If you’re like most college students, you procrastinate on practically everything. Whether it’s writing a paper, reading an article, getting ready for work, or contacting a professor, you probably wait until the last possible hour, minute, or even second to do it.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, many times it becomes completely necessary if you ever want to eat, sleep, or hang out with friends.
Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “Once begun, it’s half done.” I can personally attest to the fact that many times, once I’ve started a threatening-looking task, it suddenly doesn’t seem so threatening anymore, and it becomes easier for me to continue with the task and see it through to its completion.
So that’s one method to get over your procrastination: simply force yourself to begin, and maybe you’ll find that the task isn’t as daunting as it first seemed.
But what about those times when you just cannot find the time to do your work, even when you’re not being distracted by talkative friends, Facebook photos, or TV shows?
Just this morning, I decided to take a quick nap before completing my online quiz that was due at 9 a.m. I had been up all night, and it was 2 a.m., so I set my alarm for 3 a.m. But the next thing I knew it was 8 o’clock, and I was waking up.
I had to hurry up and get to work by 8:30. Luckily, my job allows for me to do homework there, so I finished the quiz between 8:30 and 8:55, just five minutes before the deadline.
The extent of procrastination I went through this morning was completely unintentional, but, ironically, the huge pressure I had accidentally put on myself was just the kick in the pants I needed to get the quiz done.
Of course, there are certain tasks that you really shouldn’t wait this long to do. If you find that you have the time, but not the motivation, perhaps it’s time for you to find a study partner.
Study partners are not for everyone. Some people can’t handle being in the same room with a friend without talking and getting distracted. But if one or both of you is disciplined enough, the study partner relationship could work for you.
The idea behind study partners is that if you get off track, your study partner will be able to redirect your attention back to your work.
For some people, it’s even enough to know that someone else is in the room and can observe their actions. Sometimes this works for me because I feel guilty if I know that someone else knows that I am not doing what I’m supposed to be doing.
For others, making a list of tasks to complete could be the answer to conquering procrastination. My friend does this frequently. Even if it’s already rather late, breaking down her work into manageable chunks is often all she needs to get going and finish everything.
Many people feel very accomplished just by checking off the items on a list that they’ve completed. The visualization of the tasks is key for them.
If you are struggling with procrastination, give some of these methods a try. Keep experimenting with different methods until you find one that helps you overcome your procrastination. I guarantee that there is one out there for everyone.