How To Deal With Procrastination In College

By Amanda Brown

Procrastination and college go hand in hand. It’s hard to believe that these are two separate words. When confronted with a large project that isn’t due until the end of the term, it’s easy to not feel the pressure to start right away because you tell yourself you have plenty of time.

The problem is that most of us underestimate how fast time flies by. I’m guilty of this. There have been many times in college where I continued to put off working on a project week after week until the due date snuck up on me and next thing I know I’m desperately trying to jam a term’s worth of knowledge into one coffee-fueled all-nighter. If you’ve been there, you know that this strategy is not an ideal way to get through college. Here are a few tips to help you deal with procrastination in college.

Here are a few tips to help you deal with procrastination in college.

Break it down

There’s a reason why we tend to push big assignments off to the side to tackle later. Big projects are intimidating. Rather than focusing on the 20-page paper you need to write, see how much time you have until the due date and work on a little each day. So instead of feeling the pressure to write 20 pages in one night, aim to write 2 pages a day for 10 days. That way it is feasible and doesn’t suck the life out of you.

Build momentum

Often the hardest part about tackling a big project is getting started. Aim to do just one thing each day. This will help you slowly make progress on projects without feeling buried by your work.

Often times if you can bring yourself to do one thing, you will build momentum and end up accomplishing more than you expected.

Put study time on the calendar

Sometimes you never get around to working on a project because you get swept away in the whirlwind of other things you would rather do than study, like filing your taxes or waxing your back. One way around this is to set a fixed time a few days of the week that are dedicated to homework. If you keep up on homework every day, it doesn’t pile up and become unmanageable. Not to mention, having a set time to do homework makes you not have to think about when you will get it done and leaves room to focus on other things.

Reward hard work

Don’t let your effort go unnoticed. Reward yourself for completing small tasks along the way. Celebrate getting a head start on a project however you like. You could go out with friends, play a game of badminton, or order pizza and have a movie night. The idea is to make sure you give yourself a much-deserved pat on the back for your hard work.

Find a study buddy

Studying with nothing other than the sound of typing and the smell of books to keep you company can drive anyone mad.

You don’t have to study alone! Meet up with a friend after class to study. Make sure that you choose someone who cares about their school work equally if not more than you. This can make studying not as grueling and you can keep each other accountable.

Change up the scenery

There’s no reason to lock yourself up in the library for the night. Having a study spot that you enjoy going to will make it easier to go there often and get work done on the reg. Take your work to a park down the street or snag a window seat at your favorite tea house downtown.

Nip fear in the bud

Fear of failure is procrastination’s best friend. It’s important to take the pressure off of yourself. Remind yourself that whatever it is you’re dreading working on, it is only one project (paper, exam, etc) of many to come throughout your college career. 

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