How NOT to: Procrastinate
In response to the 2023 National College Health Assessment, over 45% of New School students reported that procrastination was impacting their academic performance negatively. Procrastination is not about laziness or poor time management: procrastination is about emotional regulation. If we’re faced with a task that makes us feel anxious or insecure, the amygdala – the “threat detector” part of the brain — perceives the task as a threat to our well-being. Even if we know intellectually that procrastinating will just make things harder down the road, our brains are still wired to be more concerned with removing the short-term threat. By procrastinating. Here are some tips you can share with students to help them avoid it.
For Students
Here’s a 5:45 minute video that explains why students procrastinate and how they can “break the cycle” and expands on the ideas below.
Trouble starting an assignment?
Procrastination is not about laziness or a lack of self control. It’s our way of coping with difficult emotions induced by certain tasks, like anxiety, insecurity, frustration, and self-doubt. Procrastination is about emotional regulation. If we’re faced with a task that makes us feel anxious or insecure, the amygdala – the “threat detector” part of the brain — perceives that task as a danger to our well-being. Even if we know intellectually that procrastinating will just make things harder, our brains are still wired to be more concerned with removing the short-term threat by procrastinating. Here are some ways you can manage the feelings that keep you in the procrastination cycle:
- Practice self-compassion
Procrastination is about emotions, not productivity. If you’re stuck in a procrastination cycle, you need to find a better “reward” for your brain than avoidance. Try to forgive yourself in the moments that you procrastinate. This allows you to move past previous behavior and focus on upcoming projects. Chronic procrastinators tend to have high stress and low self compassion – having self-compassion boosts your motivation and potential for growth. Try to reframe the task by considering a positive aspect of it: “I’ve done this before, and the work turned out great” and “I will feel good that I’ve gotten this done.” (That last statement is almost always true.)
- Cultivate curiosity
If you feel tempted to procrastinate, pay attention to what feelings emerge in your mind and body. What feelings are causing the urge to procrastinate? Where do you feel them in your body? What do they remind you of? What happens to the thought of procrastination as you observe it?
- Consider only the next step
Ask yourself: “What is the next step I’d take if I were to do this, even though I’m not?” The goal is to calm your nerves and engage in a little trickery to get around the procrastination cycle. Motivation will follows action, so thinking about the next step opens up the possibility of tackling your task in the present. For example, “if I were to start on my paper, the next step would be to open Canvas to review the requirements for the assignment,” maybe you actually would.
- Make temptation inconvenient.
Sometimes it’s easier to change our circumstances than ourselves. If you’re tempted to check your phone, (temporarily) delete the tempting apps or put your phone in another room.
Adapted from “Why You Procrastinate,” by Charlotte Lieberman, New York Times, March 25, 2019
If you’re struggling
- Talk to your professor; they want to help you succeed.
- Use the University Learning Center
- Talk to counseling