It’s the night your essay is due and you're scrambling to type out your analysis of the topic. You’re working furiously to get the assignment done on time, while wishing you’d have started sooner.
How did you get here? Why didn’t you focus on starting the assignment when you had more time? What went wrong?
Procrastination causes unnecessary stress and makes your to-do list grow longer and longer. While we are all guilty of procrastinating, there are ways that can help you stay on top of your work and defeat procrastination before it even starts.
So, how can YOU stop procrastinating all your important work? Here are a few tips and tricks for you to implement into your everyday:
Set deadlines
Do you often find yourself thinking you can do that assignment later because you have plenty of time before it’s due? Then setting deadlines might help you beat your procrastination. By setting a firm date of when you want to have tasks or pieces of an assignment done, you can chunk up your time effectively without letting the assignment slip your mind until the day it’s due. Utilizing a planner or online calendar can help you plan this out in writing and help you stay accountable!
Change your mindset
Sure, you can set those deadlines, but unless you’re willing to change your mindset, you might not get around to accomplishing what you need to by the deadline. Changing how you work can be hard but you can do it! Stay focused on getting things done and doing what you said you’d do. You have to keep yourself in check and really commit to not procrastinating - having a list that you can check off your deadlines can help you visually see what you are getting done. You can even ask a friend or coworker to help keep you accountable in accomplishing the smaller deadlines you’ve created.
Commit to the task
Focus on what you can do instead of when you need to have it done. When you prioritize doing over avoiding, you will be able to defeat your procrastination! Writing down what all needs to be done when you first get an assignment or project is a great way to start off - this isn’t to say you have to do everything right away, but just organize the different tasks that will need to be done for this assignment to be complete. From there, you can prioritize the deadlines and specify times to work on each piece to proactively manage your time! Additionally, you can act as you go and tackle tasks as they arise when you have enough time to do so.
Promise yourself a reward
Maybe you struggle with wanting to do other activities before your work. While it’s tempting to scroll through social media or hang out with friends, these activities take time away from your workload. You can make these activities into rewards for yourself (i.e. if I write the introduction and first paragraph of my essay this afternoon, then I can spend the evening with friends). Don’t forget to reward yourself for meeting deadlines, too! You can treat yourself to a cookie or coffee from your favorite restaurants if that’s more your style. No matter how you reward yourself, make sure to think about how good it feels to have your tasks accomplished before they are due!