This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: As a high school or college student, you might sometimes find yourself putting off studying to do other tasks even when an important assessment deadline or exam is looming over you. This can look like doomscrolling, texting friends or checking emails for the seventh time.
You might even turn to tasks you usually avoid, such as cleaning, to put off studying. After procrastinating, you may feel more negative, guilty or stressed because you know the task you put off is important. So why do we still do it?
And how can we overcome it? Procrastination is an unnecessary delay in starting or finishing a task. It's voluntary, but quite unhelpful.
Any short-term feelings of relief that come when avoiding the task often have longer-term costs for your learning and sense of self. Procrastination is extremely common. In a U.S. study, published last month, researchers asked more than 65,000 college students about 18 common lifestyle and health issues.
These included finances, family, career, procrastination, ADHD, insomnia, anxiety, stress and depression. Procrastination and stress were the two most prevalent issues in students' lives, with each experienced by more than seven in 10 students. Procrastination was also the lifestyle factor most likely to harm students' academic performance and cause them further distress.
Procrastination is not simply a question of your willpower. It typically involves a failure in self-regulation. This is our ability to direct our thoughts and behaviors toward achieving specific goals.
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