Breaking Free from Procrastination
By: Brithi Settipalle
If I tell you that you have a choice between finishing your homework and scrolling through your phone, which choice are you more likely to pick(Assuming that both tasks take the same amount of time)? If you’re reading this article, it’s likely because you would choose scrolling. This is what we call procrastination: the art of delaying something. So how do you get rid of it? Well, in hindsight, it’s not actually that difficult. All it takes is some willpower and determination to get yourself to stop procrastinating. To help out with that process, here are a few tips and tricks to better prevent procrastination.
Plan out things beforehand.
It’s easy to find yourself procrastinating because you have so much to do and you don’t know where to start. Planning out your day beforehand can help you manage everything you have in a timely fashion, which can prevent you from not knowing what to do.
Don’t overbook yourself.
Connecting to the last point, the only way to have a lot to do is if you make yourself do all your work at once. Spread out your tasks over multiple days so you do fewer tasks per day. That not only leaves you feeling less stressed, but you also have more time to spare to do things you enjoy.
Understand how to deal with distractions.
Distractions are the biggest reason that people procrastinate. By understanding what distractions apply to you specifically, you can make it easier to not procrastinate. For instance, if you find that your phone is the biggest distraction, you can put it in another room or ask someone to hold onto it for you.
Prioritize.
Make sure that you know the deadlines for specific tasks. Then, you can prioritize the ones that are coming the earliest, and finish those up instead of waiting until the last minute. This can help you quite a bit in the long run, especially when you find those tasks beginning to pile up more and more.
Try different study strategies.
There are lots of different strategies that can help you do more effective work, making you want to procrastinate less. For example, the Pomodoro method is a good way to start. Just choose a specific amount of time you will work and a specific amount of time to take a break. One that I find works is the 50-10 ratio, where you study for 50 minutes and take a break for 10.
Don’t be harsh on yourself.
Overcoming procrastination takes time; it’s not something that can be achieved overnight. Be kind to yourself and allow yourself to see the progress you have made so far. By looking at how far you’ve come instead of how much you have left, you will feel more confident and motivated to keep going. You got this!
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