You know that moment when it's about midnight and you are like, "okay, I really should have started my _______ earlier"? Whether it is about writing a book, finishing a project, or getting ready for the next day, procrastination creeps behind us all the time.
As a college student, the idea of 'adulting' makes me want to crawl under the covers and go back to sleep. Luckily, these three ways on stopping procrastination have helped me tremendously. Sometimes the advice "Just do it" (sorry Nike), isn't enough to get your feet running, so hopefully these will:
1. CARE ABOUT YOURSELF
You are the key factor in stopping procrastination.
If you forgo sleep or eating, you are unable to recharge your body and let it rest from the previous day, which makes it easier to procrastinate. Therefore, having a regular sleeping and eating pattern can help replenish your body with the energy it needs to take on the day.
It's like putting soldiers into war without training them first--it doesn't make sense. In order to win a war, you have to build an army and train them. So in order to win against procrastinating, you have to be strong enough physically and mentally to fight it.
2. BREAK THE ROUTINE
At least for me, sometimes the routine gets tedious after a while. I know I tend to procrastinate more when I am just bored of doing the same work every. single. day. To combat that, I do something to throw the routine off! Maybe you will join a club, go visit the beach, or pick up a new hobby to try out. That way you look forward to things and you are more willing to finish your goal to do something new and exciting.
It's kind of like setting a deadline without actually setting a deadline. For example, if my friends want to hang out later in the day, I'll try to finish whatever assignments I need to do before then so I'm not worried about them while I am socializing! If you give yourself an effective incentive (I can't reward myself food because I'll just go against my word and eat it anyways, oops), then it's easier to finish.
3. PLAN, PLAN, AND... PLAN!
Personally, procrastination makes me anxious about the tasks I have to do all day, so making some sort of plan or checklist for the week, or that day comforts me. Writing out all my tasks in an agenda, a word document on my computer, or even a scrap of paper I find in my desk, helps me recollect my thoughts so I can focus better.
When you know what you need to do and you give yourself the time and ability to do it, it helps ease stress. I'm not saying you have to jot down everything to the dot, but creating a loose outline can be effective. When you need to do something, it's important to make time for it.
Hopefully these small (but important) tips help you overcome your procrastination! If you have more advice that's been useful to you, feel free to leave them in the comments.
xx,
Gabriella