Procrastination and
Distractions
It’s no secret…
We live in a world full of distractions. With smartphones in our pockets and endless to-do lists, staying focused may seem like an impossibility. Too much competes for our time and attention, and that can feel overwhelming. Want to learn how this feeling relates to procrastination? This page contains lots of information, so scroll through or jump to a section that’s most relevant to you. Here’s what you can expect to see and learn:
Mindfulness Tips to Reduce Distractions
The Cycles of Procrastination
Breaking Out of the Cycle
Mindfulness Tips to Reduce Distractions
Practicing mindfulness is a proven strategy to manage procrastination habits and distractions. The exercises below will lead you through the five steps of mindfulness to help you better understand why you procrastinate and what strategies you can try to protect your mental and emotional wellbeing—the key factors in reducing distractions!
Want to learn more about mindfulness and why you might be getting distracted? Scroll to the “Cycles of Procrastination” section at the end of this webpage before or after you try the mindfulness steps!
Step 1: Identify Your Roadblock
In this 10-minute exercise, you will practice the first two steps of mindfulness training: observing and describing. Steps include setting a goal and identifying obstacles. Scroll through the presentation to get started!
If reading a presentation isn’t your thing, try this 7-minute guided meditation by Khan Academy. Use headphones if you can!
Step 2: Take Strategic Action
Based on the insights you uncovered in Step 1, complete an exercise that best matches your roadblock. This will help you practice the third step of mindfulness training: acting with awareness.
I get distracted because I’m BORED!
I still don’t know why I get distracted.
How do I manage my time?
If presentations still aren’t your thing, try out these two meditations that help with focus. Headphones are a must.
This video also provides some tips for focusing and why humans are prone to procrastinate.
As you develop greater awareness of what’s getting in the way of your goals and why you might get distracted, remember to practice self-love and self-acceptance. The journey to achieving your goals won’t be a pleasant or sustainable one if you’re beating yourself up the entire time. To help remind yourself to be nonreactive to your inner experiences and nonjudgmental toward yourself, try these mindfulness exercises on loving kindness. Use headphones if you can!
Step 3: Being Nonreactive and Nonjudgmental
Bonus Step 4: Resources for Focus and Productivity
Research on procrastination shows that our environments often determine whether or not we procrastinate. Though there are many things beyond our control, we can do our best to create environments that set us up for success. Try out some of these resources to help boost your focus and productivity.
“Study with Me” videos
Want to keep yourself accountable while studying without bothering your friends and family? Try studying with someone on YouTube using the Pomodoro method!
—1-hour Study Sessions—
—2-hour Study Sessions—
—3-hour Study Sessions—
—4-hour Study Sessions—
—All-Day Study Sessions—
Focus Music
If you like studying with music, consider swapping out your current playlist for one of these:
The Cycles of Procrastination
Want to learn more about why you’re getting distracted and how this is related to procrastination? The information below offers context on the strategies above and why mindfulness is such a useful tool.
😎 “I have a week to get my project done. I’ll start tomorrow…”
😜 “What’s the harm in scrolling through TikTok for ten minutes instead of studying?”
😏 “Why not play a quick game before getting to work?”
😇 “Oh, my friend needs my help. I’ll get back to my tasks later.”
😅 “Wow. My room is so dirty. Let me clean everything before I start working.”
😕 “I meant to do math homework, but now I’m looking up the cast of my favorite TV show on Wikipedia.”
😱 “Ahhhhh! My big deadline is in five hours.”
🫣 “I stayed up all night in panic mode, trying to get my work done. I hope it’s enough.”
😔 “I don’t feel too great about myself. I know I could’ve done better. Maybe I shouldn’t turn anything in…”
🤔 Does this sound like you?
This is a classic cycle of procrastination, which often looks like getting super distracted. According to procrastination researchers, there are three phases of procrastination:
Pre-actional
Actional
Post-actional
During the pre-actional phase, we experience emotions and circumstances that make us feel reluctant to do a task. The actional phase involves problems that we encounter when trying to do the task (e.g., not shielding distractions, not concentrating). The post-actional phase results in beliefs about ourselves based on our ability/inability to complete tasks, which influences the next pre-actional phase when we attempt to do the task again.
You see, it’s a loop… ♾️
Examples of the Procrastination Phases
Case 1:
Pre-actional: Ugh. I don’t feel like doing homework. It’s difficult and boring.
Actional: Instead of doing homework, I’m choosing to be on my phone. People keep texting me, and I have Instagram notifications.
Post-actional: Being on my phone was more fun than doing homework, but now I feel bad about myself for not getting stuff done. My feelings of shame make it harder for me to do homework, and they reinforce negative emotions toward schoolwork. I guess I’ll just stay on my phone.
Case 2:
Pre-actional: I don’t believe that I have what it takes to finish this task. It’s difficult, and I don’t feel smart enough.
Actional: I’m trying to do the task, but all I can think about is my fear and frustration. Can I do this? If I can’t, will I fail my course? Maybe I can find an answer by doing some online research. Oh look! Funny internet content!
Post-actional: Because I spent more time worrying than working, I didn’t accomplish my task. See? I knew I didn’t have what it takes. I’m a failure.
Notice that in each of these examples, procrastination didn’t start with a distraction like a smartphone or a person calling for your attention. It started with a feeling or a belief. In other words, it’s not your phone’s or your to-do list’s fault that you’re feeling overwhelmed with distractions. Something much deeper is going on. And guess what? You’re not alone in experiencing this. Studies show that 80-95% of college students procrastinate.
Breaking Out of the Cycle
To get to the bottom of this “something deeper,” we need to look at the pre-actional phase and figure out why we’re feeling or believing certain things about ourselves. That’s the key to breaking out of the cycle of procrastination. Oftentimes, these feelings and beliefs can make or break our ability to resist distractions. Researchers suggest that practicing mindfulness is one way to gain this knowledge. In fact, they found that those who did mindfulness training experienced these benefits:
Better time-management
Increased focus of attention
Self-regulation and self-awareness
Greater self-worth
Less anxiety
More curiosity, openness, and self-acceptance
According to researchers, mindfulness is “non-judgmental awareness and acceptance of experience” (2). In other words, it’s gaining an understanding of what you’re experiencing in the moment without beating yourself up. They explain that mindfulness can be a temporary state (e.g., “I’m being mindful for right now, but I’m not always mindful”) or a trait reinforced through habit (e.g., “I practice mindfulness as a routine.”).
Regardless of your practice, studies show links between mindfulness and “changes in cognition, including better ability to sustain attention.” All this to say, any mindfulness practice helps, whether it becomes a state or a trait!
Similar research (Baer et al. 2008) identifies five components of mindfulness:
So, what is mindfulness?
Notice that mindfulness does not look like self-criticism, self-loathing, and self-doubt. It’s all about self-love, self-acceptance, and self-affirmation! Getting to this place, however, requires us to work through some difficult feelings and to forgive ourselves as we note habits—like getting distracted—we might want to change.
If you haven’t already, use the exercises on this webpage to try out some mindfulness practices!
1. Observing or noticing thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.
2. Describing these observations with words.
3. Acting with awareness.
4. Being nonreactive to what’s happening internally.
5. Not judging your experience.