9 Practical Ways to Overcome Procrastination Among Students

October 8, 2022

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Procrastination among students is common, irrespective of their level of education. As a matter of fact, it’s a natural but self-destructive behavior among students that hampers their academic progress.

Keep reading.

According to Solvingprocrastination.com, about 80%–95% of college students procrastinate. Also, a study on thrivemyay.com on Procrastination observes that 88% of those surveyed said they procrastinate for at least 1 hour daily.

So, what’s the point here?

Procrastination among students is why many don’t reach their academic potential. When you procrastinate as a student, instead of studying, you indulge in things that won’t help you in your education.

In like manner, when you procrastinate, you waste your precious time on things that are adverse to your academic growth. Our world, with its various comforts and leisure, is a fertile land for Procrastination.

I’ll explain.

With a phone that can take them around the world with few clicks and a smart television that shows several riveting programs, it’ll be difficult for students to escape the temptation to procrastinate.

Let’s stop here so I can tell you the meat of this article.

This article will teach you the meaning of Procrastination, its causes, and its effects.

That’s not all. You’ll also learn how to overcome Procrastination as a student.

Let’s dive straight in.

Table of Contents

What’s Procrastination?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines Procrastination as “the act of delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring.”

We can also define it as delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute or past their deadline.

So, as a student, you procrastinate when you have trouble persuading yourself to do the things you should or would like to do.

As a student, do you prefer to play that one more PS game instead of doing your maths assignment?

Or are you going swimming when you should be reading for the chemistry test, which comes up first thing tomorrow morning?

Watch it! You are procrastinating, and it may have dire consequences on your education.

As observed earlier, Procrastination is very common among students. For instance, a study by the American Psychological Association finds that about 50% of college students say that they procrastinate in a consistent and problematic manner. And about 75% consider themselves procrastinators, and about 80%–95% engage in Procrastination to some extent.

Before we continue, we must make this clear.

If, as a student, you’re briefly putting off an essential task for a good reason, you aren’t necessarily procrastinating. However, if you start to put things off indefinitely, or switch focus because you want to avoid doing something, then you probably procrastinate.

Why We Have Procrastination among Students

Now that you have the meaning of Procrastination, it’s time for us to look at the reasons for Procrastination among students.

Shall we? Let’s go straight in.

Students procrastinate for the following reasons:

1. Lack of urgency. When deadlines seem too far off, it can be challenging for students to feel pressure to begin working on the assignments because they still have so much time left to complete them.

2. Lack of clarity about the desired outcome. When students are confused by an assignment or don’t understand what the teacher wants them to do, they often put off the work in hopes that they will understand it better later.

3. Not knowing where to start. When students get overwhelmed by how much they have to do, they often put the work off until it’s close to the deadline.

4. Distractions. Students who study in an environment with many distractions tend to put off their work for a later time. When students learn from home, they face more distractions and have more freedom to pursue them at the moment, making it harder to resist the temptation to procrastinate.

5. Optimistic time estimates. Students commonly overestimate the time they have left to complete tasks and underestimate the time it will take to achieve them. Consequently, they fail to leave themselves enough time to complete the work.

6. Resistance. Students will sometimes procrastinate as a form of rebellion when they view work as being “forced” on them by teachers or parents. In this case, Procrastination becomes their way of resisting this authority.

7. Perfectionism/Fear of failure. Students who are scared of making mistakes or afraid of criticism tend to put off work for a later period.

8. Difficulty regulating emotions. Recent studies have suggested that Procrastination is less of a problem with time management than we had once believed and more of a difficulty with emotional regulation.

9. Overwhelmed. When an assignment looks pretty complex or time-consuming, it can be scary and stressful to students. In such cases, students often fall into the trap of putting off their academic work to gain the courage and energy to execute it. Unfortunately, the courage and energy may only come when it’s almost too late.

10. Too many commitments. A student with many scheduled activities but little free time may want to defer his school works for a supposedly more convenient time.

I know what you are thinking.

And that’s, “are there no remedies for procrastination since we can identify the causes”? We’ll get there!

But before then, let’s look at the consequences of Procrastination among students. Ready?

Here we go.

Consequences of Procrastination Among Students

Procrastination may have far-reaching effects on the procrastinating student if they don’t take proper measures to overcome it.

Let me break this down for you.

The adverse effects of Procrastination on students can range from not meeting the deadline for submitting schoolwork to leaving out an essential topic for examination.

I also want you to note this.

The more a student discovers his reasons for procrastinating, the more he tends to work on overcoming them.

However, some students may not be so lucky to notice why they procrastinate. For this set of students, Procrastination can have long-lasting consequences throughout their educational programs.

Don’t stop reading now.

Procrastination among students differs and is not always noticeable. Sometimes, students don’t want to acknowledge it out of fear or simply a desire not to do something because they have no motivation for it.

If you have followed me up to this point, the point I’m making is that:

A procrastinating student risks having it impact so negatively on their education.

In specific terms, a procrastinating student will likely bear one or all of the following consequences:

Poor Academic Performance: Procrastination among students may lead to poor academic grades, more cases of course withdrawal, and greater chances of dropping out of school.

Emotional Challenges: Procrastination may lead to emotional challenges such as anger, frustration, stress, and anxiety.

Depression and Low self-esteem: when a procrastinating student has difficulty handling his emotional challenges, they can result in depression and low self-esteem.

Loss of Time: It’s not easy to gain back lost time. So, when a student procrastinates, he loses precious time that he would’ve used to make visible progress in their studies.

Loss of Opportunities: Related to the loss of time is the loss of attractive opportunities. Have you ever missed any opportunity because you didn’t take a chance when it presented itself? How did you feel? Like kicking yourself? Procrastinating students run the risk of blowing a one in-life-time opportunity.

Dashing of Dreams: One strong effect of Procrastination among students is the dashing of dreams. For instance, the vision of a student becoming a medical doctor may come to a sad end due to poor academic performance, which is an offshoot of Procrastination.

Here’s the bottom line.

The adverse effects of Procrastination on students may not be conspicuous from the beginning. Still, as time goes on, those results may manifest in poor academic performance, emotional issues, loss of opportunities, and so on.

So, to avoid falling victim to the adverse effects of Procrastination, students should learn time management skills, which will enable them to defeat this monster when it raises its ugly head.

9 Ways to Overcome Procrastination Among Students.

So far, we have seen why students engage in Procrastination and its adverse effects on their academic growth and productivity. And I want to believe you’ve picked one or two lessons from all you have read so far.

Good!

Now, let’s look at ways to overcome Procrastination among students. Shall we?

Let’s get down to business.

Alright, if you procrastinate as a student, do the following:

a. Organize Yourself: One brilliant skill set you must have as a student is organizational skills. Here’s why.

Organizing yourself will help you track your assignments and when you should do them. Some great tools like scheduling apps or calendars can help you write down your forthcoming projects and deadlines, gauge how long it will take for you to complete, and check up on the completion date to know how much time you have left.

b. Set Goals You Can Easily Achieve: When students set simple and realistic goals, it’ll be easier for them to accomplish the tasks in record time. In other words, don’t make your academic goals vague; they’d be measurable. So, instead of aiming to study physics this night, aim at studying Motion. By so doing, the tasks become less frightening and more achievable. And with this, your propensity to procrastinate will reduce.

c. Make a Schedule or Timeline: One surest way to achieve your goal as a student is to make a schedule or timeline of all your assignments. Let’s break this down a bit.

You can make a timeline for an exam you want to sit by breaking down the subjects into manageable units.

d. Set a Deadline: To avoid falling victim to this monster- Procrastination, you’d aim to complete your task one or two days before the due date. Don’t say, “there’s still enough time.” Something unexpected may happen, and you’ll struggle to beat the deadline.

e. Rid your surrounding of Distraction: Getting your environment rid of any possible distractions is one way to focus on a task and complete it in record time. You can turn off your tv, put your phone on “silent” mode and entertain no friends for that period.

f. Give yourself some breaks: Yes, you’d work hard to complete all your tasks in record time. But should that be to the detriment of your health?

You already know the answer won’t be in the affirmative.

So, always relieve yourself of some endeavors and give yourself some breaks. At some intervals, while ensuring you finish your assignments in due time, you can take a break by taking a walk, listening to music, calling a friend, or sleeping. Doing this will not only rejuvenate you, but it’ll also motivate you to do more.

g. Reward Yourself: Everyone loves and appreciates rewards. And, like breaks, rewards help boost your motivation. So, you can reward yourself whenever you accomplish a task at the stipulated time. You can do this by promising yourself that you’ll watch your favorite football team play or getting yourself your favorite snacks from a nearby eatery.

h. Do the Most Difficult Tasks First: I know how hard it is to do something you don’t wish to do. But guess what? If you’re able to complete it, that’s it! Completing the problematic task first will help you do the rest easily and in less time.

I. Seek Help: Do you struggle to hold yourself accountable? Then, it’s time to confide in someone. The person can be a friend, family member, or anyone you can trust to hold you responsible for your goals. Having someone who holds you accountable for your purpose will motivate you and make you not back out on an assignment.

Final Thoughts:

There’s likely no hard and fast rule for overcoming Procrastination in students. However, curbing different habits and behaviors can help you reduce the tendency to procrastinate, if not stop completely.

Therefore, if, as a student, you constantly procrastinate, try and find the reasons. Then, observe some of the tips in this article. We believe you’ll see remarkable changes!

Is this guide helpful?

I want to see your comment in the comment section.