**How To Overcome Procrastination As a Student.**

HOW to AVOID PROCRASTINATION in UNIVERSITIES. The degree of independence at university is one of the main distinctions between school and home.

At the university, you manage your own time, and it is your responsibility to complete assignments on time.

According to Charles Dickens, “Never do tomorrow what you can do today, procrastination is the thief of time”.

Procrastination is a common trait among most people, especially students.

They sometimes struggle with the issue of procrastinating on schoolwork, such as reading or writing, without a good cause. Without further ado, let’s get to the meat of the gist.

Sure, let’s start with some basics: What procrastination means, how it can affect us, and why students often procrastinate.

What Is Procrastination?

Procrastination is the deliberate act of refraining from doing something even though one is aware that doing so will have unfavorable effects.

One of the greatest obstacles preventing you from waking up, making the proper choices, and leading the life you’ve imagined is procrastination and if not stopped, would eat deep into one’s skin.

People that procrastinate frequently put off doing things, wait until the very last minute, or perhaps even just sit around doing nothing.

However, procrastination should not be seen as being lazy because lazy individuals accomplish nothing and are content with that, on the other side procrastinators have the urge to get things done but struggle to get started.

Reasons Why Students Procrastinate.

Students frequently procrastinate, and this has a significant impact on their lives.

It has an impact on students at all levels and may result in major problems like poorer academic performance and decreased well-being.

The following are some compelling justifications for why students put off tasks.

1. Lacking On Starting Point.

Many times, when students consider how large their tasks may be, they become exhausted or lose interest in them.

So they continue to put off the assignment until it is so close to the due date that their concern that they won’t know where to start is eclipsed by their concern that they won’t have enough time to finish the work at all.

2. Distraction.

Most times when students set aside time to finish their assignments or project, they become side-tracked by other activities.

These diversionary factors can be internal (their own ideas and urges) or external (hangouts at the wrong time, going to games, etc.).

In any case, they wind up diverting time that had been set aside for their task.

3. Dread Of Failure.

Fear of failing is the primary cause of procrastination.

Many times, students are anxious about making mistakes and getting negative criticism of their work.

They can put off doing the work at hand out of concern that they would fail the assignment or receive severe feedback on their endeavor.

Finally, they reach the point where it is too late to complete a perfect task; their only choices are to submit a shoddy assignment or nothing at all.

4. Too Many Commitments.

A university student’s main goal is to attend classes and earn a decent grade; if either of those objectives is compromised, the goal has been compromised.

When students have too many commitments, procrastination is a strategy for them to find time for themselves and finish the work they haven’t finished.

Sadly, this kind of “downtime” doesn’t feel very rewarding because it’s associated with guilt over not working on things they should.

5. Lack Of Clarity.

Students in this era love things easy and faster, when a project or assignment is unclear to the students or seems to be time-consuming for them to finish, they quickly pack it up hoping that they will grasp it more clearly later.

Sadly, when they pick the assignment before the deadline, they still don’t know any more than they did before, and they don’t have enough time to ask their teacher for clarification either.

Because of this, if someone is unsure of how to go about the assignment, they may put off finishing indefinitely.

Must Read: HOW TO BALANCE ACADEMICS WITH SOCIAL ACTIVITIES.

Effects Of Procrastination On Students.

Procrastination being the thief of time has done more harm than good to students over time.

Students’ grades, coursework, and even general health may suffer as a result of procrastination.

Below are some effects of procrastination:

1. Poor Grade.

As a student in a higher institution, you will discover that most activities are time-sensitive, so if you don’t finish what you need to finish on time, you may find it challenging to make up for the time missed.

You will end up chewing your ball pen in the exam room if you don’t read when you are required to.

2. Damages Reputation.

Do not promise when you know you are not certain of what you are about to promise because reputation suffers when you repeatedly promise to accomplish something but don’t.

People may cease relying on you and refrain from giving you opportunities because you might just put things off. Everyone dislikes hollow promises, it’s better you don’t promise at all.

3. Deadly To Mental Health.

When you procrastinate too much it makes you feel uncomfortable, anxious, and unfocused especially when a group of people are involved.

Additionally, it causes you to be uneasy, which prevents you from completing other academic tasks, which results in despair and subpar academic performance.

4. Ruins Relationship.

Procrastination has the drawback that it blinds you to the harm you inflict on other people.

It’s so upsetting when the bonds you have with your colleagues, friends, and family start to fray.

They begin to lose faith in you, the connection deteriorates, and occasionally it’s irreparable.

Ways to AVOID PROCRASTINATION in UNIVERSITIES.

Procrastination can take an interesting form, but regardless of your preferred method of procrastination “hanging out, playing games, etc.”

You should focus on ways to combat it and effectively manage your time as living life as a procrastinator has a negative effect on you as a student.

Below are some doable strategies for quitting procrastinating at university.

1. Start Small.

The long list of goals we set for ourselves is one of the main reasons why humans, in general, are unable to finish them and end up procrastinating.

While having lofty goals and aspirations is admirable, actually achieving them is more crucial.

When you set little goals, you can see yourself hitting unexpected milestones as you work towards them.

2. Work At Your Best Zone.

Most people detest getting up early, but society and schools have convinced us that it’s necessary to be productive at the earliest hours of the morning.

When you yawn less, pay attention to your biological clock.

Avoid torturing yourself with lots of caffeine to stay up and read; it is preferable to get a few more hours of sleep so that you can remain up for longer later that day.

3. Set Specific Deadline.

Working without set deadlines might be quite ineffective because you won’t be able to monitor your progress and will probably become anxious if you think you’re far behind.

For optimal effectiveness, divide your labor into equal portions and give yourself a treat after each tiny triumph.

Avoid taking on more than what you can handle and instead approach your work with reality.

Don’t give yourself too much time because you will be more concentrated if you don’t have as much of it.

4. Ask For Help.

There’s a popular saying “A closed mouth is a closed Destiny”.

Be quick to spot your weak points and immediately call for help because when you speak up that’s when one can know how to help you instead of leaving it to the point where you can less ask or never ask for help.

Ask those who have completed their assignments for advice or notes on how to go about yours.

Take advantage of your lecturer’s office hours and ask them as many questions as you can while you have the chance, as many instructors become reluctant to respond to inquiries about the upcoming exam as the date draws near.

5. Get Yourself Motivated.

Lastly, no number of seminars, talks, and quotes can get you all motivated.

The best motivation one can get is the one from one’s inner self.

All you need to do is tell yourself how best you are for this academic journey, how good you are to achieving a good grade, and how a better person you can be if you truly want to be.

Therefore, consider the big picture instead of coming up with reasons to put off studying or doing tasks till the last minute.

Make a list of advantages to reaching your goal, and keep them in mind at all times. Keep in mind that these consequences ought to be severe enough to motivate you further.

CONCLUSION.

That we now understand what procrastination is and how it impacts our lives as students and people, in general, is a good thing.

Procrastination has more negative effects than positive ones.

It’s like showing us the difference between life and death while urging us to choose life.

Keep in mind that you are the only person who can free yourself from procrastination; cherish your small victories and procrastination won’t have a chance to touch you.