take breaks, buy yourself treats, and plan fun activities to replenish your energy. For example, when you finish a big project, treat yourself to a spa day or eat at your favourite restaurant.

At the same time, don’t encourage even more procrastination by taking too many breaks or breaking the reward pattern. Keep yourself accountable. Recognise when you could do a better job and when you let yourself relax for too long. Limit the break time and understand when you intentionally went over the limit.

How to Make These Habits Stick

People who don’t procrastinate are not perfect. They just know how to work on their habits and take it slow, step by step. To overcome your procrastination, try to stay consistent and follow the productivity techniques above as much as you can.

Don’t take on everything at once. Start gradually to avoid overwhelming yourself. Test different techniques, try various approaches, and note down what doesn’t work for you. Every week, take some time to review your progress. Then, change it up if needed. 

Remember that progress is never linear. You will have good days, and you will have bad days when nothing seems to work and you’re stuck nearing the deadline again. That’s completely normal; don’t judge yourself. Continue connecting everyday tasks with wider study, career or personal goals. Eventually, new habits will stick, and you won’t struggle as much.

Final Thoughts

Procrastination is not that rare, and you shouldn't feel isolated upon facing it. You might not be able to meet the deadline when writing an assignment in university or struggle to take on a new project at work. So, you get distracted, stay busy scrolling social media on your phone, and ignore the task until it’s too late. Fortunately, you can overcome procrastination.

Realising why you put things off and having some practical solutions ready to go can help you stay more motivated and focused on your work. For example, split large jobs into smaller tasks. Set realistic goals and time frames so you don’t get overwhelmed. You can also deal with distractions and work on your concentration. Try using a timer in 20-minute intervals to build the momentum.

Lastly, reward yourself when you succeed and hold yourself accountable when you don’t. Never punish yourself for procrastinating, however, as this will only make you more anxious and unmotivated in the long run. Your progress is unlikely to be completely linear, and that’s normal.

Stay consistent to make new habits stick. All these strategies will ease taking action and maintaining progress.