A deadline is approaching for you. However, you are occupying your time with unrelated activities instead of working, such as reading emails, using social media, watching movies, browsing blogs, and participating in forums. You should be working, but you're not in the mood despite knowing it.
The phenomenon of procrastination is well known to us all. We waste our spare time when we put off accomplishing crucial activities that need to be done now until it is too late. And when it is too late, we freak out and regret not starting sooner.
Many high school students have put off starting their homework, finishing a project, or studying for a test. Additionally, typical among college students is procrastination. Most likely, you are aware of what needs to be done, but you choose not to.
It's simple to put off challenging or time-consuming tasks until the very last minute, but if you do, you can have to pull an all-nighter due to stress. Here are some suggestions on How to Stop Procrastinating?
How To Stop Procrastinating?
Procrastination is a habit that can be broken, much like most other habits. Now, You can take the following actions to manage and overcome procrastination:
1. Realisation Is Essential
To make a big change in your life, the first step is to realize why it's important. In this case, it's crucial to understand why stopping procrastination matters.
Because you had to reorganize the priorities of your workload, you may be putting off a lot of responsibilities from your school or professional lives.
If you are briefly delaying a significant activity for a worthwhile reason, you are not necessarily procrastinating. But if you start to put off your duties indefinitely or rearrange your priorities to avoid doing it, you'll know you're probably doing it.
So, why is it so important to recognize when you're procrastinating? Because it can hold you back from reaching your goals and achieving success. It can make you feel stressed and overwhelmed, and it can lead to missed opportunities.
By realizing when you're procrastinating, you're taking the first step towards making positive changes in your life. It's like turning on a light in a dark room – you can see what's been holding you back and start finding solutions.
2. Get Prepared
To make sure you get your work done, you first need to get prepared. This means knowing what tasks you have to do. Don't worry; it's easier than you think!
You can start by getting a planner. It's like a special book where you can write down all the things you need to do. If you don't have a planner, you can also use your phone. Most phones have special apps for making to-do lists and setting reminders.
Having a planner or using a phone app helps you remember all the important things you need to do, like your homework or tasks at work. It's like having a friend that reminds you of your important dates and deadlines.
So, to get prepared and beat procrastination, get yourself a planner or use your phone's calendar to-do list apps. It's the first step towards getting things done. And remember, you're not alone – we're here to help you stop your procrastination problem.
3. Make Short-Term and Attainable Goals
We put off doing things because we think they will take too much time. Setting small, manageable goals rather than a broad, general strategy makes it much simpler to begin a project.
Say, “I'll study chapter six tonight,” instead of, “I'll study biology tonight.” You can make your goals seem less overwhelming and doable by breaking them into smaller, more achievable tasks.
If you are completing more chores as you go, you will feel more motivated to keep going and more completed. A wonderful method to stop procrastinating is to set goals at the beginning of each semester.
4. Make a Schedule or Timetable
Make a schedule for completing your goals when you've established them. This may be a plan for your upcoming large exam (“On Tuesday, I'll study Chapter 5, and on Wednesday, I'll study Chapter 6”). An assignment is considerably easier to manage if it is broken into manageable pieces over time.
5. Set Deadline
Student phrases such as “I'll organize my notes eventually” and “I'll finish my math homework later” are all examples of how they might easily get caught in this trap. The reality is that “someday” and “finally” never arrive.
Setting a deadline for when you want your goals to be completed is crucial. If you have one, aim to finish an assignment one or two days before it is due. In that case, you will still have enough time to do it, even if something unforeseen occurs.
6. Prioritise
Now, let's talk about an important way to beat procrastination: prioritizing your tasks. This means making a simple list of the things you need to get done every week.
Here's the trick: Pay close attention to what's really important and what needs to be done right away. Those tasks should be at the very top of your list. Once you've finished them, move on to the others. Start with the stuff that seems complicated or tricky, and you'll find everything else becomes easier to handle.
In simpler words, it's like deciding which job is the most important and doing that one first. Once that's done, you can work your way through the rest. This way, things won't pile up, and you'll be less likely to procrastinate.
7. Remove any Distractions
Before you start working, getting rid of potential distractions is crucial to avoid being needlessly sidetracked in the middle of a task. Turn off your phone if you spend too much time on Instagram or Snapchat when you should be studying (off).
Distractions may also come from outside sources, such as obnoxious siblings. Try listening to classical music or white noise to block their continual chatter.
Alternatively, you may completely switch up your study setting and go to the nearby coffee shop or library, where you can concentrate without being interrupted.
8. Go on a Break
It's crucial to occasionally take mental breaks from schoolwork. Take a 10–30 minute pause once your timer goes off. Anything that helps you relax and divert your attention from work, such as listening to music, going on a stroll, doing laundry, or screaming into a pillow.
9. Reward Yourself
Rewarding yourself after finishing a task could provide motivation and prevent procrastination. You should treat yourself regularly after completing a task or studying for an exam. “Once I do this job, I can watch an episode of my favourite show,” might be all that is needed to say.
10. Make Yourself Accountable
Hold yourself accountable for completing your work on time, whether for a job or class, preparing for tests, and receiving good scores. It is yet another vital method to stop putting things off.
Keep in mind that your grades, the assignments you finish or don't complete, and the tests you do well on or poorly on are all your responsibility.
If you need help holding yourself accountable, let a friend or family member know and ask them to keep track of your goals, deadlines, and successes.
Does Procrastination Equate to Laziness?
Although there are many misconceptions, procrastination and laziness are extremely different in their core characteristics.
Procrastination is to avoid completing the task you know you should be doing, and you actively opt to do something else. In contrast, laziness denotes passivity, inactivity, and a refusal to take action.
Procrastination typically implies putting off a difficult task in favour of something enjoyable.
However, if you succumb to this impulse too readily, you might have unpleasant effects. For instance, we could feel guilty or ashamed over even slight procrastination. It can eventually result in poorer output and prevent us from reaching our objectives.
Long-term procrastination can cause us to lose motivation and disenchantment with our work, which in some situations can result in despair and even the loss of our jobs.
Conclusion
Procrastination is the practice of putting off something necessary by giving priority to less important, more pleasurable, and easier pursuits. It differs from laziness, which is the refusal to do action.
Your career and potential will be restricted if you put off tasks. Additionally, it will undermine your morale and cause you to get easily bored while working on your job. Therefore, it is crucial that one refrain from procrastinating.
Recognizing your procrastination is the first step toward stopping it. After that, all left is identifying the underlying causes and using the appropriate management and coping techniques.
