1. Turn Off Your Phone!
Your cellphone may be your best friend but it can also be your worst enemy when it comes to working efficiently. With hundreds of distracting apps, texts and phone calls, our smartphones make it harder and harder for us to focus and get work done.
2. Have No Fear and Just Do It!
Sit down and tell yourself you are going to work for five minutes straight. This will get the ball rolling and make the larger task seem way less threatening. A main reason for procrastination is because we are intimidated by projects and assignments that hang over our heads. The longer we wait to do them, the scarier they become. Five minutes is nothing and if you start there, you’re more likely to keep going and finish it.
3. Reward Yourself
Try creating a system of rewards for yourself. My go-to is food and time on my phone. I will either give myself a yummy snack or let myself check my texts and Snapchat every half hour of work. This works great because you have an incentive to focus. You can also punish yourself by adding more time before rewards if you don’t keep working. It may seem like a silly game but TRUST me, it has worked wonders with long papers and projects.
4 .Remove Distractions!
We all love to do school work with our friends, but a study session can become a gossip session in a split second if you aren’t focusing. The best place to work is in the library or anywhere alone without tempting distractions or noise.
5. Classical Music
Studies show that classical music can increase focus, reduce stress and help regulate sleep patterns. It has been shown that students who listened to classical music while studying scored higher when tested. Classical music has most definitely helped me feel motivated to keep my focus and also helps to remove noise distractions.
6. Check Lists
The more little things that you have to do, the more intimidating your work load seems and the more likely you are to push doing things off until later. Start with the easiest and make a checklist to complete the tasks you want to do. This has helped me complete multiple things in one night and make sure I don’t forget any assignments. You can also use the rewards system I mentioned and reward yourself after each task! The hardest part about doing schoolwork is getting started!