Study Methods – Session 4 Procrastination

What is Procrastination? Procrastination means to defer action until an opportunity is lost. People that procrastinate put off their actions for a variety of reasons. This is a study area which it is fair to say EVERY student will struggle with during at least one stage of their academic lives.

What is Procrastination? No one is the same so everyone has their own different techniques of procrastination. We all know how we procrastinate, so we can easily identify the strategies we use in order to put off the tasks at hand.

Why do we Procrastinate? Our human nature intrinsically wants us to have the easiest life possible. We naturally don’t enjoy having our time taken up by tasks we do not enjoy doing (i.e. study). So when it comes to knuckling down and doing some hard work, most students will have to fight the inclinations of their own body.

Reasons why we Procrastinate We procrastinate for many reasons. These reasons may include: Waiting for the "right" time or mood . Fear of failure or success . Unable to make a decision . Inability to commit to a project, event or responsibility . Overwhelmed by tasks . Poor organisational skills . Over-extended schedules . Perfectionism.

Reasons why we Procrastinate Even though there are many reasons as to why we procrastinate, most of us will find ourselves putting things off because of these central reasons: 1. We become overwhelmed by large tasks that will require a lot of time and effort. 2. We have an inability to commit to a certain project or task at hand because we are lazy. 3. We lack sufficient structure in our routine because we have poor organisational skills when it comes to study.

How do we overcome it? The only way a student can overcome their tendency to procrastinate is by being completely honest with themselves. If you are not prepared to examine yourself and your study habits and acknowledge the areas where you waste time by putting things off then you will always struggle.

How do we overcome it? Once we have identified the ways that we tend to procrastinate it will become much easier to develop a solution to fix the problem. Everyone is different so the way we overcome procrastination is entirely unique to the individual. It is useful to talk amongst other students in your class about the techniques that they employ to motivate themselves to do work because their techniques can often prove to be useful.

Useful Strategies There are many strategies we can use to help to motivate ourselves to do our work. The only obstacle is finding the right one. Once we have examined our study patterns and applied the right strategy to our study technique it will become much easier to overcome our inclinations to procrastinate.

Useful Strategies Some ways which we can use to help us overcome procrastination are: Break down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable ones. Set clear and achievable goals. Prioritise the work that is due soonest! This makes us aware of what needs to be completed and doesn't let us slacken off. Get organised! Be positive – believe you can do it. Don’t catastrophe. Get on top of distractions – be tough on yourself. Find ways to remind yourself of the work you need to do. Ask for help if you get stuck.

Useful Strategies ‘Chunking’ is an effective study method that breaks down large tasks into smaller parts. If chunking is used properly and effectively then we won’t become as overwhelmed by larger, daunting tasks and we can focus on completing them in smaller and more achievable ‘chunks’. It can also help us to feel better about our study because we know we are taking strides to complete the task at hand rather than just sitting back feeling over-awed by the huge load of work that has been set. Chunking is only effective however, so long as we are committed to completing smaller chunks of work that we have broken the task into.

Conclusion Learning how to overcome our tendency to procrastinate is a very important life skill. During your whole life you will be faced with tasks that you will have complete so we must teach ourselves now how to get stuck into tasks we have been set. Self-discipline is needed to get past procrastination. Being tough on ourselves is part and parcel of life.

Conclusion REMEMBER! Identifying the areas and ways by which we procrastinate is half of the job to getting rid of Procrastination once and for all! So be motivated and study hard!