Have you ever decided that you would start studying at 10:30 to then look at the clock and realise it was 10:31 and then say to yourself “well, I missed my opportunity! Better wait until 11:00!”, because I do pretty much every day.
Seventeen years of education and I still battle Ms. Procrastination most days. “There’s always tomorrow” and “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it” are daily things I tell myself, even when I have multiple looming deadlines. When I talk about my struggle with procrastination, I’m often reminded by my friends that I usually start assignments well in advance. Little do they know that I need to start a week earlier because I’m gearing up to spend the next three weeks doing such a minimal amount of work every day that it’s going to take me longer to get to the final abysmal result!
Although I struggle with this, I’ve slowly discovered some techniques and methods to kick my procrastination out the door and get my work done.
#1 Start assignments early
I know, I know; this hurts to hear. Nobody wants to start writing an essay before they have to, but for us procrastinators, it unfortunately needs to be done! I find that my procrastination gets worse if I try to tackle too many tasks in one day, so if I know that I have an essay due in three weeks, I will start it early so that I can make gradual process until the deadline and don’t get overloaded with work.
#2 Take breaks
Usually if your procrastination won’t go away, forcing yourself to read the last five pages of the journal article just isn’t a great idea. It’s not good for your stress levels, your laptop battery, or for making the most out of the piece of work. In situations like this, do something else for twenty minutes. Whether that’s going for a walk, making yourself a snack, reading a chapter of your book, or scrolling through TikTok, allow yourself to take your brain away from the studying so that when you’re ready to go back you can have a fresh start.
#3 Start your day with tasks you enjoy
If you start your study session with the dreaded 40-page reading that you’ve been putting off for days, you’re going to struggle finding the motivation to get it finished (and you’ve started your day off on the wrong foot)! Instead of starting with this, start with something that you enjoy! Whether that’s making a study plan, reading a news article that you find interesting, or watching a YouTube clip on the subject – make it something that you’re not going to want to claw your eyes out whilst doing.
#4 Create a nice work environment
This is a little hypocritical from me, because I’m currently using a £12 foldable Argos table and sat on an Ikea plastic chair, but I promise that work environments are a game changer! Of course, don’t make your work environment distracting as the temptation to fiddle with the neon pens will take you away from your work. However, having some nice plants, a candle, and some cute fairy lights are a good way to encourage you to want to sit at your desk. The nicer the work environment, the more you will want to sit there for longer periods of time and get more things done.
#5 Have a checklist
Every Monday morning, I make a list of all the tasks that I have to do that week and when they are to be completed by. Having boxes next to every task that you can tick upon completion will give you motivation to get things done (as it is ridiculously enjoyable to do so). Making a list will also make you aware of everything that you have to do that week, so you don’t make an error and leave it all for Friday!
In short, be organised and prepared for procrastination! Lack of motivation and constant distractions will always be an issue, it’s only natural to not want to do something that is tedious and boring, so don’t get angry at yourself if you are struggling to stay on task. Be kind to yourself and make adjustments that will help ease your struggles and turn your brain back to your work!