As the year comes to a close, many of us, including myself, struggle with a horrible side effect of being a college student: procrastination. As a seasoned procrastinator, earlier this year, I decided I needed to change that.
I failed.
So, can it be beaten? Maybe.
I learned that procrastination comes from some sort of fear. Now doesn’t that seem ironic?
I know my greatest procrastination comes from a fear of failure. I hate failing and worry that if I get done early, and it’s not my best work, I’m a failure. However, if I wait till the last minute, it is legitimately the best I can do with the time allotted to me. For example, as I write this, I have a 10-page paper due. What did I decide to do instead? Learn about ways to avoid procrastinating!
I’m a work in progress, as we all are (I’m assuming, at least since you’re still reading this).
But now, I’ve put in the work, so you don’t have to! Here are some helpful tips to avoid procrastination.
Realize perfection isn’t always attainable
As I said before, perfection is usually the only way for me to be satisfied. So, I’m never happy with my work. We are all so much harder on ourselves than others are on us. If we continue to let perfection cripple our abilities, we won’t reach the goals we want. So let go, and think more about getting it done than being perfect.
JUST START
This is probably the key to avoiding procrastination. Even if you only get a little bit done or start the research for that paper you have due, once you get over the initial fear of the big project, paper, or test coming up, things will start to clear up – just like they always do.
Break it up
Maybe start with some research or one page a day on that big paper. Or set a timer for 20 minutes, then allow yourself a 10-minute break. Grab a snack or watch a YouTube video between work/study sessions. However you want to do it because getting something done is better than nothing.
Be kind to yourself
One of the most challenging parts of procrastinating is beating yourself up over not starting earlier or that your work isn’t good enough. Stop. We have become so insanely obsessed with critiquing ourselves, we often don’t see the beauty of our work. Cultivating powerful and empowering thoughts are half the battle in anything you do, so work on those positive affirmations and get back to work! I will too.