Why Students Procrastinate And What Actually Helps

Procrastination brings short-term relief at a long-term cost

Let’s be honest—everyone procrastinates. It's a response to discomfort and a retreat into avoidance and a short-term haven. But for students, and especially those who are neurodivergent, it can become a serious barrier to learning, confidence, and achievement.

Whether it's putting off studying, delaying an assignment, or avoiding revision altogether, procrastination often shows up when our brains feel overwhelmed, under-stimulated, or emotionally stuck.

This friendly guide brings together practical psychoeducation and strategies from CBT, ACT, and executive function tools to help you understand your procrastination style and learn ways to shift into action—with compassion and without shame.

Understanding Procrastination

Procrastination is not laziness. It’s often a coping strategy—a way of avoiding uncomfortable thoughts, emotions, or tasks that feel overwhelming or pointless. For neurodivergent students (including those with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia), challenges with memory, motivation, time perception, and task initiation can make it even harder to start and finish work.

What Kind of Procrastinator Are You?

You might relate to one (or more) of these styles:

1. Emotional Avoider – Avoids tasks that trigger anxiety, fear of failure, or perfectionism.

2. Executive Function Struggler – Wants to start but can’t figure out how or where to begin.

3. Time-Blind Drifter – Underestimates time or forgets deadlines completely.

4. Perfectionist – Waits for the “perfect” moment or outcome.

5. Motivation Dropper – Struggles to begin tasks that don’t feel exciting or meaningful.

Recognising your style helps you identify strategies that will actually work for you.

Evidence-Based Cognitive Behavioural Insights

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) shows that procrastination is often rooted in avoidance behaviours and unhelpful thinking styles like all-or-nothing thinking and catastrophising.

CBT helps by:

- Challenging perfectionistic thoughts

- Increasing emotional tolerance

- Creating external accountability

- Using implementation intentions (e.g. “I’ll revise for 30 minutes at my desk at 4pm.”)

Research: Rozental & Carlbring (2014); Steel (2007)

Acceptance and Committment Therapy (ACT) sees procrastination as experiential avoidance—avoiding unpleasant thoughts, feelings, or urges. It teaches you to act in line with your values, even if uncomfortable feelings are present.

ACT strategies include:

- Defusion (e.g. “I’m having the thought that I’ll fail this test.”)

- Values identification (e.g. “I value curiosity, growth, freedom.”)

- Committed action (doing the task even with discomfort)

Research: Scent & Boes (2014)

Some Practical Strategies

Executive Function Aids

Break big tasks into tiny, manageable steps

Use visual planners or whiteboards

Set alarms and phone reminders

Try the “just 5 minutes” trick

Time Management

Use Pomodoro (25/5 minute cycles)

Time block your week in advance

Create a weekly timetable with rest and breaks

Plan backwards from deadlines

Emotion Regulation

Label your emotions before avoiding a task

Use grounding (e.g. deep breathing, movement)- Say: “I can do this even if it’s not perfect.”

Try a 2-minute brain-dump to clear mental clutter

ACT-Based Values & Mindset Shifts

Write a short values intention before study

Accept that discomfort will be part of the process

Practice defusion: separate from unhelpful thoughts

Choose actions that reflect who you want to be

Motivation & Reward

Give yourself a reward after each small task

Study with a friend or use a body double

Use music, lighting, or gamified apps to stay engaged

Object Permanence & Memory Support

Keep task reminders visible (notes, widgets, boards)

Store tools where you can see and grab them easily

Use checklists for daily and weekly tasks

Build simple routines that repeat daily

Timetable Tips

Timetables don’t need to be rigid. Create a flexible weekly structure that includes study time, meals, breaks, exercise, and downtime. Use colours to visually distinguish subjects or task types. Build in more time than you think you need—and give yourself permission to adjust.

Reflection Prompts

Each week, check in with:-

What went well?

What got in the way?

What might I try differently?

What kind words can I offer myself?

For more active reflection, divide your day into three; morning, afternoon, evening. In each section review how you got on and recalibrate and plan the next section. This keeps things in front of you - if you procrastinate in one section, you can repriotitise the next.

Every night, plan the next day based on where you are in relation to your planed goals or tasks.

Final Thoughts

Procrastination doesn’t mean you’re lazy, disorganised, or incapable. It means your brain needs support and strategies tailored to how you work best. Using CBT, ACT, and executive function tools can help you understand the “why” behind your procrastination and build habits that stick. You don’t need to fix yourself—you need to work with yourself. One kind, curious step at a time.

References:

Rozental, A., & Carlbring, P. (2014). Understanding and treating procrastination: A review of a common self-regulatory failure. Psychology, 5(13), 1488–1502. 

Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94. 

Scent, C. & Boes, S. R. (2014). Acceptance and Commitment Training: A brief intervention to reduce procrastination among college students. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 28(2), 144–156.