displacement activity
noun [ C or U ] psychology specialized uk/dɪˈspleɪs.mənt ækˌtɪv.ɪ.ti/ us/dɪˈspleɪs.mənt ækˌtɪv.ə.t̬i/
为逃避（困难或不愉快）职责而做的事情
an unnecessary activity that you do because you are trying to delay doing a more difficult or unpleasant activity
When I was studying for my exams I used to clean the house as a displacement activity. 我在准备考试时常常会通过打扫房间来拖延学习时间。