It’s 11 a.m. on a Thursday and you have an essay due later that night.
“I’ll start later today,” you tell yourself. “I have all the time in the world.”
Somehow between catching up on the “Vampire Diaries” and rearranging your room for the millionth time because anything is more fun than writing an essay, it’s now 5 p.m. with only an hour left to start and finish your paper. In a flurry of anxiety and stress, you somehow manage to pull something together, and you tell yourself that next time things will be different.
Sound familiar? We’re all guilty of putting off assignments at one time or another, but if you find yourself constantly delaying tasks and accomplishments to the point it starts becoming a debilitating habit, it’s time to make a change.
What’s so psychological about procrastination?
Blame it on biology. Well, kinda.
You see, magical things happen in the brain when we’re forced to do something we really don’t want to do. Here’s the spark-noted explanation for all of you who haven’t taken an introductory psychology class:
When we’re faced with the dilemma of taking the first steps in accomplishing something, a conflict begins between two parts of our brain — the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. Often times, the limbic system (your brain’s “problem solver on autopilot”) wins the battle and the prefrontal cortex (your “internal planner”) loses. The result? Procrastination.
Tips to end your procrastination
1. Use technology as a tool to get ahead, and not as a means of delay. Use online websites and computer applications like Self-Control or StayFocused that keep you off social media websites. An old-school option would be giving all your social media passwords to a trusted friend to change and only give back once you’ve completed your impending assignment.
2. Use those rare moments of high motivation to combat the lows. Willpower isn’t static, and it’s often times more beneficial to set up your life to minimize temptation instead of always trying to fight it. In advance, organize a study group at the library with people you aren’t too friendly with and can’t cancel on. Plus, the library will limit distractions that are present in your room, residence hall, and apartment.
3. Write every single responsibility, date, assignment and meeting that you need to remember in a planner to check multiple times a day. If you know what needs to be accomplished, there’s no excuse for a homework assignment or project to sneak up on you. Try tricking yourself by inputing assignment deadlines days before they are actually due.
4. Consciously recognize you aren’t doing what you need to be doing. At its basic definition, procrastination occurs when we know we should be doing something and we put off doing that specific thing because at our core, we want pleasure, and nothing brings us less pleasure than, for example, studying for a midterm. Override this instinct by taking it upon yourself to challenge your brain chemist because, believe it or not, you can do it!
As the old saying goes: Work smarter, not harder. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done.