It’s 3 AM the day of the midterm and your brain physically aches from the strain of memorizing vocabulary words and defining key terms. A nauseous feeling grows in the pit of your stomach that you know won’t be gone in the morning. There is a chance at five hours of sleep, but the reality is that you are looking at more like three. Pretty much, life sucks.
We all know why this happened… the evil monster “procrastination” decided to rear its ugly head. The week before, the test seemed so far away. Memorizing the list of key terms? No problem. Maybe you didn’t know where to start so you didn’t start at all. It doesn’t matter, procrastination comes in different forms for everyone but the end results are usually the same; a feeling of worry accompanied by the knowledge that you should have studied more.
I’ve done this on many an occasion and every time I wish I hadn’t. So, to help myself and the lovely readers who happen to be reading my column, I have formulated a list of things to do in order to kick that procrastination monster’s butt!
1. Budget your time correctly. We have all heard of it, yet for some reason it never happens. At least for this next midterm, try and start studying in advance and make sure you give yourself enough time to study without cramming.
2. Give yourself a designated time away from Facebook/Twitter/ Social media and stick to it. Spending hours looking for Youtube videos to post on someone’s wall is not helping you get an A on the test. To make sure you really don’t break this rule, turn your internet’s airport ‘on’ or try the self-control app!
3. Make lists! A list is your friend! If you make a list then you know what to study and also how much time it might take to comprehend. Also, if you are stuck, it’s the first step towards figuring out where to start.
There are plenty of other things you can do, but I would venture to say that these are the most helpful. Either way, if you have a looming midterm or a nasty quiz, don’t let procrastination get the best of you. Beat that evil fiend and good luck on midterms!