Be honest — rank your top procrastination habits when you're avoiding work or study.

A natural way to answer

Top of the list would be checking emails over and over, which feels productive but really isn't. Second, I tend to over-plan — I'll spend an hour making the perfect to-do list instead of doing anything on it. And third, tidying my desk, which is just a respectable way of stalling.

Key phrases to use

• zone out — to stop paying attention and drift into a daze“I zone out the moment I open social media.”
• put off — to delay doing something until later“I keep putting off the boring tasks.”
• stalling — deliberately delaying so you don't have to start or decide“Tidying the desk is just me stalling.”
• putting pen to paper — actually starting to write something“I research forever before putting pen to paper.”
• beating around the bush — avoiding the main point or task by dealing with other things“I spent all morning beating around the bush.”