1. Company
Name
Products and
Services
Fighting
Procrastination
”Procrastination
is the thief of
time”
- Edward Young
Campus resources
References
American Psychological Association. (2010). The
psychology of procrastination: Why people put off
important tasks until the last minute.
Burka, Jane B., and Yuen, Lenora
M. Procrastination. Reading: Addison-Wesley, 1983.
Ellis, Albert, and Knaus, William J. Overcoming
Procrastination. New York: Signet Books, 1977.
Saulsaman, L. & Nathan, P. (2008). Put off
Procrastinating. Perth, Western Australia, Centre
for Clinical Interventions.
Campus Learning Assistance Services
Student Resource Building, Room 3210
Website: http://clas.sa.ucsb.edu/
Phone: (805) 893-3269
E-Mail: clas@sa.ucsb.edu
UCSB Health and Wellness
Student Health Green Hall
Website: http://wellness.sa.ucsb.edu/
Phone: (805) 893-2630
E-Mail: clas@sa.ucsb.edu
Counseling and Psychological Services
Counseling & Psychological Services, Building 599
Website: http://www.counseling.ucsb.edu/
Phone: (805) 893-4411

2. Why do I procrastinate?
Many of us put things off that we should be focusing on.
Especially among students, there is a tendency to:
• Overestimate how much time they have left to perform
tasks
• Overestimate how motivated they will be
• Underestimate how long certain activities will take
• Lack the initiative to get started
• Not understand what needs to be done
These factors stem from various causes, a lack of
motivation, a fear of failure, skill deficits, or a lack of
interest in the task.
What can I do?
In order to understand and solve your procrastination
problems, you must carefully analyze those situations
where your work is not being completed.
First, determine cause.
Identify and challenge underlying
rationalization that contribute to delaying
unpleasant tasks, common examples include:
“I’m too tired to do anything right now”
“I will have plenty of time later”
Procrastination is a habit. Use as many approaches as
possible to maximize your chances of beating
procrastination.
Tolerate the Frustration
• Learning to accept temporary discomfort and
building tolerance for frustration (It’s inevitable!),
allows you to take control of your reaction to the
situation
• Persistence and determination are two other
important components in overcoming frustrations
Effective Planning
• Segment the task. Divide the task into small
steps.
• Intersperse rewards, relaxation, and
gratification
• Assess problems when they arise and do
something about them quickly
• Be reasonable in your expectations
• Optimize your work environment
Time management
• Budget your time- Figure out how much time
you usually spend on your activities and create
a weekly schedule to follow
• Create a, “to-do list”
• Identity your productive time, are you a
morning or night person? You’ll likely be more
efficient when you’re at your best
Other helpful suggestions
• Eliminate Distractions- Assign yourself a
period of time during which you turn off all
distractions
• Be Reasonable- Don’t beat yourself up about
getting everything perfect
• Find a (Good) Study Partner- Find someone
that cares about their performance even more
than you do
• Motivate yourself- Dwell on success, not on
failure