The Top 5 Ways You Procrastinate for Finals – and How To Avoid Them!

This is one you’re definitely aware of. You’re wasting time, and you know it. Sure, scrolling through your Twitter and Instagram feeds is a lot easier than starting your physics practice exam, but in reality you can get a lot done in the hours you waste online. You won’t get those hours back, and you’ll be exhausted without having done anything.

 

We’re all guilty of Netflix binges every now and again when avoiding tasks we would rather not do. But unfortunately, each show is at least 30 minutes, and that adds up very quickly. Another example of lost hours that you will never get back and definitely regret losing.

 

How to avoid 1 & 2: Odds are, you know what the app SelfControl is, and you don’t use it as much as you should. While my relationship with this app is surely love/hate, it keeps me from wasting time when I have to do homework that involves my computer. If at all possible, avoid going online completely; it’s the only sure-fire way to, well, not waste time on the computer. But of course, you still have your phone. If I am studying with someone else and don’t want/need to be reached, I make him put my phone in his backpack. This way there is no temptation, and I’m not constantly being sidetracked. Another strategy, if you have an iPhone, is the lovely Do Not Disturb switch. Your phone won’t light up upon receiving a text, and it will only ring if you set an alarm or if someone calls you more than once.

 

Work isn’t fun. I’m very passionate about my major, but I would love to just have time to do whatever I want, including sleep more. But alas, time stops for no one, including procrastinators, so try to get it together.

 

How to avoid: I’m a list person, so to avoid doing nothing I’ll instead make a list of what I have to do. This is mainly because I then register how much work I have, and subsequently hit the ground running. However, there are times when my brain shuts off. I cannot possibly work anymore, or I am working at such a slow pace that I may as well be sleeping. So I do just that; I take a nap, always 20-30 minutes. I can fall asleep anywhere (read: carrels in Huntsman, desks at Fisher), so if I’m not being productive, I set an alarm and doze. Naps help our memory retention, increase our alertness, improve our moods, sensory perception, and are simply great for our health. Chances are your sleep patterns are irregular, so give yourself a break.

 

Laundry, cleaning, cooking, phoning a friend, starting a new project, getting lunch with someone; these are all activities that may seem “productive”. When you do these tasks, you step back and say, “Wow, what a busy day, I did a lot,” but then you look at your planner/list of work and realize you haven’t moved from where you started. This is what I call being “actively unproductive.” We all get caught doing it, and the best remedy for this is to be aware of what you’re doing. Sometimes if you recognize that you’re doing everything in your power to avoid the work at hand, you can rationalize the situation, and adjust accordingly. 

 

How to avoid: While I do make lists, I also break down daunting projects or assignments into smaller pieces. I tell myself I only have to write one paragraph and then be done, or I just have to do one or two readings. Once you get your mind moving in the right direction, you will be surprised how much more motivated you feel to keep trucking through. Break your work up into smaller, less daunting pieces. It might not change the amount of time you spend on the assignment, but it surely helps your morale and drive.

 

This is so cliché, but you know you better than anyone else knows you. You know your study habits, your tendencies, and your procrastination preferences. If you work best when you have a friend to work with, then recruit a buddy. If you work best isolated alone without any distractions, then put yourself in that environment. Personally, I need complete and utter silence to do work. Many a time I have told myself that I could do work with music playing, with coffee brewing, or with people chattering, and the truth is, I can’t. I work best in silence, either alone or with a few friends who are also focusing. Set yourself up to succeed. Put yourself in the place, company, and mindset where you can engage in your work and crush it. Otherwise, you’re sabotaging yourself, and once again, you’re procrastinating.