Students have been having midterms for most of the past month now. I have one in the beginning of
November – which is pushing it a bit, if you ask me.
So as papers, projects and midterms seem to be scattered everywhere, it takes a bit for me to focus
and get done what I need to do. I am a creative thinker and I have to force other parts of my mind to
shut off so that I can concentrate on the task at hand. Once I do this, it all becomes relatively easy. So
whatever it is that’s looming around the corner, here are a few things that I’ve picked up that may help you too!
Keep it clean.
If you’re like me then you can’t work in a total mess of an apartment. And to avoid procrastination
cleaning (which is awesome – but it’s a bad habit to cultivate) make sure you keep a neat space most of
the time so that you won’t have those dishes, clothes or accessories strewn about staring at you with sad eyes. Don’t waste time getting ready to dive into that essay by cleaning. A cleaner space will calm you
down.
Get some entertainment.
Sure, some people can work with a movie playing in the background – I am one of those people at
times. There are a few movies, like Jurassic Park (with the sound turned down), that just work and I
don’t really know why.
Most of the, however, I need music playing. Invest in a Homework Mix. I have a massive go-to mix for
whenever I’m working and I carefully select the songs. If anything, it’s a fun way to procrastinate a bit
while still feeling productive, because music can be essential for creative inspiration.
Set Goals.
I love planners. I love organizing and writing out everything I’m going to accomplish. But it took
practice to get into this habit and to love doing it. I feel so much more prepared when I have everything laid out and you will too. Sometimes my planner is just too small for me and I transfer a day’s activities onto a full sheet of paper where I cross off each task with immense satisfaction. For those bigger projects, I create subset tasks, which when completed just make the whole thing more manageable!
Don’t do it in bed.
I have grown accustom to doing a lot of my work in bed because my computer and lap-desk are just
so convenient! But to avoid growing resentful of your sacred area, try and put some space between
the two more often. Find a spot that fits perfectly for your study habits: your living room or kitchen,
common area, libraries, local Starbucks, Caribou or any other local coffee joint. It’s so much easier
to stay home and snuggle up to write that paper, but I focus much more if I’m in a library. Plus I feel
guilty checking blogs, Facebook and Twitter if I do it too much in there – which is a good thing.
Reward yourself.
Seriously. Not much to say here. When you finish that 7 page paper, a case study, that umpteenth
page research project (those are so fun) or that smaller one-page assignment, reward yourself! Have
a yummy snack, promise to go shopping or let loose on the weekend, indulge in a favorite book or movie, or just allow yourself an extra hour of guilt-free blog surfing, you’ll feel that much better now that you can take it easy.
So just do it.