My procrastinating will be the death of me, I swear. Being a university student with this problem is very VERY bad, while I am not failing I know I can do better if I just gave myself more time but for some reason I don’t. I always leave things to the last minute and it fucking sucks.

Yes, I am aware that procrastination can be due to mental health (like ADHD) and I am pretty sure mine is because of that but I’ve tried stimulants and they did not work (they actually gave me massive mood swings). I believe that I can tame this problem by changing my behaviour and building good habits but I don’t know how. Do you have experience with procrastination? Any tips you can share to help me deal with it?

I always knew my procrastination was a problem (I beat myself up over it constantly) but Spring/Summer term has opened my eyes to just how bad it actually is. This term is incredibly accelerated (13 weeks condensed down to only 13 days) which means procrastinating hits even harder. I am keeping my head above water but I know if I don’t figure something out soon I’ll just sink into despair. My procrastinating is hitting my self-esteem more than it is hitting my grades, if that makes sense. I am being realistic with myself, 100-200 level courses aren’t a big deal so if I don’t get an A I won’t beat myself over it, but I would prefer if my bad habits didn’t carry on to higher level classes (300-400) where masters/PhD programs will be looking at.

I do want to end my undergrad on a high note so might as well start now. Thankfully my professors are pretty accommodating so far but that can only do so much, you know what I mean?

  • Addfwyn@lemmygrad.ml
    0·
    3 months ago

    I procrastinated pretty heavily even into graduate school. I had two years to write my thesis and I ended up doing most of in the last few months of the program (it actually came out pretty well). Honestly it wasn’t until I was in an upper management position, and in charge of project management, that I really got over it because of how many people were reliant on me. It was always getting started on something that was the hard part for me, once I get started on something I have zero issue focusing on it until I am done.

    For me, it was a matter of just coming to know myself and be realistic. Todo lists or reminders never worked, because they just made me feel like I accomplished something by making the list, when I was really still just putting it off. Most of the time now, if there is something I know that needs to be done, I do it immediately. Not just in work; if I finish cooking I wash all the dishes immediately. Notice my desk is getting messy? Immediately pull out the cleaning supplies.

    People now think I am super proactive because we always finish projects first regionally. I suppose I technically am, but that is only because I know it will never get done if it isn’t done immediately. I might try to convince myself otherwise, but I just know the type of person I am. It also feels nice to finish things early and then have guilt-free free time afterwards.

    I am not saying the same methodology will work for you, but just be aware of yourself and your habits. If you tell yourself you will do X task tomorrow/after lunch/after a break, are you really being honest with yourself? For some people, the answer is yes they will absolutely be able to do that.