Malaika Gabra, Year 12
Procrastination is something we all deal with, be it finally starting that essay due for the next day at 2 am the night before or leaving homework and studying off until ‘you have more time’. Whatever your procrastination methods are there are easy and effective ways to beat them.
- Write it out. Sometimes everything seems horrible and overwhelming in your head, but by making a to-do list, with clear intentions including obvious things you know you’ll do anyway, and things you’re avoiding and you’ll be already one step closer to finishing.
- Eliminate temptations. Obviously in this day and age, it’s easy to get distracted if you’re phone is buzzing, and youtube is just a click away. But that does not mean you have to succumb to those temptations, you have to be aware of what your ‘time sucking’ material is and get rid of it. Even if this just means turning your phone off while you’re studying or putting in a drawer in another room, it’s actually very easy to remove temptations. If your procrastination poison comes in computer form, then you can use programs like Self Control, Freedom, Rescue Time, Vitamin R,or Concentrate to block websites or other features while you’re studying.
- Conquer and Reward.Everybody loves ticking things off a long list of because it comes with a satisfaction of being one step closer to finishing. If you actually take the time to something, and you do it whole-heartedly then you should be rewarded. Bargain with yourself, and make easy rewards that you can get once you have finished working.
- Stop lying to yourself.If you tell yourself that you need particular materials, people or space in order to finish a task, than you’re just wasting time. Don’t grow attached to one particular way of finishing things, and learn to be flexible to study or work in any environment. If this means finishing your essay on a flight, or carrying around flashcards to study on the bus, utilize all you’re time wisely.
Take control of your weaknesses, work better and procrastination will soon become a habit of the past.
