…or my life right now, and it will basically be the same thing.
I was telling you the other day how many assignments I have due in these few weeks left of school and how I am struggling to keep myself motivated and not fall into procrastination.
As, of course, things are easier said than done, it was not that easy. And I say this after a weekend of being home alone with the only task being doing all my assignments. Did I do some? Yes. Did I do them all? No.
So, why is that? I had the conditions, the motivating mood and all the resources needed to do my work. However, I did not achieve all my goals.
This is where our good, old friend, always there for you, always ready to help comes in : PROCRASTINATION.
And next thing you know, you find yourself scrolling through Instagram, loading an episode of a series because you deserve a “break” or even staring at the sky through the window, meditating over and over again about your life. Because yes, this is the perfect time to do that. Oh, and all that paper mess you left on your desk for a while now, you suddenly can’t stand anymore and you are absolutely not capable of starting work until everything is clean and shiny, everything.
Do you recognize yourself? I thought so. This is why I decided to write this article and call it out, because this needs to stop, because it is stopping us from being well organized, and ultimately, achieving our goals.
So, what do we do? Here are some tips that I believe work fighting procrastination. You can’t eliminate it, but you can work with it, so that it won’t stay in your way, and it will end up helping you instead.
1. Have a “To Do” list.
It’s really important to know what you need to do, because otherwise, it’s much more likely to waste time. So unless you already have a diary, write a list with everything you need to do before the day you plan on working. If you do it the day before, you are still motivated, so you will be proud of being so organized, so you will be using colours, writing it really nicely, in one word, you’ll make it look more pleasant.
2. Be Realistic.
You will sleep, you will eat (probably more than usual), you will move around and have breaks. So take that into account, and don’t set unachievable goals, because they will only demotivate you.
3. Avoid distractions.
It is hard not to open Facebook when you’re working on a computer, but if you’re motivated enough, you can set limits for yourself and decide to work for one hour and then spend time on Facebook for 10 minutes for example. Put your phone on silent because otherwise you’ll reply to a message and then next thing you know, you’ll be having an entire conversation.
4. Stay motivated.
Read quotes, give yourself rewards, keep your mind on the prize or find any of the small things of this kind that might motivate you and stick to it. Maybe you have a really motivational song, maybe you watched a really inspirational speech, make sure you listen to/ watch it before you start working, it will help you start quicker.
5. Have support.
Tell someone what you’re up to on that day, and the amount of work you have to do. And make sure they will check up on you a few times a day. That way, you will want to proudly say – I finished this on time, even 10 minutes before the deadline. Also, if you miss a deadline, the person will show the dissapointment and that would keep you going, wanting to meet the next deadline and reassure your reputation of a non-procrastinator.
Any other tips? PLEASE share them!! As you have probably realized, I also wrote this article for myself, and so I am willing to hear any other tricks that work for you.
We’re young, we want a life outside work, but at the same time we want to achieve our goals, and we know we can only do that through work. Confusing, I know. But we have to stay focused and organize our life so that we do get to have fun and create memories, while also doing our work and being on our way to success!
Hope this article helped you and that the tips are useful! Don’t forget to share any opinions or new tips in the comments, can’t wait to read them!
Have a productive week, D.