Be completely truthful – Is there an assignment you should be doing right now, instead of being online? Instead of absent-mindedly scrolling through Instagram or taking your third nap of the day, here’s a list of five things you can do to avoid feeling unproductive. Just because you aren’t completing the 1000 page paper doesn’t mean you cannot get your life in some sort of order.
1. Make a to-do list
There’s something inherently productive about making a bulleted checklist on a bright Post- it note. Whether this gives you the boost of motivation, you need to get the work done or just helps you visualise the quantity of work you have left. You might not literally be accomplishing anything on the list, but you are at least thinking about performing those tasks, and that’s a step in the right direction!
2. Clean your room
Depending on how much time you have on your hands to ‘procrastinate’, you can commit to this task in varying degrees. Start with one end of your room, perhaps, the desk. Clear out the top, wipe it off, put things back in their places. Make your bed or just simply, be the responsible roommate who takes the trash out. You could even go further and Marie Kondo your closet. Another fun activity is to put on some music, start a timer for five minutes and try to pick up as much of the room as you can within that time. Perchance, the clean room, the made bed and disinfected floors will be the drive you needed to start on the to-do list.
3. Laundry
When’s the last time you washed your clothes? Is the hamper overflowing? There is nothing like crisp, clean sheets on your bed and a full wardrobe of clean folded clothes to choose from. Walk to the laundry room, find an empty washer and get to work! Maybe even try and churn out an assignment or start on the week’s readings as you wait for the rotating box to clean your clothes.
4. Call someone
There’s probably someone—a parent, uncle or close friend from home—that you haven’t talked to in a while. Time flies, and we don’t even realise it. Call them, have a chat and catch up! Sometimes getting out of the bubble of university life will help get you into grind mode.
5. Plan your life
Need to pay phone bills or book a flight back home? Need to go through your finances and budget for the next week or month. Now is the perfect time to do so. Work that needs to be done but would never really be numero uno on the priority list. You could even put on a jacket, hop down to the nearest grocery store and pick up the weeks produce.
6. Read Her Campus!
Behind on the latest current events? Missing out on some life hacks? Need encouragement, inspiration and real talk? Well, you are already here! Why not scroll through and read a couple articles. Procrastination is unavoidable, and you are only human. We have all done it. So don’t worry if you are slightly behind on your schedule. Focus on one task at a time, hydrate, energise yourself and keep going! Good luck!