Procrastination: How to Get Out of the Slump

Imagine this—you just got home from a long day of school and sports, and it's already 9 p.m. You have multiple assignments due at midnight tonight, but you just can't seem to get up out of bed. "Just do it in a little," your brain says. "You still have hours, right?" That's procrastination speaking. Don't worry, I've done it as well (currently procrastinating this article on procrastination, haha...). As a student balancing almost all honors classes in high school, club volleyball, and extracurricular activities, I catch myself procrastinating all the time.

What is Procrastination?

Procrastination is the voluntary delay of an activity or action that is often found unpleasant. According to Psychology Today, "Psychologists have identified various drivers of procrastination, from low self-confidence to anxiety, a lack of structure, and, simply, and inability to motivate oneself to complete unpleasant tasks."

If someone chronically avoids tasks or overthinks, it can be linked to mental health issues, such as anxiety, ADHD, depression, or OCD, says MentalHealth.com. Fixation on negative thoughts leads to overthinking, which leads to putting off work, and therefore, procrastinating. It's much more common for teens between the ages of 14 and 29 (from National Library of Medicine) to procrastinate chronically due to hormones, as the region of their brains responsible for planning and time management isn't fully developed yet. Not only is it due to their brains that teens procrastinate, but it can also be due to academic pressure, parental authority, or perfectionism. A perfectionist might tell themselves, "I must complete this assignment perfectly," which makes them push it aside, making it seem like there's a bigger time frame then the nearing deadline.

Most of the times, people procrastinate for temporary mood boosts. I think I'd be a little happier if I didn't have to write that five-page English paper, too. This mood boost doesn't last forever, though, once you realize that the task can't be put off much longer.

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How Can I Stop Procrastinating?

In my experience, it's hard to stop putting off work to do something else, but it is possible. Here's how I do it:

As soon as you get home from school or sports, don't sit down. Once you let yourself relax, your brain goes into chill mode, and suddenly it's impossible to get up. First, you're going to get up and make a list of all the tasks you have to do.

For example, I'll write down all the important tasks (homework due soon, send emails, etc.), then the less important or easy tasks (rewriting notes, return book, check grades, etc.) on a whiteboard or a notebook. If you're too exhausted to do any of the work, take a cold shower. It awakens your body by quickly changing the temperature and making you more aware of your surroundings.

Ready or not to do the work, put anything distracting (like your phone) into another room so it's not tempting. Make doing tasks enjoyable, sitting at your desk with a cozy drink or cute lighting can help. I enjoy letting study blogs with music play in the background with a pomodoro timer to track my progress. Check out "Sean Study" on YouTube:

Here are some easy methods to get your work started, ranked on a scale of most effective to least effective by me:

1. The "Five Minute" Method

Sit down at your desk with one assignment you need to complete. If you're using a laptop, keep only the tabs you need for the work open and close everything else. If you're doing the work on paper, clear off everything else distracting on your desk. Tell yourself, "I'll only do this for five minutes." Once your brain gets working, you'll keep going until you finish.

2. "All or Nothing" Mentality

Honestly, this is a close second. Sitting down at your desk with the mentality to get everything done in one session might seem like a lot, but once you "lock in," the work just starts flowing. Sitting down in a cozy setting with a nice drink makes it more enjoyable, and once you finish, the feeling of having everything done and being productive really pays off.

3. Timer Method

List everything you need to do on a piece of paper or try out pomofocus.io and set a timer for however long you think you need to complete that assignment. Do not allow yourself to go over that time limit, and working in a deadline makes you work a lot faster.

For example, say you need to write an essay. Allow yourself only one hour to complete the whole thing. You'll think faster, write faster, and therefore, get it all done faster.

4. The Pomodoro Method

Commonly used by high school and college students, the pomodoro method involves a study session followed by a short break, then beginning another session. This allows for bursts of focus and breaks in-between to decrease burnout.

I like the amount of customization that you have with this focus method. Some studies show that it takes 25 minutes for the human brain to actually "lock in" on a specific topic, so allowing yourself to work for 25 minutes after your focus lock really lets the work start to flow. I find 50 minutes of study followed by a 10-minute break the most effective. The only reason that it's so low on the list is that I'm not a huge fan of the sudden break in focus, though it might work better for you.

5. "Lower the Bar"

If you're having a hard time just getting up and convincing yourself to do the work, this one might be for you. Begin your work with the easiest or quickest topic on your list; once you get going, you most likely will just want to get it done. Solve only the questions you know, write only the easy paragraphs, skip new topic introductions. You can go back to those later.

Once you start, you'll go into "work mode" and you'll be able to get the next, harder topics done for sure. I prefer starting with the more urgent assignments so that I can get them out of the way but try it out! Maybe it works for you.

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Final Thoughts

Procrastination isn't laziness. It's often a response to stress, burnout, or being overwhelmed. The key isn't waiting for motivation or finally meeting a deadline, but action.

Starting to get the work done is the hardest part. From then, it's all downhill! Hopefully, you try out these study methods and find what works for you—everyone's mind functions differently. Good luck and happy studying!