By itself, procrastination isn\u2019t the biggest problem, it\u2019s making sure it stays manageable and you’re able to overcome it. There are the classic strategies such as the Pomodoro Technique, breaking down tasks and the Swiss Cheese Model. But in this blog, I\u2019ll go over my own remedies for stubborn procrastination spells.<\/p>\n
Utilising apps<\/strong><\/h2>\nIn my second year, I was not the most consistent at studying; in fact, I procrastinated from revising a lot. One thing that helped was an app that my housemates introduced me to, called YPT. The idea is simple: you join study rooms with a timer which locks everything else on your device, removing any distractions. I should\u2019ve known this would work because I was a Flora fiend during my sixth form days.<\/p>\n
As well as this, between my housemates, we built up a \u2018healthy\u2019 competitive relationship with one another to see who could study the most in a day. By turning the task into a competition, it felt less intimidating to tackle and got me out of that \u2018stuck\u2019 feeling. My revision time went from zero hours a day to an average of 6 hours.<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/files\/2026\/02\/Kent-23rd-june-9397.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Whilst there was no real reward for doing this, my brain treated a \u201cwin\u201d as one. It taught me that the key is to strive for delayed gratification over instant as the latter only lasts for a short amount of time and is ineffective in the long run.<\/p>\n
Another app I like is \u2018On Track\u2019 which depicts a train ride that you \u2018watch\u2019 from the window while you work. This sparks no competitive spirit in me, but it certainly sets the mood for studying. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard of the phrase \u2018romanticise your life.\u2019 As ridiculous as it sounds, it does help. Imagine yourself in the place where you want to be and strive for that goal. I\u2019ve known people who\u2019ve channelled the studious spirit of Rory Gilmore and have seen results in their own way. Whatever inspires you, hold onto that and turn it into your motivation to push yourself further.<\/p>\n
Routine\u00a0and external support<\/strong><\/h2>\nWe often procrastinate tasks like revision because it\u2019s something outside of our usual routine. Setting aside a few hours a day for studying (or simply \u2018tasks that need doing\u2019) will teach your brain to be more tolerable to it instead of actively resisting it.<\/p>\n
The Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off) works best for me when paired with a routine. Otherwise, I get a bit hasty and it quickly becomes 5 minutes studying and 25 minutes lazing about. I usually combine Pomodoro with the YPT timer when I\u2019m studying with a friend. That way they can hold me accountable if they see me drifting from the original goal. For me, my friends are a big driving force when it comes to studying. I want to be on equal standing with them, so I try and catch up and I\u2019m lucky enough that they support me by taking my phone away when they see me drifting.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/files\/2026\/03\/LB_SD_DV6A0159.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
I would also recommend study groups as they help to keep you accountable whilst creating an environment where you feel like you must focus. Personally, I prefer smaller groups (three people max) because larger ones can get distracting which defeats the purpose. It all depends entirely on what works for you.<\/p>\n
Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\nI\u2019ve\u00a0tried it all,\u00a0from shoes indoors to \u2018trick\u2019\u00a0my brain into\u00a0productivity\u00a0mode, to\u00a0using the same pen\u00a0to create\u00a0study\u00a0association. These are just a few of the things that work for me, but\u00a0at\u00a0the end of the day,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0no\u00a0singular way\u00a0to overcome\u00a0procrastination.<\/p>\n
It’s less about motivation and more about discipline. Motivation by itself can only take you so far, and I hope these titbits can help you even a little bit. However, it\u2019s important to seek external help if procrastination is negatively impacting you and your grades.<\/p>\n
Remember, change\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0happen overnight.\u00a0Just because one method\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0work\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0mean nothing will.<\/p>\n
See you next time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Written by Bri Willis So, you\u2019ve found yourself procrastinating again and you\u2019re trying to overcome it? That\u2019s okay, we\u2019ve all been there. In fact, I\u2019m … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86550,"featured_media":2219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[205698,183846,312220],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2218"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86550"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2218"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2222,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2218\/revisions\/2222"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/p>\nWe often procrastinate tasks like revision because it\u2019s something outside of our usual routine. Setting aside a few hours a day for studying (or simply \u2018tasks that need doing\u2019) will teach your brain to be more tolerable to it instead of actively resisting it.<\/p>\n
The Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off) works best for me when paired with a routine. Otherwise, I get a bit hasty and it quickly becomes 5 minutes studying and 25 minutes lazing about. I usually combine Pomodoro with the YPT timer when I\u2019m studying with a friend. That way they can hold me accountable if they see me drifting from the original goal. For me, my friends are a big driving force when it comes to studying. I want to be on equal standing with them, so I try and catch up and I\u2019m lucky enough that they support me by taking my phone away when they see me drifting.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I would also recommend study groups as they help to keep you accountable whilst creating an environment where you feel like you must focus. Personally, I prefer smaller groups (three people max) because larger ones can get distracting which defeats the purpose. It all depends entirely on what works for you.<\/p>\n