{"id":4808,"date":"2024-04-26T08:58:50","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T23:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/student-health-and-well-being\/?p=4808"},"modified":"2026-07-13T14:59:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T05:29:15","slug":"a-list-of-procrastination-resources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/student-health-and-well-being\/2024\/04\/26\/a-list-of-procrastination-resources\/","title":{"rendered":"A list of procrastination resources"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the barriers to being and feeling productive is procrastination. In this post, I share a few resources I have found along the way that deal with this important topic. Updated 13\/7\/26.<\/p>\n

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To procrastinate is to ‘voluntarily delay an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse-off for the delay<\/a>‘<\/p>\n

In the world of study, it looks like leaving work to the last minute, even though you know it will stress you out and your work won’t be as good a quality as it could be.<\/p>\n

Procrastination is very common, arguably universal. Delaying and postponing stuff we need to do seems like a feature of modern humans, not so much a bug. And in some situations, delaying action is a good choice, especially if there are more pressing concerns.<\/p>\n

But many people indicate being frustrated with their procrastination and want to change it. And some people struggle with it more than others.<\/p>\n

In my experience, procrastination isn’t something we fix or cure, so much as learn to manage. We develop strategies and tools to manage the underlying motivational and self-regulatory biases that drive procrastination. And we adjust or adapt these over time to suit different situations.<\/p>\n

Here at Flinders we have a few resources you can call on to tackle procrastination. We have our Studyology<\/a> program which in 2026 is a community you can join where you’ll get regular video episodes on tackling procrastination. We have the procrastination mailing list<\/a>, where we send out occasional reflections on tackling procrastination. And we have the team at Student Learning Support Services<\/a> whose academic skills training and support help many students develop a better relationship with their studies.<\/p>\n

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But maybe you want to explore on your own.<\/p>\n

As part of the Studyology<\/a> program, I keep a list of resources I find along the way. I’ve reproduced them here as it seems silly to deny you these tools, just because you haven’t done the program!<\/p>\n

You’ll see that some are specifically procrastination related. Others are about tackling related areas: academic skills, time management, self-care.<\/p>\n

Happy Reading!!<\/p>\n

Oh yeah, if you find a procrastination resource that really helps you, please let me know about it in the comments below. I am sure that other students (and staff if they’re honest) would be interested.<\/p>\n

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Reproduced from the Studyology booklet………..<\/em><\/p>\n

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Studyology teaches you a psychological process to help tackle procrastinatory behaviour.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the core is the idea that procrastination is a form of experiential avoidance \u2013 an attempt to escape unpleasant thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories or experiences associated with study. Procrastination provides short-term relief from these experiences but unfortunately leads to longer-term problems. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tackling procrastination therefore involves learning to sit with those unpleasant experiences without resorting to procrastination and to remain in contact with the necessary study tasks, until the natural rewards of learning, achievement start to take effect and break the cycle of avoidance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But everyone\u2019s specific situation is different, and students get varying level of value from the Studyology process. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, where else can you look for assistance with procrastination?<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some potential next steps:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Academic skills <\/strong>\u270d\ud83c\udffc<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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For some students, study is aversive because they haven\u2019t yet mastered the academic skills necessary for doing well at study: writing essays, scientific reports, reflective writing, academic integrity etc.<\/p>\n

If you think this might be you, then I think you\u2019ll benefit from utilising the Student Learning Support Service – https:\/\/students.flinders.edu.au\/support\/slss<\/a>. Their academic skills guides, videos and programs are excellent and teach just about every aspect of the academic process. I\u2019ve spent quite a bit of time co-presenting with some of their people and they really know their stuff.<\/p>\n

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Life getting in the way <\/strong>\ud83d\udea7<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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For some students, it is things happening in other aspects of their life (e.g. relationships, works, grief\/loss, health\/mental health) that are making it hard to focus on their studies. In this case, it might be Health, Counselling and Disability Services that are best for you. You can access GPs, counsellors, disability advisors and specialist wellbeing programs to provide assistance in addressing difficulties in other parts of your life – <\/span>https:\/\/students.flinders.edu.au\/support\/hcd<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Time management <\/strong>\u23f2<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The modern student is juggling many things: family, work, health, hobbies, volunteering and more. Whilst we applaud such diversity, we also need to remind students that a full-time study load equates to at least 30+ hours of allocated time per week. Students who are falling behind will need to ask themselves the difficult question of whether they are trying to pack too much into their lives and make some difficult decisions about what to prioritise. Even if you can fit it all in, you may need to look at how you are managing your time and introduce some efficiencies in order to allocate appropriate time to study – <\/span>https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/student-health-and-well-being\/2021\/07\/12\/principles-of-time-management\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Study space <\/strong>\ud83d\udda5<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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We often neglect the extent to which our environment impacts on our wellbeing and productivity. Sometimes the impetus to work is not driven by something internal (motivation) but something external (a nice place to study). I\u2019ve spent quite a bit of time refining the spaces in which I work to make them both functional but also nice places to be. I recommend you do the same – <\/span>https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/student-health-and-well-being\/2021\/08\/10\/create-study-space-makes-want-study\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Self-care <\/strong>\ud83e\udd17<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our nervous system is set up in a way that means optimal learning and development happens when we have both periods of intense focus and periods of deep rest and recuperation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If your degree is your \u2018intense focus\u2019 then what does your rest and recuperation look like? Check out our self-care document for some ideas on how to nurture the parts of you other than your studies – <\/span>https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/student-health-and-well-being\/2021\/04\/06\/self-care-mega-guide\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Social Isolation<\/strong> \ud83c\udfdd<\/p>\n

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Sometimes I like to work alone. Sometimes I like to work in the presence of others. There is something both calming and motivating about being around other people who are also getting stuff done. If you don’t belong to a study group or have easy access to working in a library, SLSS’s Body Doubling sessions<\/a> (which include online) might be for you. A way of tapping into the productivity vibe, by being around others who are also trying to do the same thing.<\/p>\n

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Stress management <\/strong>\ud83d\ude23<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Stress isn\u2019t all good or all bad. It\u2019s the activation of our nervous system to take action. We can develop a different relationship to stress. I love this illustrated stress-management guide that is based on the same therapy model (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy \u2013 ACT) as the Studyology program. Available in multiple languages. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240003927<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Procrastination <\/strong>\u23f3<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Some more resources on the topic if you want to keep searching for the right approach for you<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/solvingprocrastination.com\/<\/span><\/a> (he has a book coming out soon – https:\/\/www.amazon.com.au\/Solving-Procrastination-Science-Things-Finally-ebook\/dp\/B0G1X5MJBQ\/ref=sr_1_1<\/a>)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/student-health-and-well-being\/2021\/05\/31\/self-guided-workbook-tackling-procrastination\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/procrastinus.com\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.procrastination.ca\/\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.waterstones.com\/book\/procrastination\/fuschia-m-sirois\/9781433838064<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com.au\/Procrastination-Equation-Putting-Things-Getting\/dp\/0061703621<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/greatergood.berkeley.edu\/article\/item\/two_Counterintuitive_ways_to_stop_procrastinating<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a great series on procrastination in the Waking Up meditation app and you can use my code to get a free trial of the app and thus access the course – https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/student-health-and-well-being\/2023\/12\/20\/access-a-great-series-on-procrastination-in-waking-up-app\/\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Other Reading\/listening in the area <\/strong>\ud83d\udcda<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Reframing one\u2019s time management as a commitment to allocating precious time to the things that are most important to you – <\/span>https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2021\/aug\/07\/on-earth-4000-weeks-so-why-lose-time-online-distraction-oliver-burkeman<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A master on deep and focused work – <\/span>https:\/\/www.calnewport.com\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A great podcast on understanding and leveraging our nervous system for health, wellbeing and productivity – <\/span>https:\/\/hubermanlab.com\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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