Procrastination is one of the worst obstacles on the path to success. Despite how capable you are, you cannot achieve your goals if you fall into the trap of laziness. Therefore, it is crucial to dodge this behavior bullet, especially when you have limited time to work on your assignments, study for exams, or have other important commitments.
Realizing that you are stuck and looking for ways out is the first indication that you are ready to make a change. Know that it is not an easy journey, but if you are determined, you can move mountains. Here is a quick guide to help you keep procrastination at bay and stay productive.
How to Fight Procrastination
1. Take Control
Your environment plays a major role in how productive you feel. If you tend to go with the flow, you are never in control. Hence, to stop procrastinating, you must take control of your environment, learning goals, and schedule.
Start with eliminating distractions. Put away video games, put your phone on airplane mode, and log out from all social media apps. More importantly, find a secluded and quiet study space.
If you live in a dorm or can’t find a good place to study, you can resort to a library or a coffee shop, based on your preference. If the workload is too much, try delegating. You can hire a professional online essay writer from EssayService.com to get help with your assignments. While paper writing service professionals take care of your homework, you can use your free time to handle other things on your to-do list.
2. Get the Toughest Task Done First
Sometimes a long list of tasks creates unnecessary mental pressure, and you no longer find the spirit to work or study. As a result, you find yourself wasting your time on unproductive activities. To prevent this, list all the tasks you have to finish and start with the toughest one first. Once you are done with it, you will find yourself more motivated to move on to the next one.
A simpler trick to avoid this type of procrastination is making a to-do list every night for the next day. Dedicate time slots for each task and balance it out with break schedules. Do not try to push everything in one day. Instead, prioritize and make a schedule accordingly.
3. Ask for Help
Laziness is not always an effect of unwillingness to study. Sometimes, you may want to be productive, but you simply can’t find the motivation. It is advisable to seek help in such a situation. If you can’t get out of bed or are addicted to scrolling social media feeds, ask someone in your family to challenge you and to keep your phone when you are studying. They can also lock your apps with a password unknown to you if you have to use the phone.
Furthermore, hold yourself accountable, pick a challenge and keep at it. Decide a consequence if you do not complete the challenge, and involve someone to keep a tab on your progress.
4. Set Hourly Reminders and Use Focus Apps
One of the best ways to avoid procrastination is to keep of how you are spending your time. Set hourly reminders and reflect on what you accomplished in the last hour. So if you take a break and open your Instagram account, you will be alerted when your alarm for the coming hour goes off.
Similarly, there are multiple apps to help you improve your focus. Many of these applications are based on productivity techniques, such as Pomodoro. Besides initiating a timer for 25 minutes, these apps block out all notifications and break the streak if you close the app to open another one.
5. Keep Your Health in Check
Inactivity is a major reason why you feel sleepy all the time. If you spend most of your time sitting or lying down, you are leading a sedentary lifestyle. It does not only lead to procrastination but is also bad for your health in the long term.
Exercise daily or indulge in a fitness activity that you like. You can opt for dancing, swimming, cycling, outdoor sports, or Zumba if you don’t like exercising. You also have to take care of your health and improve your immune system. Make it a rule to eat healthy for at least five days a week.
6. Identify Patterns and Find Escapes
You should know that there are also certain triggers that lead to procrastination. Here are some examples:
- You might feel the need to check your messages or emails instantaneously.
- You take a lunch break, and instead of going back to study, you keep binge-watching that TV show.
- You are studying in your bed. You slouch a little to get comfortable and sleep for two hours straight.
- The chapter you must learn does not interest you, which is why you procrastinate.
The key idea is to identify the pattern and try finding escapes. For example, if you feel sleepy because the bed is nearby, choose another place to study. If you easily fall into a binge-watching habit, get someone to push you to get up and study as soon as you finish watching one episode.
The Bottom Line
Once you recognize the cause behind procrastination, you get closer to taking control of it. Next, you need to make a plan of action to achieve your goals. Break your goals into smaller, achievable milestones and focus on accomplishing them one at a time. Eventually, the feeling of accomplishment will pump you up to do more.
