Uni students are no stranger to the trap of procrastination. “That’s future me’s problem” is more than something we say — it’s basically a way of life.

But have you ever wondered why you procrastinate so much? Why you decided to read this article instead of getting a head start on your Introduction to Gender Theory essay?

As a study from Stockholm University pointed out, procrastination is tied to our emotions. When we’re sad or scared or nervous about a task, we tend to put it off so we quit feeling those things.

So in the interest of nipping that self-sabotaging behaviour in the bud, here are some practical ways to tackle it.

Question Your Thinking

How you think about a certain task has a serious impact on how you go about getting it done. Do you look at the essay question and think, “Hooooooly moley, this makes about zero sense” and then proceed to watch Netflix until you forget all about it? Yes? Well, you better believe that that is the wrong way to do it.

Immediately writing off a task as “impossible” is nothing more than fear. And as Andrew Schatte explains for inc.com, “Negative emotions are caused by negative thoughts that derail your ability to get things done”. He goes on to say that if you’re feeling negatively about a task, you do things to make you feel better instead — like eating cake in front of the TV or going on a Maccas run with your friend. You assume that once you’ve done the things that feel nice, you’ll be in a better mindset to tackle your assignment later. Except you won’t be. You’ll feel more stressed out than you were to begin with, making you feel more negative, prompting you to watch more Netflix and eat more cake, etc, etc, until the end of time.

You feel paralysed with procrastination until it’s the night before and you have no choice but to stay up late and half-ass the thing. Sound familiar?

Instead, next time you’re faced with a seemingly impossible task, you should interrogate your thinking. Is this 3,000 word essay really impossible? Does the wording make me feel overwhelmed? Or do I just not know what angle I’d like to take and it freaks me out?

Once you realise why you feel so wigged out and anxious, you can fix it. And the best way to fix it is to just start.

Fuck Perfectionism

Often, we put off a task because we know we’re not going to get it 100 per cent right the first time. And look, it’s true. We won’t. Do you reckon Da Vinci whipped up the Mona Lisa in a few hours? Hell no. I’m just speculating here, but I’m sure he went through a few canvases with a weird alien-looking Ms. Lisa before he settled on the money shot.

So instead of setting out to make a perfect thing, set out to make a thing. Just a thing. Just as the two-minute rule says, any task can either be done in two minutes or started in two minutes. Sit down at your computer, set an alarm for two minutes and start typing. Tap away non-stop until the alarm goes off.

You probably wrote pure hot garbage. But it’s pure hot garbage that didn’t exist two minutes beforehand. Then set another alarm for three minutes, four minutes, five minutes until you feel like your words make a little bit of sense. A bit of editing and prodding will turn it into something you can use.

As Georgia Hardstark, co-host of My Favourite Murder said, “You don’t have to be perfect, just fucking do things!”

So go ahead, fucking do something. Seriously.

(Lead image: Lizzie Maguire/Disney Channel)