It’s 11 p.m. on a Sunday night. You are hunched over your desk staring into the computer screen, and there it is: an assignment due at 11:59. You look at the clock — it just turned 11:01. You had all weekend to do it, so why didn’t you? The answer to the question ladies and gentlemen is, procrastination. Here in this article, you will find three useful tips to combat procrastination.

To beat procrastination, you first have to identify what procrastination style you have. According to Healthline.com, there are six styles of procrastination: perfectionist, dreamer, worrier, crisis-maker, defier, and overdoer.

These procrastinators delay tasks because they fear their work won’t be “good enough.” They set impossibly high standards and spend more time planning, tweaking, and revising rather than actually finishing the task.

Big ideas, little follow-through. Dreamers love imagining possibilities but get bored with the details, often underestimating how much effort is required. As psychologist Linda Sapadin puts it, “[They] have great ideas but hate dealing with the annoying details.”

Fear of failure? Overthinking everything? Worriers put off tasks because they’re scared of uncertainty or change. Their need for security leads them to doubt themselves and talk themselves out of taking action.

These thrill-seekers believe they “work best under pressure” and deliberately to create urgency. The rush can lead to great results — but also stress and burnout.

As the name suggests, Defiers resists tasks because they hate being told what to do. They see their tasks as restrictions on their freedom and control, delaying out of passive resistance rather than outright refusal.

These procrastinators take on too many responsibilities, stretching themselves too thin, leading to stress and avoidance. They struggle with saying no, and become overwhelmed by obligations, leading to them not completing their own tasks.

These three tips can help you deal with procrastination based on your procrastination style.

Eat an elephant

One way to combat procrastination is to eat an elephant, and no, it doesn’t mean to literally eat an elephant, but think about if you were to do so. How would you do it? It’s clear that it would be incredibly difficult to try to put the whole elephant in your mouth and swallow it whole. The same goes for completing tasks. As daunting as a task may seem, once you break it down into smaller pieces. Break down the task into smaller parts, and start small. This will make it less intimidating.

This method is most effective for and , perfectionists because breaking the task down will help them focus on one part at a time, making it easier to avoid getting paralyzed by the fear of not completing it perfectly, and overdoers because this can help them focus on one piece at a time without feeling like they’re drowning in responsibilities.

Picking Off Easier Parts

The hardest part of completing a task for procrastinators is actually starting it. This method involves picking out the parts that are easier to do, or the parts that we enjoy the most, because studies have shown that when we do something that we enjoy, our brain actually releases a chemical called dopamine, which makes you happy.

This method works for and Dreamers tend to get caught up in big ideas and struggle to execute them, so by starting with the more enjoyable or easier parts, they can make progress without getting bogged down by the tough details. Worriers often delay tasks because of fear or uncertainty. Starting with a less intimidating portion can ease their anxiety and help them build confidence as they move forward with the task.

Removing all distractions

This strategy is the simplest and most effective strategy, but also the hardest one. Distractions, such as your phone, social media, music, games, can interfere with how you work and derail you. This can maximize productivity and focus, and even if you have the attention span of a goldfish, at least you won’t lose yourself to scrolling through social media for hours. 

This method works well with Crisis-Makers and Indecisive Procrastinators. With crisis-makers, even though they may work best under pressure, reducing distractions can help them focus when they need to work early instead of waiting until the last minute. With indecisive procrastinators, often struggling, with focusing and making decisions, by removing distractions, they can give themselves the space and time needed to focus on making a choice and taking action without the constant bombardment of options.

Procrastination isn’t just about missing deadlines — it can lead to anxiety, lower academic performance, and even strain relationships. These effects are often connected. If you constantly put off assignments until the last minute, you’ll find yourself rushing to complete them, producing lower-quality work.

Over time, this can affect your grades, confidence, and even how you feel about yourself. And that lingering guilt and anxiety? It doesn’t just go away. Procrastination can grow in to a bad habit, making it even harder to break in the future. So, whether you’re a perfectionist, a dreamer, a worrier, or any other type of procrastinator, taking small steps to manage your time now will help you in the long run. The sooner you tackle procrastination, the more control you’ll have over your work, your stress levels, and your success.