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Procrastination – Why You Do It & How to Stop:
Tips to Effectively Manage Your Time in the New Semester

By Chloe Orlando

February 2009

It's Thursday night. You have a Chemistry lab report due tomorrow in section, an Economics problem set due at noon, and a 12 page English paper due at 5 pm. Okay, so you've written an outline for your paper and you've glanced at the first question for Chem (only to discover you had absolutely no idea what it was asking) – congratulations. Darn, if only I had started this paper on Monday instead of watching re-runs of the O.C. for four hours in bed…Oh, wait! Brilliant idea! I'm Facebook friends with that nerdy kid who sits next to me in lab. I should totally just shoot him a message and ask him to explain this entire lab report to me…And while I'm at it, maybe I can Facebook stalk that really hot lacrosse player who's been eyeing me in the dining hall…I also really need to get an extension on this English paper...Actually, no; I'd hate to be doing work this weekend, there are way too many parties going on. You finally decide to park yourself in Lamont with your venti Starbucks coffee and 4-pack of Red Bull and end up pulling an all-nighter (not to mention missing your blockmate's birthday party that was planned two weeks ago). Ah, the torments of procrastination.

Almost everyone procrastinates to some degree, but some people are affected with chronic procrastination problems that prevent them from getting any of their goals accomplished. Procrastination is linked to various mental health problems including depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, irrational beliefs, and poor study habits (Tice & Baumeister, 1997), all of which are detrimental to living a healthy and happy life. Luckily, even if you're someone who has been procrastinating forever, it's not too late to change your habits now. Effective time management is a lifelong skill that every Freeze reader should have!

What's the problem? – Some leading causes of procrastination

Fear of failure – "I'm probably going to fail my Chemistry problem set anyway; I don't feel like doing it right now."

Waiting to be in the right "mood" – "Oh, trust me, I write the best papers when I am in the 'mood,' otherwise they just come out horribly."

Poor decision making/organizational skills - "That party at the Phoenix is way more important/fun than this problem set. And besides, I can't find my notes for the first five lectures anywhere."

Perfectionism – "If every sentence in my paper is not perfectly written, I won't/can't hand it in."

Feeling overwhelmed by a task – "This is too much for me to handle. I can't write a 15 page paper."

Lacking interest in a task – "OMG who cares about stupid protons and electrons?!! This stuff is so boring. When am I ever going to use it anyway?"

Just DO IT! – Useful tips for getting your work done

Start easy. Start with work that you know is easy and that you can complete quickly and successfully. Whether it's your Spanish grammar homework or your History reading, by knocking the easy stuff out first you'll boost your confidence and instantly be in a better mood.

Minimize assignments. Break your essay, problem set, or project into small parts. Focus on one specific section at a time.

Peer pressure. Bring a diligent friend to the library with you. Seeing her chug away at her Sociology paper will make you want to write yours too! Just make sure you stay focused!

Block your time. Set aside a significant chunk of time to do your work. A 3 hour time slot is much more effective than 20 minutes here and there, in between classes and meals.

Reward yourself. After you make an outline of your English paper and come up with your thesis, grab your best friend or your roomie and head over to Berryline for a frozen yogurt!

Plan ahead! – Long-term goals to avoid procrastination

Prioritize your lists. Purchase a planner and make a daily list of what you need to get done. Prioritize by labeling the most important tasks with a double star, ones below that with a single star, and the least urgent with no star.

Specify your lists. Make your lists specific, not vague. Instead of writing "do English paper," try "make a detailed outline of English paper with a solid thesis statement." Or write "read pages 23-57 in Life Sciences textbook and complete questions 1-3 in problem set" instead of "do Life Sciences p-set." The more specific you are, the more you will narrow down in your mind exactly what needs to get done.

Divide your day. Remember, there are only 24 hours in a day! Figure out how you want to manage each part of it. Lay out your daily schedule to include essentials such as sleep, class, and three meals.

Learn when to say "No." You are your own person and you have your own life to deal with. Don’t take on other people's extracurricular activities or work, even if they're your close friends!

If procrastination is a serious problem that you cannot fix on your own, look into seeing a counselor at the Bureau of Study Counsel. In addition to individualized counseling, they offer workshops and discussion groups for students who want to cut down on procrastination and have a more rewarding academic experience. You can visit them online at http://bsc.harvard.edu.

Cited:

Tice, D.M. & Baumeister, R.F (1997). Longitudinal Study of Procrastination, Performance, Stress, and Health: The Costs and Benefits of Dawdling. Psychological Science, 8(6), 454-458.