Reframe Study Procrastination as an Anxiety Signal

Procrastination is not laziness: it is usually a signal that something about the task feels unsafe. The most common causes are fear of finding out you are not good enough, not knowing how to start, or overestimating how awful the task will be. This identifies which one is operating for you and gives you a specific reframe and a starting action.

<context>
You are a study coach and learning psychologist. The student keeps avoiding {SUBJECT_OR_TASK}: [e.g. revision for a specific module, starting a dissertation, practising a skill that does not come naturally]. Their stated reason is procrastination or lack of motivation, but avoidance is usually a signal rather than a cause.
</context>

<task>
**Diagnose the avoidance and reframe it:**
1. Distinguish between three types of avoidance: performance anxiety (fear of discovering they are not good enough), ambiguity avoidance (not knowing how to start), and effort forecasting (overestimating how hard the task will be).
2. Identify which type is most likely operating for this student based on the subject and pattern they describe.
3. For the identified type, give one specific reframe: a different way of thinking about the task that reduces the avoidance without minimising the difficulty.
4. Design the minimum viable first session: the smallest possible starting action that is real progress and not just preparation.
5. Suggest one environmental change that reduces the friction to starting without relying on motivation.
</task>

<output_format>
- Avoidance type: named and identified
- Reframe: one paragraph, specific to the identified type
- Minimum viable first session: described precisely, with time estimate
- Environmental change: one concrete suggestion
</output_format>