Overcoming Procrastination

How to Overcome Procrastination


We all find ourselves putting off tasks and avoiding responsibilities every now and then; but sometimes we fall into the rabbit hole and next thing you know it's been a month since you've last put in any work. How does one finally break up with procrastination? We can break it down into 3 major steps, accompanied by smaller steps. 

1. Recognise That You're Procrastinating

The first step is to admit that you have a problem. After recognising your problem, learn to forgive yourself. Often times we tell ourselves "I should've started earlier"/"it's too late so what's the point" etc but this negative self-talk only leads to more procrastination. Even if it's too late, learn to be okay with it (after all, you can't change the past) and start using your current time to reach your goal. Something is better than nothing, so start working!

2. Understand Why You're Procrastinating

This step is going to help you tackle your procrastination. Ask yourself why you're putting off your work. Is it because your priorities aren't in the right place? Is your workload too big and overwhelming? Does that leave you scrambling for a place to start? Do you lack discipline and routine? Once you've understand why you're procrastinating, apply an appropriate strategy to overcome your problem.

3. Apply Anti-Procrastination Methods

Let's start off with the most basic things you can do to help yourself and move up to bigger steps to get you into the work flow.

🌵 Take all of your distractions and keep them far away from you. Turn your phone off and put it in a drawer/across the room/in a different room/with someone. Basically make it bothersome to reach for it. Dismantle your gaming system, use the Cold Turkey app to block off websites from your laptop for certain periods of time ( https://getcoldturkey.com/ ), turn the TV off and study in another room. There's so much to do in terms of putting distance between you and your distractions.

 🌵 Make it easy to reach for your study material. This means keeping your textbooks, stationary etc out on your desk so you can reach it with ease. It's so much more easier to start an activity if your necessary items are out in the open and not hidden in a bag or drawer; this way you'll be reminded of your task even when you're doing something else.

 🌵 Take small steps. Start off with the simplest task to get yourself into study mode. Think of the smallest possible step you can take to getting your work done and do that. For example, this could just be taking out the chapter you need to study. From there just try to read for 5 minutes. It could even be simply closing your phone or laptop and getting your study materials out in front of you. Keep on doing this and by the time you complete all the small steps you should be in the mood to work. The trick is to actually start working and from there it's pretty easy.

 🌵 Give yourself deadlines or time blocks. Sometimes giving yourself a deadline to complete a smaller task can really motivate you to get it done e.g complete reading chapter X by 8:00 PM. Plan time blocks in the day just for studying. For example, plan the night before that you're going to do nothing else between 2:00-5:00 except study. Planning out general times for your tasks will make task completion more likely. Creating deadlines and time blocks will give structure and routine to your day and hopefully create a habit of studying, over time.

 🌵 Break your tasks into smaller, more manageable parts. If you have to study a really long chapter break it down into sub-topics or even groups of pages e.g plan to cover 5 pages in 40 minutes. Apply the Pomodoro Technique to help you break down your task into 25 minute periods of focused work. I wrote an in depth post on it here http://bit.ly/2E2KhtK  (I can't stress enough how much this method helps me get my work done)
🌵 Just start working! There's no magic trick to this. Clear your mind, get up and get started.

 To summarise this last step: 
  • Remove distractions
  • Ease yourself into starting your work
  • Break your task down
  • Plan time blocks or deadlines 
Good luck with your academicsʉϬ

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