What do you do when you're at home and need to get some study or some other work done? Do you do it? When there is no one watching over you and keeping you accountable what do you do? Do you do what you're supposed to be doing? Or do you do some things that you're not supposed to be doing? And in case you're wondering yes Facebook is one of those things!
As a student, you know there are deadlines coming up (and hopefully you are aware of them), but unless they are coming up really soon (like when something is due tomorrow) there is a good chance you're in a state of total relaxation. But why is that?
When there is no one else holding us accountable for our actions many (if not most) people tend to drift into a lazy and unproductive state. After all, life is to be enjoyed. Life is not all about work, work, and more work! We want to have some fun! We want to shoot the breeze. We want to do all the things that make us feel relaxed and chilled out. And we want to do it before we do any work that's due at some point in the future.
The difficulty that arises with this approach is that a little voice in our head starts saying, "Don't forget about that thing that's due soon" or "You're really going to get it if you don't do that thing" and it really seems to start hounding us louder and more often if we don't do something about it (like drown it out with music!) So we always suggest that you get the work done first and then you can have as much free time as you want later. In order to do that you need to know how to stop procrastinating and start taking action. Here are five tips that will make procrastination a thing of the past for you:
Tip number one. Nothing in life is perfect and neither are you. Sorry if that hit you between the eyes but seriously, you are not perfect! So stop trying to be. Many people procrastinate because they would rather not do anything out of fear that it won't be perfect. Well guess what, it won't be! So get over it and get on with it.
Tip number two. In case you hadn't realized, big tasks look big when you look at them in their entirety. It's very easy to be seriously overwhelmed when you look at a big task. But when you start breaking the task down it's also very easy to be excited when you realize that by completing a series of tiny tasks the big task isn't so big after all! As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day - and you shouldn't expect to be able to build it in a day. Break all tasks down into little itty bitty tasks and start completing them - you will be surprised by how easily that big scary task can be completed.
Tip number three. Find an accountability buddy. This is actually really powerful if you can manage it. When there is someone else keeping you accountable you are far more likely to follow through on your promises. You both agree on what you will each be doing and it's the job of the other person to hold you accountable. So you both hold each other accountable. Bonus tip: if you put something on the line (like if you agreed "If I don't complete this promise you get my iPad" and vice versa) it will make it even harder to not do what you promised and you will be super motivated.
Tip number four. Give yourself little rewards along the way for tasks completed. If you do 30 minutes of homework take 15 minutes off. Why? Well it will re-charge your batteries and it's far better than doing no work at all. If you complete your assignment before its due date then shout yourself a night off! Don't become some sort of study martyr who just studies all day every day. When you do a good job you ought to be rewarded. So reward yourself!
Tip number five. Identify distractions and do something about them. You would already know what your major distractions are so it's really up to you to make a choice about what is more important. If you spend 30 minutes doing some work each night from Monday to Friday you will have completed 2.5 hours of work. That's an extra 130 hours a year. Honestly, what could you get done in 130 hours? Focus for short periods of time can result in massive pay offs later.
In the end only you can decide what is important to you. Life is long when you spend your time doing things you hate. So don't make a career out of it! Make the choice today to make your life something special. Good luck!
As a student, you know there are deadlines coming up (and hopefully you are aware of them), but unless they are coming up really soon (like when something is due tomorrow) there is a good chance you're in a state of total relaxation. But why is that?
When there is no one else holding us accountable for our actions many (if not most) people tend to drift into a lazy and unproductive state. After all, life is to be enjoyed. Life is not all about work, work, and more work! We want to have some fun! We want to shoot the breeze. We want to do all the things that make us feel relaxed and chilled out. And we want to do it before we do any work that's due at some point in the future.
The difficulty that arises with this approach is that a little voice in our head starts saying, "Don't forget about that thing that's due soon" or "You're really going to get it if you don't do that thing" and it really seems to start hounding us louder and more often if we don't do something about it (like drown it out with music!) So we always suggest that you get the work done first and then you can have as much free time as you want later. In order to do that you need to know how to stop procrastinating and start taking action. Here are five tips that will make procrastination a thing of the past for you:
Tip number one. Nothing in life is perfect and neither are you. Sorry if that hit you between the eyes but seriously, you are not perfect! So stop trying to be. Many people procrastinate because they would rather not do anything out of fear that it won't be perfect. Well guess what, it won't be! So get over it and get on with it.
Tip number two. In case you hadn't realized, big tasks look big when you look at them in their entirety. It's very easy to be seriously overwhelmed when you look at a big task. But when you start breaking the task down it's also very easy to be excited when you realize that by completing a series of tiny tasks the big task isn't so big after all! As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day - and you shouldn't expect to be able to build it in a day. Break all tasks down into little itty bitty tasks and start completing them - you will be surprised by how easily that big scary task can be completed.
Tip number three. Find an accountability buddy. This is actually really powerful if you can manage it. When there is someone else keeping you accountable you are far more likely to follow through on your promises. You both agree on what you will each be doing and it's the job of the other person to hold you accountable. So you both hold each other accountable. Bonus tip: if you put something on the line (like if you agreed "If I don't complete this promise you get my iPad" and vice versa) it will make it even harder to not do what you promised and you will be super motivated.
Tip number four. Give yourself little rewards along the way for tasks completed. If you do 30 minutes of homework take 15 minutes off. Why? Well it will re-charge your batteries and it's far better than doing no work at all. If you complete your assignment before its due date then shout yourself a night off! Don't become some sort of study martyr who just studies all day every day. When you do a good job you ought to be rewarded. So reward yourself!
Tip number five. Identify distractions and do something about them. You would already know what your major distractions are so it's really up to you to make a choice about what is more important. If you spend 30 minutes doing some work each night from Monday to Friday you will have completed 2.5 hours of work. That's an extra 130 hours a year. Honestly, what could you get done in 130 hours? Focus for short periods of time can result in massive pay offs later.
In the end only you can decide what is important to you. Life is long when you spend your time doing things you hate. So don't make a career out of it! Make the choice today to make your life something special. Good luck!
About the Author:
HelpMeToStudy.org is the number one resource for learning new study skills, changing your study habits and finding the best study tips available. We will help change the way you think about study - and even better - we will show you how to study effectively: How To Stop Procrastinating | Studying Tips
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