20 Tips to Fight Procrastination and Improve Study Habits

As someone who’s struggled with procrastination for most of their life, I understand how hard it can be to sit down and get a task done. I also know how much of a toll it can take on your mental health, so I wanted to share some tips I use that help me ease my procrastination.

I’ve compiled these strategies over the years from family members, friends, therapists, and the internet. Personally, I believe it’s all about figuring out what your mind responds to best because we’re all different and there’s no one solution.

You might already use some of these, or you might not have heard of any of them. Either way, you choose what to take away from it. These tips are in no particular order.

1. Remember the facts.
This is something really meaningful that my therapist taught me. If you are someone who struggles with imposterism and perfectionism, you may constantly feel like your accomplishments in life have been luck-based and that you’re never doing well enough. This probably feeds your procrastination. So, when you find yourself returning to these patterns of negative thinking, try to remind yourself of the facts (e.g., I have been putting in a lot of work, my efforts are reflected in my improved grades, I am capable, etc.).

2. Internalize positive affirmations.

Try your hardest to internalize positive affirmations. This could be as simple as repeating a sentiment from the section above a few times before starting a big assignment, or going as far as to recite a new affirmation every morning. You can find a fair amount of positive affirmations online, but some of my favorites are “I give myself permission to make mistakes and learn from them,” “I can move on,” and “I don’t need to impress anyone.”

3. Set SMART goals.
These are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. The more specific a goal is, the easier it will be to do bit by bit. Measurable goals can be tracked for progress. A goal must be achievable in order to be completed (I know that’s redundant, but it’s still worth noting). Relevant goals are important when you’re juggling multiple tasks and need to decide which ones are truly necessary. Setting time-based goals means prioritizing tasks based on their deadlines and the time they will take to complete.

4. Plan out how you will respond to stressors in advance.
Life is unpredictable, and sometimes we get saddled with unexpected tasks or deadlines that significantly increase our stress levels. Before this happens, you might want to have a few affirmations picked out that you’ll repeat back to yourself when you get overwhelmed. Maybe you’ll take a few minutes to identify your emotions by journaling about them or saying them out loud. Try the 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise, Box Breathing, and/or the 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique (they’re worth Googling). Anything you do to ground yourself can put your mind at ease.

5. Visualize the future distress (toxic?).
I have the word “toxic” in parentheses because I’m not sure how healthy this tip is. If visualizing how stressed out you will be in a few days helps, then it helps. But, if it just makes you more stressed out and doesn’t increase your motivation, maybe don’t try doing this.

6. Have snacks and/or beverages readily available at your workstation.
This decreases the likelihood of getting distracted by removing the need to get up every time you get hungry or thirsty.

7. Keep stress/fidget toys at your workstation.
These are really nice to use while doing work, especially if you’re feeling anxious. You can also try to keep a tennis ball/cushion under your workstation to fidget with if you’re doing work that requires both hands.

8. Create a procrastination pile at your workstation.
Whenever you feel like procrastinating, write down what you would rather be doing instead of your work. This sounds odd, but I find it helpful to get the distraction out of my head and put it onto something physical because it makes me feel like I’m getting rid of it. I have a whiteboard sticker on my desk that I use, but you can use any sheet of paper, sticky note, etc., to jot these down.

9. Have someone do their work in the room with you.
I’ve found that it can help a lot to have someone doing their work alongside you. You may feel less tempted to procrastinate, and you can see that you’re not alone in your efforts to complete your work.

10. Have someone hold you accountable.
If you aren’t able to hold yourself accountable for your deadlines, try asking someone to help you. If they check in with you every so often, you may be more inclined to finish your tasks because you know that they are keeping track of your progress alongside you.

11. Keep your phone out of sight.
This is a big one. When you’re trying to focus but keep glancing at your phone lying on the table in front of you, it’s really distracting. Next time you need to lock in, set your phone down behind your computer, under a book, or anywhere out of sight.

12. Have someone take your phone for the duration of your studying.
Reducing access to your phone should (hopefully) make you feel less distracted when you’re trying to focus on a task.

13. Delete social media for the time being (or forever!).
Temporarily deleting whatever social media app is keeping you attached to your phone for the duration of your studying can help you focus. This is because you won’t be as tempted to open up your phone since you know that the distraction has been removed (for the time being). I put forever in parentheses as a half-joke, but it is something to consider if social media heavily impacts your mental health.

14. Turn on Do Not Disturb.
Unless you’re waiting on an important call/text from someone, turning on DND should be helpful. Personally, I like to have my DND settings designated to allow calls/texts from my family to show up just in case there’s an emergency.

Otherwise, when I really need to lock in, I try to reduce external distractions as much as possible.

15. Listen to classical music.
Listening to classical music has neurological benefits and can help you focus when your external environment is distracting.

16. Listen to ambient bird sounds.
The next time you have to lock yourself in your room to do an assignment, try listening to ambient bird sounds. This will give you the (hopefully soothing) feeling of being in nature without actually having to go anywhere.

17. Keep a stopwatch open on your device.
If you find yourself stressing out because it feels like you’ve been studying for hours on end without making any progress, keep a stopwatch open to see how long the work is actually taking you (it’s often less time than you think).

18. Use a Pomodoro Timer.
If you feel like sitting down and doing a large task for several hours in a row is really daunting, try using the Pomodoro Method. This is a time management strategy that incorporates 25 minutes of work time with short breaks that increase in duration the longer you work. I like to use a free website to keep track of my time, but you can do it manually as well.

19. Reward yourself.
After you have completed a task that took a lot of brainpower, reward yourself with something. This could be a solo dance party around your room, eating that dessert you’ve been saving, taking the time to do a hobby, etc.

20. Don’t study in your bedroom (maybe).
This definitely varies from person to person. If you can stay focused for hours in your bedroom, then go for it. However, if you find yourself getting more easily distracted when you try to study in your bedroom, consider changing locations. Study in your living room, resident study room/lounge, or a cafe downtown. If you want to reduce travel time to and from campus, try one of the following locations: The Arboretum (if you’re a nature person), Cowell Building, Memorial Union, Silo, Shields Library, South Hall, Dutton Hall, The Nest, Center for African Diaspora Student Success, Graduate Center, Student Community Center, Women’s Resources and Research Center, International Center, Mondavi Center, ARC Lounge or Study Room, an outdoor table in the Social Sciences and Humanities Building complex, or a certain lecture hall (e.g., Wellman, Giedt, Esau, the TLC, etc). Sproul Hall even has a department library to study in!

If you made it through this article, good for you! If you didn’t, you’re probably not reading this end section, so... no worries? Either way, I hope you got something out of it. If not, you flexed your cognitive muscles by reading, and that’s still an accomplishment.

Keep in mind that while I did compile this list, I am not claiming to have mastered my procrastination habits. I am still human, and sometimes humans get distracted by Heated Rivalry edits. Jokes aside, please remember to be gentle with yourself. Procrastination habits can’t be broken in a day. It’s a really difficult process, and progress isn’t linear.

I know this was a long list, so if all of this overwhelmed you, just try to pick out one strategy to try in the upcoming week or even month. You got this!