When asked about the reasons for the difficulties they’ve experienced in college, the vast majority of students identify procrastination as one of the most significant factors. But what is procrastination? What causes it?  And, most importantly, how can I overcome this deeply ingrained habit and take control of my own success?

Procrastination, according to Professor Timothy Pychyl, author of Solving the Procrastination Puzzle, is the “voluntary delay of an intended action despite the knowledge that this delay may harm the individual.” It is a form of self-sabotage, and it can be extremely difficult to overcome. This is because procrastination doesn’t only stem from challenges with organization, time management, or motivation; it is also closely related to emotion regulation. How often have you intended to do something important, perhaps you even went so far as to set goals or create a plan, but just couldn’t quite get started. For many, the challenging emotions related to procrastination include fear of failure, feeling overwhelmed, lack of resilience, or avoidance of the temporary negative emotions that may stem from the action itself. Overcoming procrastination requires that we EMBRACE THE SUCK and push through these temporary negative emotions in order to earn the positive emotions that come from productivity and hard work. 

There are different types of procrastination: short-term and long-term. Short-term procrastination is usually limited by some sort of deadline, meaning that its effects are contained. If you wait until the night before your physics final to start studying, the emotional effects of your procrastination will end after that final; the effect of a potentially low grade on your long-term academic goals may last quite a bit longer, but the acute feelings of stress and anxiety will be more-or-less alleviated. Long-term procrastination, on the other hand, often stems from goals without a defined deadline. Although the acute stress and anxiety tends to be significantly less, this form of procrastination can lead to chronic dissatisfaction, low confidence and self-esteem, poor health and wellness behaviors, and much more.

So, what can we do to overcome our procrastinatory tendencies? The answer is, like many things in life, not nearly as simple as we would like, but it is possible. Overcoming procrastination requires learning and practicing the skills necessary for effective goal-setting, minimizing barriers to success, building resilience to discomfort, and identifying “accountabilibuddies” who can help us stay on track. Habit pairing can also be a useful strategy for smaller habits that have been difficult to do consistently. Time management and organizational strategies – of which there are far too many to include in this post – can also ease the feeling of being overwhelmed. Wherever you are in the process of overcoming procrastination, remember to start small and write things down; getting your intentions out of your head and onto paper help make them more concrete and less likely to be avoided.

What have been procrastinating on recently? What is one small step you can make every day, or every week, to make even a small amount of progress? Share in the comments below, write it down in your planner, tell someone who will help hold you accountable, and do it!