Lately, I have been getting myself worked up because there are not nearly enough hours in the day to get things done. It has actually been affecting me a ton.
I’ve broken it down to this: I am equally type-A as well as type-B.
I don’t mind a laid back go-with-the-flow type of day. But then I get anxiety when I don’t feel “busy enough”.
My planner is color-coded and organized in a specific way. I write my economics assignments in green, Her Campus assignments are pink (duh), due dates go on the left side, and meetings and extracurricular reminders live on the right.
That being said, I am one of the best examples of productive procrastination. A lot of times, when I get an ounce of academic stress, out comes the Clorox wipes and dust rag because my room needs a deep cleaning all of a sudden. Boom. Productive but procrastinating.
Even though I am only taking 12 credits this semester, it somehow feels like I am taking 20. Several of my classes require reading and reflection. There have been papers on top of papers. I haven’t even completed my graduate school application just yet.
Things will get done. But it is so easy for me to spiral out. However, I have been trying to manage it better.
The bullet points on your to-do list are not do-or-die. They are not demanding you to finish them all in one shot. Regardless, if there’s a deadline, the goal is to just get it done and manage time accordingly.
Sometimes it helps if you journal what it is that you have to do that week, especially if you are prematurely stressed about a tough week. Brain dump, get it all out on paper. That can certainly help to unscramble what is going on in your head when you get it down on paper.
Part of being a productive procrastinator is getting the easier and less daunting tasks out of the way first. This can be controversial to some, because in some cases the tougher assignments get placed on the back-burner for too long and can become more stressful to complete in the end. However, the root of my anxiety is not getting items checked off my list fast enough, so this is what I enjoy doing. Take it or leave it!
If you’re seeking structure to your to-do list, here are some ideas on how you can do that:
Figure out your categories: school, work, clubs/activities, errands/grocery shopping. Harvard outline it and bullet everything that needs to get done within those categories.
Personal: When are you going to the gym? When are you going to read your leisure and/or book for class? When is your nail appointment? Around what time are people coming over to your place for a celebration?
Time estimates and deadlines: Estimate how long each task will take. For assignments, write down the deadline next to that task.
To-do list medium: Where is this going? A post-it note? A Google calendar? An “Erin Condren” planner? Once you have a set to-do list that you are happy with, put it there. Write in pencil if you don’t trust yourself. I have too much trust in myself so I write in pen with white-out handy.
Check, check: Check everything off as you go. This is where I struggle because I am hard on myself when I don’t “check” as many things off as I would like to in a day. Remember that you don’t want to complete an assignment quickly just to get it done. You want to put the effort in. Besides, the best part of this all is ultimately getting to check off your to-dos.
If you’re braver than me, lay off the caffeine. I think that is usually a primary cause of why I don’t feel completely settled some days.