If you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ve been a procrastinator pretty much all your life. Whether it\u2019s starting that assignment, doing the dishes or contacting a friend, it\u2019s something I\u2019ll be doing just after I\u2019ve done this other thing\u2026<\/p>\n
No doubt your non-procrastinating friends have chipped in with their helpful advice: \u201cjust do it now,\u201d \u201cdecide not to put it off\u201d and the wonderfully helpful \u201cdon\u2019t procrastinate!\u201d Personally, all this does is make me put things off more while I stare at my friend and wish they understood that it\u2019s not that easy.<\/p>\n
Sadly, procrastination and a heavy workload just don\u2019t mix. Whether it\u2019s revising for assignments, setting up meetings or starting to write the assignment you\u2019ve been planning for a month, there comes a point where procrastination is no longer an option.<\/p>\n
These are some tips that have worked for me.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Often the urge to put things off is linked to how important or large something is, where the thought of starting something so big is too much. In this case, I break things down into smaller, less intimidating tasks. Talking the task through with a friend or colleague is a good way to begin to process, as well as feeling like you\u2019re not actually<\/em> working on it yet (even though you are).<\/p>\n Sure, your assignments have deadlines, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t set yourself other ones. For example, if you\u2019re working on an assignment, look at the sections it needs to contain and set a deadline for each. This makes the tasks smaller, gives you milestones to celebrate and means you\u2019ll keep your timing on track.<\/p>\n To-do lists are good, but highlighting your top four tasks for the day makes them easier to manage. Setting a deadline is good, but using a timer to pressure you to start gives you the push to begin writing. When cues are external, they are both visible and impersonal (even when you set them) \u2013 making them less negotiable and more likely to be effective.<\/p>\n When I really need to focus, I leave my phone at home, go to the Virgil Building and find a room to myself. There\u2019s no one I can talk to, no game I can just play for 5 minutes to get my brain ready to study, and no fridge to check for snacks. There\u2019s nothing to do except study, so I can usually get through the work I set myself for the day.<\/p>\n None of these are fun, none of them come naturally, and none of them always work. But all of them are solid suggestions you can experiment with until you find a pattern that works for you. Good luck!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ve been a procrastinator pretty much all your life. Whether it\u2019s starting that assignment, doing the dishes or contacting a friend, it\u2019s something I\u2019ll be doing just after I\u2019ve done this other thing\u2026 No doubt your...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1969,"featured_media":1380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[152,103,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reflective-learning","category-student-skills-ambassador","category-time-management"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/11\/Black-Brown-Funny-Procrastination-Workshop-Postponed-Instagram-Post-800-x-450-px.png","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":974,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2023\/03\/15\/8-ways-to-beat-procrastination\/","url_meta":{"origin":1379,"position":0},"title":"8 ways to beat procrastination","author":"Alexandra Paramour","date":"March 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Whether you\u2019re writing an assignment or revising for exams, getting started can be hard. Fortunately, there\u2019s lots you can do to turn procrastination into action. Procrastination \u2013 unnecessarily delaying tasks that we need to do \u2013 is a complex issue. It isn\u2019t necessarily a sign of laziness or poor time\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Academic skills"","block_context":{"text":"Academic skills","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A post-it note reading 'Procrastination' surrounded by balls of screwed-up paper","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/03\/procrastination.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/03\/procrastination.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/03\/procrastination.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/03\/procrastination.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1487,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2025\/04\/03\/how-to-make-your-coursework-as-great-as-it-can-be\/","url_meta":{"origin":1379,"position":1},"title":"How to make your coursework as great as it can be","author":"Justin Alam","date":"April 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Feeling overwhelmed by a pile of assignments all due at the same time? 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Use external cues<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Remove distractions<\/strong><\/h3>\n