What is procrastination, really?
“Procrastination... is choosing to delay something you planned to do, even though you know it’ll probably make things worse.”
– Dr Piers Steel
Sound familiar? You’ve got an assignment due, but instead of starting, you scroll TikTok, clean your room, or suddenly decide now’s the perfect time to reorganise your desk. Then, the night before it’s due, you’re pulling an all-nighter, stressed out and promising yourself you’ll never do this again… until the next time.
You’re not alone – 95% of people admit to procrastinating, and for some, it’s a regular struggle. But procrastination isn’t laziness. It’s often about how we manage emotions, motivation, and distractions.
Why do we procrastinate?
There are heaps of reasons, including:
- Avoiding negative emotions like stress, boredom, or fear of failure
- Perfectionism – thinking it has to be perfect or not at all
- Feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start
- Distractions – hello, phone notifications and YouTube rabbit holes
Dr Piers Steel created a model called The Procrastination Equation, which says motivation is affected by four things:
- Expectancy – how confident you are that you can succeed
- Value – how important or enjoyable the task is
- Impulsiveness – how easily you get distracted
- Delay – how far away the deadline is
To beat procrastination, we want to:
- Increase expectancy and value
- Decrease impulsiveness and delay
What kind of procrastinator are you?
Dr Piers Steel is a researcher who has spent decades investigating procrastination. To learn how much of a procrastinator you are, complete his anonymous Procrastination Survey.
One model synthesising decades of research is The Procrastination Equation (Dr Piers Steel, 2007). To boost motivation (thereby reducing procrastination), we generally want to increase expectancy and value to a helpful level, and decrease impulsiveness and delay.
Do you:
- Wait until you’re “in the mood”?
- Tell yourself you work better under pressure?
- Say you’ll start once you’ve rested, or once you’ve got everything perfect?
These are common excuses. But motivation doesn’t always come first. Often, it works like this:
- Action → Motivation → More action
Taking the first step (even a tiny one) can actually help you feel more motivated.
How to beat procrastination
Step 1: Notice it
Catch yourself in the act. Ask:
“Why am I putting this off?”
Be curious, not judgmental.
Step 2: Boost your confidence (expectancy)
If you don’t believe you can do it, you won’t want to start. Try:
- Challenging unhelpful thoughts like:
- “It has to be perfect” → “I just need to make a start”
- “I don’t know what to do” → “I’ll read the instructions and ask for help”
- Breaking tasks into small, doable steps
- Visualising success and planning how to get there
- Starting with a rough draft – polishing comes later
- Celebrating small wins to build momentum
Step 3: Make it matter (value)
If a task feels boring or pointless, try:
- Linking it to your goals (e.g. “This helps me get into uni”)
- Finding something interesting about it
- Turning it into a game or challenge
- Adding rewards (e.g. “When I finish this, I’ll watch an episode”)
- Studying at your best time of day
- Creating a comfy, motivating study space
Step 4: Tolerate discomfort
Sometimes, studying just feels hard. That’s normal. Try:
- Reminding yourself that getting started will help you feel better
- Using mindfulness to sit with uncomfortable feelings
- Visualising stress like a wave – it will pass
Step 5: Manage your energy
Tiredness makes procrastination worse. Look after your body:
- Get enough sleep
- Eat well and stay hydrated
- Move your body – exercise boosts focus
- Take regular breaks (away from screens!)
- Challenge thoughts like “I can’t do this when I’m tired” – you can still take small steps
Step 6: Reduce distractions (impulsiveness)
We live in a world full of distractions. Try:
- Turning off notifications or using “Do Not Disturb”
- Using website blockers like:
- StayFocusd (Chrome)
- Cold Turkey (Windows/Mac)
- Using timers like:
- Tomato Timer
- Focus To-Do
- Forest App
- Studying in short bursts (e.g. 25 mins study, 5 mins break)
- Creating routines so study becomes a habit
Step 7: Bring the deadline closer (delay)
If the due date feels too far away, it’s easy to put things off. Try:
- Setting mini-deadlines for each step of the task
- Telling someone your goals to stay accountable
- Rewarding yourself for hitting those mini-deadlines
- Spacing out your work if you’ve got multiple assignments
Motivation and time management tools
- Stay focused
Website blocker as a Chrome extension. - Cold turkeyA website blocker for Windows and Mac.
- Tomato timer
An online Pomodoro timer to break up your study and rest time. - Focus to-do
A Pomodoro timer for phone, tablet and computer to help break up your study and rest time. - Forest App
Grow a virtual tree whilst using the Pomodoro technique to break up your focus time and rest time.
Prepared by the Student Safety and Wellbeing Team