Procrastination Calculator
Find the latest date you can start an assignment or exam revision and still finish on time. Free, no sign-up.
How it works
- 1
Enter the task and due date
Type what the assignment or revision is and the date it's due.
- 2
Add the parts and hours
Split the work into parts, like reading and writing, and estimate the hours each part will take.
- 3
See your start date
The calculator shows the latest date you can start the work, and how many hours a day you'll need.
For example, 20 hours of work over 10 working days means 2 hours a day. Over 5 working days, the same 20 hours means 4 hours a day, and over 2 working days, 10 hours a day.
Frequently asked questions
How does the calculator work out my start date?
It adds up the hours for each part, adjusts the total for how long your last similar task took, and divides it by the working days before the due date. Your latest start date is the last day on which the hours you need each day stay within your daily limit.
How many days before an exam should I start revising?
Add up the hours of revision you need and divide by the most hours you can study in a day. Round up to get the number of study days, then count that many study days back from the day before the exam.
Why does it ask how long my last similar task took?
Most people underestimate how long their own work will take. In one study, students expected to finish their thesis in about 34 days, and it took them about 56 (Buehler, Griffin and Ross, 1994). Using how your last task went corrects your estimate.
Does leaving work until the last minute affect grades?
On average, yes. A review of 33 studies with 38,529 participants found that students who procrastinated more tended to get lower grades (Kim and Seo, 2015). This is an average across many students, not a prediction about you.
What if my plan only works if I stay up all night?
Then add days or cut the work instead. In one study, students who stayed awake for 24 hours did worse on a critical-thinking test than students who slept, but believed they had done better (Pilcher and Walters, 1997).
Read about all-nighters and crammingWhy does the result suggest a 25-minute first step?
A small first step with a set time and place is easier to start. People who planned when and where they would act were more likely to reach their goals (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006). Twenty-five minutes is the length of one Pomodoro.
Read about the Pomodoro techniqueIs the procrastination calculator free?
Yes. There's no sign-up, and what you enter stays in your browser unless you share the link.
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Sources
- Buehler, R., Griffin, D. and Ross, M. (1994). Exploring the "planning fallacy": why people underestimate their task completion times. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(3), 366–381.
- Kruger, J. and Evans, M. (2004). If you don't want to be late, enumerate: unpacking reduces the planning fallacy. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40(5), 586–598.
- Tice, D. M. and Baumeister, R. F. (1997). Longitudinal study of procrastination, performance, stress, and health: the costs and benefits of dawdling. Psychological Science, 8(6), 454–458.
- Kim, K. R. and Seo, E. H. (2015). The relationship between procrastination and academic performance: a meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 82, 26–33.
- Pilcher, J. J. and Walters, A. S. (1997). How sleep deprivation affects psychological variables related to college students' cognitive performance. Journal of American College Health, 46(3), 121–126.
- Gollwitzer, P. M. and Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.