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?
Lifelong procrastinator here. Never been diagnosed but I definitely suspect ADHD. I do take something for anxiety, which hasn’t fixed my procrastination, but has helped me not feel so shitty about it all the time.
Things that help me the most: include other people! I’m much happier to work with others than by myself. Find ways to include friends in activities you need to do. The other thing is to fill up your schedule a bit more with commitments that you can’t/won’t blow off. This tends to keep you “in motion” which you can leverage to get other things done too. Good luck :)
Deadlines and external responsibility as the only driving forces is indeed a very ADHD thing. I can do literally anything at a moment’s notice for my friends, but I’ve been moving the pile of laundry between the computer chair and the bed for the past month.