We all know the story: 9 PM on a Sunday night and there you are, finally opening up your notebook, unprepared for the 4 hours of studying and assignments you’ll have to endure. Sure you can promise yourself you won’t ever watch YouTube videos for 4 hours straight again, but we all know how that turns out. By delaying assignments until the night they are due, procrastination causes degraded work, drowsiness during the day, stress, cheating, and overall lower grades. Ultimately, the key to getting work done in time is by kicking procrastination out the door. Fortunately, procrastination is a habit that can be fixed. With a little practice and a few tips, you can get a good night’s sleep knowing your work and your GPA displays your best effort.
Rid Yourself of all Distractions
The Notebook Method
The first and foremost thing you must do is get rid of the clutter around you. If you’re writing your assignment or studying from a book, remove all electronics so they are out of reach. Your mind loves to run away from the things you hate so try to remove anything that will get your mind off track. In order to do this, locate your desk or find any table around you. Next, remove the clutter from the table and take it to a different room. Take things like tablets, phones, and just about any technology that catches your attention and place it in a small container and put it far away. What you should ideally have is a clear workspace to spark and maintain productivity.
The Computer Method
If you have a computer, things may get a bit harder. A great method of going about doing homework on a computer is to gather all the web pages or documents you may need, complete the directions above to clean your desk, and then ask your friend or family member to change the Wifi password or turn it off entirely. A simple google search will help you change the WIFi password so this is an easy task. Now, your computer is a studying machine, not a Netflix one.
Escape the Sirens
Remember when Odysseus tied himself up to resist the urge to run to the singing mermaids, and more importantly, his death? Well, welcome to the 21st Century. You need to run away from the Retweets, Instagram, and SMS notifications or you’ll be in trouble! This is easy to do with a little self-control. There are 2 methods for defeating this issue:
- The less extreme method: turn Do Not Disturb on
- The more realistic method: turn your devices off
With your devices now out of the way, let’s continue.
Get Yourself a Good Cup O’ Joe
After you have your workplace neat and tidy, gulp down some coffee to keep yourself energized, enthusiastic, and focused on your work. Remember how we talked about distractions? Well, drowsiness is a primary distraction, and you need either a good sleep, (that’s out of the question) or some good old caffeine. With these steps down, it’s time to begin your work.
Trick Yourself Into Doing Your Work
After you have your workplace neat and tidy, start your project by doing your favorite part first. Love writing the body but hate the opening? Do that first and then your brain will give you a headstart to complete the rest. What do you think I’m doing right now?
Create Checkpoints
The final and most crucial step to prevent procrastination is to create checkpoints. When you get a project with a due date, divide it into parts and create separate due dates for each part. What’s great is that you think you’re procrastinating when you do each part on the last night of your personal due date, but in truth, you’re dividing your work so you don’t have to do it all at the last minute. For example, if you were assigned an essay, make separate due dates for pre-writing, the opening, the body, and then finish up the conclusion on the last night. While it may seem simple, it’s one of the best ways to keep yourself on track and avoid those long nights.
Conclusion
That’s it! You’re done! Hey, these tips might not save you this time, but for your next assignment, divide and conquer to rule them all! Know that every person has gone through this phase and have made their own personal methods to cope with procrastination. With these steps, you can finish that essay, study for that test, or complete that homework in a timely manner. For now though, it’s time to log off and continue with your work!
