Procrastination is a schedule buster. It’s easy to put things off until later, but if you put off your assignments, you are only hurting yourself. Procrastinating leads to stress and anxiety not to mention poor performance. You can stop procrastination from affecting your schoolwork.

Allocate specific times to complete tasks using daily planners. Your planner should always be handy and you should refer to it often. Once you make your schedule, follow it. Work with a roommate or friend to motivate each other. Remember always that once the work is done, you will have more time for yourself, so stick with that schedule.

Make a ‘Things I Like To Do’ and ‘Things I Have To Do’ list. Mix up activities from both lists and work on each activity for a short period of time. Alternating between fun and work helps to maintain motivation and interest.

Sometimes, you may feel overwhelmed with large projects. When you feel like this, it’s easier to put it off because you don’t know exactly where to start and have a difficult time envisioning the completed task. Divide these major assignments into smaller parts and work on one part at a time. Then put them together into the whole project and feel the satisfaction of a job well done!

Make sure your schedule is realistic and you aren’t involved in too many activities at one time. If you spread yourself too thinly, none of your projects will get the attention they deserve.

Find out what your assets are. Then work them into everything you do. This will improve your confidence and motivation for tackling a distasteful job.

Reward yourself lavishly when tasks are completed on time. Make the reward appropriate for the difficulty and boredom of the task.

The key is to learn the habit of getting started on a task early, ie the procrastinator needs to learn to initiate well in advance studying and preparing for papers and exams. Practice starting studying several times every day. As with exercising, getting in control of starting and making it a routine are the secrets.

Other valuable suggestions include —

Recognise self-defeating problems such as fear and anxiety, difficulty concentrating, poor time management, indecisiveness and perfectionism.

Keep your goals in mind and identify your strengths and weaknesses, values and priorities.

Compare your actions with the values you feel you have. Are your values consistent with your actions?

Discipline yourself to use time wisely: Set priorities.

Study in small blocks instead of long time periods. For example, you will accomplish more if you study/work in 60 minute blocks and take frequent 10 minute breaks in between, than if you study/work for 2-3 hours straight, with no breaks. Reward yourself after you complete a task.

Motivate yourself to study: Dwell on success, not on failure. Try to study in small groups. Break large assignments into small tasks. Keep a reminder schedule and checklist.

Set realistic goals.

Modify your environment: Eliminate or minimise noise/ distraction. Ensure adequate lighting. Have necessary equipment at hand. Don’t waste time going back and forth to get things. Don’t get too comfortable when studying. A desk and straight-backed chair is usually best (a bed is no place to study). Be neat! Take a few minutes to straighten your desk. This can help to reduce daydreaming.

Decide you’ve had enough, and it’s time for change.

Think about the activities that you use to procrastinate (email, TV, etc.) and set clear time limits on them.

Set clear goals for each day (e.g., start CHEM problem) and stick to them. Then when you are done, you are free to do whatever you like.

Break large projects into smaller pieces.

Remember that procrastination is usually followed by serious academic stress.

Recall how awful it is to stay up all night to write a paper. That can help you get started on the next one.

Know that overcoming procrastination is sometimes easier if you talk out strategies for change with someone else.