What is procrastination?
Stress, lack of sleep and worry about not being finished in time. Procrastination is when we choose to postpone doing something that is important for us, even though we know this leads to negative consequences.
As a student, you may identify with lacking sufficient motivation to start studying until close to a deadline, when the feeling of having a “knife at your throat” pushes you across the threshold. Many who put things off feel bad about this behaviour and experience a feeling of lack of control over the situation.
Procrastination or prioritisation?
Procrastination is NOT the same as consciously giving priority to something else that is also important, even though we have lots to study. One example of procrastination is to go for a coffee with a friend in order to avoid having to study. However, coffee with a friend is not procrastination if the purpose is, for example, to take a recovery break that you need, or to support a friend who is feeling bad. Pay attention to when what you do instead of studying is an excuse to not have to deal with your studies.
Other reasons for putting things off
If your reason for putting things off is that you have a disability that causes concentration difficulties, are going through a crisis or your mental health is suffering in a way that affects your ability to study, you may need help. If you don’t know where you can get help, you can look for information at 1177.se or contact yout local student health service to get more information about what support you can apply for.
What are your pitfalls?
Think for a moment and note down what usually makes you put off studying. Also, write down what you do instead of studying and what purpose you think the behaviour serves. Gather observations for a whole week. Your conclusions about how and why you behave in a certain way will have a bearing on which strategies are most important to you in breaking your procrastination.
Some examples:
