It is mid-semester, and you’ve just survived a lecture starved of humour and full of mathematical formulas. As you look across the classroom, you spot a sea of classmates wandering into space and counting down to the last few seconds of the lesson. “One last thing,” the lecturer utters, leaving everyone staring impatiently and hoping it will end with a light remark or a reminder of recommended readings. To your surprise, coursework has been announced and is due in three weeks. You sigh in relief, knowing there is sufficient time before the deadline.
Time flies when you are having fun at the University, and suddenly everything comes to a standstill when you realise your assignment is due in 48 hours and you are yet to get started. It is a scene that plays out so often in the life of a university student and is a habit regarded as procrastination.Procrastination tends to delay an important task by focusing on an enjoyable and less urgent one. In the words of Christopher Parker, “Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.” As a student, you or a classmate may have had to deal with a last-minute submission of an essay. This usually comes with a high intake of coffee and a couple of sleepless nights to ensure the paper is handed in just in time. While the nearness of the ultimatum may send some rush of productivity, research suggests that high caffeine intake has cognitive impacts such as deceased alertness, attention lapses, decreased motivation, and a performance phenomenon often referred to as speed-accuracy-tradeoff. So how do you tackle the habit of procrastination? Let’s quickly dive into some ways of addressing this issue to ensure that university assignments are submitted in advance.
Simple ways to deal with procrastination
Break the task into bits and start small: Most university assignments may seem big and daunting sometimes, and we may often think it would require 100% of our intellectual strength and readiness to be capable of working on the tasks. The secret sauce of a doer is to break things into bits and start ticking things off the list. The next step could be downloading and saving all the required articles in an accessible folder. These tiny steps set things in motion, and the progress is inspiring.
Time blocking: There are 24 hours in a day, and how we manage time reflects our priorities. Splitting your day into time blocks or segments is always beneficial to ensure sufficient time for work and play. Time blocking is regarded as the opposite of multitasking and sets one up to fully concentrate on a set task. Allowing you more cognitive space to dedicate to your coursework and complete it to the best of your ability. Give yourself the best chance to submit an excellent paper by avoiding distraction and focusing on one thing at a time.
Set achievable goals: You have to be fair to yourself and set likely targets within the given timeframe and available resources. Setting a goal of writing the first 5,000 words of your essay in the next 24 hours is unrealistic, considering you have other lectures to attend and personal commitments. It can be demotivating if you do not achieve your small goals, and can set you off track.
Choose a good study area: Creating a dedicated area for study sharpens our minds and enhances concentration levels. Working on your term papers or assignments while lying on your bed may be the quickest path to falling asleep. A study desk without distractions is an excellent way to create the right environment that triggers academic productivity.
Reward yourself: You’ll need to set some milestones and learn to reward yourself when each is achieved. A reward system is inspiring. You’ve now read some tips that will help you address procrastination.
Wait for a moment; is procrastination terrible? Well, organisational psychologist Adam Grant has an interesting perspective: “But while procrastination is a vice for productivity, I’ve learned — against my natural inclinations — that it’s a virtue for creativity.” A healthy middle ground between submitting too early and too late is essential.