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"Even as an undergrad I found it
difficult to keep up with my studies.
I never felt like I was on top of things.
There was always another thing I had to
do, another deadline to meet. I put things
off, I never wanted to start assignments
that seemed hard. I was worried I couldn't
do it. I'd leave everything to the last
minute and be up all night cramming for
exams and finishing off assignments.
Sometimes I did well but other times I
nearly failed. It's more difficult in
Honours because you're expected to be
a lot more independent and self-motivated.
Suddenly everything is all on you and
it's really intimidating. I feel out of
my depth and there's this feeling of
inadequacy like i should be able to deal
with this. I look around and it seems
like everyone else is handling it so well,
so why aren't I?"

Do you put off or avoid important tasks?
You're not alone. Most people are
procrastinators to some degree.
You may have thought "I'll start my
assignment tomorrow or I'll just watch
one more episode, then I'll write my
paper". This can be problematic for
some people because succeeding at
university usually requires strong
time management skills and
self-motivation. Chronic procrastinators
may end up avoiding tasks to the point
that they miss important deadlines and
feel extremely stressed. Procrastination
is usually recognised as delaying
responsibilities or decisions and tasks.
You may have had weeks or months to
complete an assignment, however,
only decide to start when it becomes
urgent.

Time management involves scheduling
tasks so that time frames are followed
and goals are reached. It also involves
time assessment,planning, and monitoring
daily workloads. Procrastination is the
most common time management problem
and around 70% of university students
procrastinate to some degree. It's easy
to do.University students often have
large workloads with little time to
complete each task. Students often
need to balance competing demands
such as paid work and other activities
with studying. Procrastination can
also happen when we don't know where
to begin or a task seems too large
or too hard or we're worried about
not doing it perfectly.

Here's some quick tips to avoid
procrastination. You can set goals,
organise breaks, prioritise jobs,
turn off emails and social media,
or work in groups to avoid putting
important tasks off. Knowledge is key.
What are your main reasons for
procrastinating? This can help you
know what you need to target.
If it's that you're easily distracted,
remove these distractions from your
environment. If you're not particularly
interested in what you have to do, give
yourself small rewards when you complete
tasks. If you're too busy, make a plan
of your day and block out time for
the tasks you need to do. You may
need to figure out what your priorities
are, set aside time for them and let
others go. If starting something makes
you feel anxious, practice one of the
anxiety reduction techniques we mentioned
in our video about anxiety, either
examining your anxious thoughts
or reducing anxious feelings through
breathing. Universities provide lots of
resources to help with procrastination
and time management. They know it's a big
issue for students. It's also something
that people seek counselling support for.
Issues with study are just as valid a
reason for seeking support as other issues.
Visit your university's academic skills
centre for support or ideas. They are
there to help you succeed. You can also
see a GP if the stress associated with
procrastination and time management
becomes overwhelming.

Good luck and thanks for watching.

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