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PaperProcrastination

One hour-long therapy session helped students put things off less two weeks later

Who it’s about: Students

Low-angle drawing of a curly-haired student in a checked jacket striding forward with a backpack full of books.
  1. Helped

    One hour mapping what made them put things off and planning study times helped students put things off less.

    Randomised trial of 151 university students in Germany who put things off · vs students who only filled in questionnaires · they rated themselves

  2. Helped

    One hour on goals, values, mindfulness and stepping back from unhelpful thoughts helped students put things off less.

    Randomised trial of 151 university students in Germany who put things off · vs students who only filled in questionnaires · they rated themselves

  3. No difference

    The planning session and the session on values and mindfulness worked just as well as each other two weeks later.

    Randomised trial of 151 university students in Germany who put things off · vs the other one-hour session · they rated themselves

The study

Who took part

151 university students in Marburg, Germany, who regularly put things off and were upset or held back by it. They were about 26 on average, and 6 in 10 were women.

What they did

Students had one 60-minute session alone with a trained student therapist. One kind of session mapped what made them put things off and planned a study timetable. The other kind covered goals and values, mindfulness and stepping back from unhelpful thoughts. Both came with homework and a short check-in call two or three days later. The third group only filled in questionnaires.

What happened

Two weeks later, both session groups rated themselves as putting things off clearly less than the questionnaire-only group. The two kinds of session did equally well, and the difference from no session was large. People were only checked at two weeks, so we don't know if the change lasted.

Source

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Single-Session Interventions Reduce Procrastination among Students Compared to a Control Group: The CONCRAS Study (2026)

DOI: 10.1159/pps/aemag001

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