We can all remember a time when we would have preferred to chew off an arm than start on a dreaded assignment or task. Turns out you are not alone, with researching suggesting that as many as 70% of students struggle with procrastination. Procrastination is widely known to be an anxiety provoking process, so why then do we do it?

Why do people procrastinate?

If a task feels especially overwhelming or provokes significant anxiety, it's often easiest to avoid it. There are often unhelpful thoughts and assumptions (e.g., ‘I am not good enough’, ‘other people are smarter than me’ etc) that lead to procrastinating. In fact, research suggests that fear of failure accounts for approximately 50% of the reasons why students procrastinate. These unhelpful thoughts can be addressed and adjusted by working with a psychologist.

What happens after we procrastinate?

· Short term there is a payoff – our anxiety lowers because we don’t have to think about the task anymore and we feel better temporarily (this reinforces the procrastination behaviour).

· But long term it increases our anxiety - the task that originally was a puddle to jump over is now a river to cross, and so our anxiety increases.

So how can I stop procrastinating?

Build awareness

Notice (without judgment) when you want to procrastinate.

Behaviour is driven and maintained by what comes before the behaviour (antecedents) and what follows the behaviour (consequences) and these factors need to be identified and manipulated to see any behavioral change.

Dismiss procrastination excuses

We all come up with excuses on why we procrastinate – for example, ‘I will do it when I am feeling better’ or ‘I need to have all of the information before I start’. The trouble is that ‘perfect’ time never comes. Notice the excuses, and reframe these, for example, ‘I don’t need all the information to at least make a start’.

Take practical action

There are lots of practical steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of procrastinating, for example.

· Finding the ideal time of day and place where you are most productive (with minimal distractions)

· Start with an easy task to build momentum, before attempting more difficult tasks

· Create a grading system in your to do list

o Task A: Needs to be done within 24 hours

o Task B: Needs to be done this week

o Task C: Needs to be done this month

· Lower your expectations on how much you will do and how long you will do it for

· Factor in regular breaks, and if you are feeling overwhelmed try a ‘circuit breaker’

activity (e.g., going for a walk, calling a friend etc) to help lower your anxiety before readdressing the task

· Make sure to reward yourself after completing a task

Written by Erin Kelso

Clinical Psychology Registrar

https://www.brookvalepsychology.com.au/erin-kelso