Tips For Dealing With Procrastination When Studying Online

The flexibility and convenience of online learning have had a massive impact on the educational landscape, but along with the benefits, there are also plenty of challenges. One of the most significant issues facing students studying online is that it can be hard to adjust to decreased supervision and self-paced learning compared to traditional educational programs. This can often lead to procrastination, as delaying assignments or essential tasks is easier when no instructors or peers are around you. This has a lot of negative consequences in the long run, ranging from more stress and anxiety to failing subjects if not addressed. However, overcoming procrastination and remaining focused on academic excellence is easy with the right tips.

Why Do Students Procrastinate When Studying Online?

In order to overcome procrastination, it helps to know why you are doing it. There are a few common reasons, all of which can be exacerbated by studying online if you are not careful. One of the most common causes is a fear of failure. Students who are scared that they won’t perform as well as they think they should will try to delay the outcome that they see in their head for as long as possible. Another reason is feeling overwhelmed, which happens when students have a complex assignment or many different assignments and don’t know where to begin. A lack of motivation is also a common cause, especially in online studies where there’s no face-to-face accountability for not meeting deadlines or obligations. Finally, some students are perfectionists and will procrastinate until they feel that they are ready to deliver something perfect.

How To Avoid Procrastination When Studying Online?

Avoid Perfectionism

While there is nothing wrong with trying to deliver excellent work, it can also lead to procrastination if you fear producing anything less than perfect. This can be avoided by starting with a rough draft instead of trying to get everything perfect from the get-go. Doing so enables you to get started and refine and improve the results if time allows. It is also essential to impose reasonable standards and focus on reaching these instead of consistently striving for perfection. Doing so is the only way to get past the mental block that ultimately leads to procrastination. 

Get Rid of Distractions

Studying online often means being able to do so in the comfort of your own home or other non-traditional environments. Unfortunately, this can mean easy access to social media, television, and other distractions that can result in procrastination. The only way to avoid this is to eliminate all distractions while studying, which can be done by creating a dedicated study space. Use apps to block access to distracting websites and services during dedicated studying hours and ensure that friends or family members do not disturb you. 

Set Goals

It is easy to become overwhelmed when studying online, and the best way to avoid this is to set goals for yourself. Larger tasks can be broken down into smaller, manageable steps with clear and realistic goals. Your goals must be clear, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound for them to be effective. Having manageable goals gives you a clear direction, and feeling like you are making progress while accomplishing these goals will stop you from feeling overwhelmed. 

Reward Progress

Rewarding progress goes hand in hand with having clear goals that you’ve set for yourself. By incentivizing yourself with rewards for accomplishing goals, you reduce the odds of procrastination and create positive reinforcement instead. Rewards do not have to be elaborate or expensive; they can consist of simple things like watching a clip of your favorite YouTuber or having a quick snack. 

Create a Schedule

For many students, the appeal of studying online is the flexibility of not having to stick to a schedule. Unfortunately, this makes procrastinating easy, so getting into a study routine is better. Studying online is great for fitting studies into your schedule, but then you have to stick to the times that you have designated for studying. Once you get into a routine, it is easier to build up the discipline to stick with your studies instead of succumbing to procrastination. 

Set Deadlines

Deadlines are unavoidable in most career paths and studies, but it is easier to brush them off when studying online. Instead of relying on constant reminders from instructors or peers, setting your own deadlines for your studies and then being accountable for them is important. By setting your own deadlines instead of what your course indicates, you can avoid scrambling at the last minute to get everything done. If you need help staying accountable, you can contact a family member or friend and inform them about your goals and deadlines so they can check in with you on your progress.    

Manage Your Time Efficiently

Setting aside time for your studies does not help if it is not used efficiently. To prevent procrastination, you can use time management techniques such as the Pomodoro technique, time blocking, or the Eisenhower matrix to make the most of your study time. These have been proven to improve productivity, increase focus, and prevent burnout, which are all things online students can struggle with. 

Remain Organized

If you are not organized, your studies can quickly become chaotic, which can become overwhelming and lead to procrastination. To avoid missed deadlines and increased stress, stay organized by maintaining a to-do list of everything you need to accomplish. Make sure that all your course materials are well-organized, too, and use cloud storage to keep everything accessible no matter where you are. 

Conclusion

Procrastination can be difficult to overcome, but it is possible with the right mindset and strategies listed in this article. Once you understand the root cause of your procrastination, you can focus on the methods needed to eliminate it. Often, procrastination stems from short-term discomfort, but focusing on long-term rewards can change your mindset.