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29 March 2024

Don’t delay the inevitable: see these tips for getting procrastination under control

Do you ever find ways to distract yourself when you know you should be studying? If so, you’re not alone – roughly half of uni students frequently engage in this type of behaviour.

This common habit of avoiding or delaying action is one many of us can relate to, but it can unfortunately come back to bite us – procrastination can lead to a lot of stress because the task still needs to be done, but you risk running out of time. So, when you finally complete the task, it’s far from your best work. 

As a result, procrastinating can not only make your uni assignments more stressful, it can also adversely affect your mental health. 

Why do we put off doing tasks?

Procrastination is rarely about laziness or time management. It’s more likely to be due to anxiety, not feeling motivated in your course, perfectionism, believing the task is too difficult or boring, and/or fear of failure.

So procrastination is actually closely linked to how you feel about work and/or yourself. Thankfully, there are some simple and yet effective things you can do to curb your procrastinating.

Now’s the time to stop procrastinating

By staying aware of our unhelpful habits and recognising that procrastination is a choice, we can get better at limiting our tendency to put off what needs doing. Here’s some practical ways you can better focus on your study.

Want more help?

These free services are available to all Deakin students to help you achieve your best.



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