Start to Finish: Managing Procrastination

Written by Serigne Thiam, Graduate Assistant for the Graduate College 

It’s the normal Sunday evening of a long week. You’re decompressing and getting ready for the week ahead. Excitement has you beaming for everything coming up – and then you suddenly remember an assignment. You scramble and get everything submitted before the clock strikes the elusive 11:59 p.m. deadline.

Another Sunday night of assignments done, but did it have to end like this? Graduate school can feel like a juggling act, with research, working, classes, and personal commitments competing for your time and attention. It’s easy to take an “as long as it gets done” approach, but the endless cycle of procrastination doesn’t have to define the graduate experience. Procrastination can snowball into a bad habit, but we have the practical guide to managing it. 

Understand that procrastination is complex and isn’t about poor time management or laziness. Procrastination can stem from various causes, like low self-esteem, a lack of interest, or feeling overwhelmed and stressed.  Understand that you’re not alone in these feelings, and that graduate school is a journey that you should take day by day. Maintaining your mindfulness and controlling what you can is an important step to adjusting your time management and avoiding procrastination. For mental health support, please visit our mental health page for resources.

A healthy well-being is essential for success. Sometimes things don’t go as planned, but you should remain optimistic. Setting holistic and healthy goals like rest, staying connected with loved ones, getting involved, and practicing mindfulness all contribute to your emotional wellbeing. You're human, and that’s okay. We all work better when we feel better.

Distractions make it easy to not begin your task, but working with a results-oriented mindset can maintain your focus. Think about how good you’ll feel when you finish a research paper, or how impressive your resume will look when it’s updated well ahead of a deadline. Using this approach helps you reflect and adjust on what strategies work for you.

Graduate life will have you juggling all sorts of responsibilities at once, so keeping track of tasks and commitments is effective. It’s easy for things to slip through the cracks, so using a planner can keep you organized. Effective time management is key to maintaining your stress levels. Sometimes life feels like it’s hitting you at 100 miles an hour but taking things one day at a time can keep you in good spirits. Plus, checking things off your list can feel very rewarding.

Instead of viewing a task as one big project, break it down into smaller steps. Planning these steps out will motivate you to begin with a proper mindset.  Graduate school and everyday life can be overwhelming, so keeping things small and manageable will reduce stress and help you avoid procrastination.

With everyday distractions, it's impractical to work for long hours at a time without a break. Setting realistic break sessions while you’re working and studying makes the task easy to begin and complete. People commonly procrastinate because of the timeline and complexity of their work. It’s a natural response mechanism to destress by putting things off when you feel it’ll take forever. Set a timer for 25 minutes to focus without distractions. When the timer goes off, take a five minute break. Repeating this process will deter mental fatigue and burnout and make it easier to finish your work. Studies show that students are more productive when they take regular breaks. A study showed that working in short bursts improves productivity and motivation.

It’s easier to procrastinate when working alone, but working with others can change that. Accountability is a powerful motivator, so sharing your goals and workload with classmates or mentors is a good way to focus on assignments. Meeting with your peers will boost your motivation to come prepared and ready to ask questions. Knowing someone else is aware of your assignments keeps you motivated and excited for the next thing to come.

Positive reinforcement is a great way to stay motivated. After you complete a task or assignment, give yourself a reward! It can be anything meaningful to you, like hanging out with friends or watching an episode of your favorite show. Continue to celebrate the small victories to make the process more enjoyable and keep you moving forward.

Procrastination is a challenge that many graduate students face, but it’s not invincible. By learning how to manage yourself, time, and energy, you’ll make progress along the way. Procrastination habits won’t go away overnight, when you keep things in perspective, you’ll find it easier to stay on track and meet your goals.