LIFE HACKS TO OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION

Procrastination? What’s that? 

By Sofia Ayesha Mariska De Leon, Grade 8

Have you ever experienced wanting to put off a specific task? Like no matter how clear the deadline is set and the task needs to get done? While it is so easy to give in to that strong force, let’s define that big word—procrastination.

It’s clever and can slip past our defenses with ease. If you want to learn ways on how to beat procrastination, you have to see it as it is, resistance. Steven Pressfield once described this as an impartial force of nature. The best way to describe ‘resistance’ is “something that keeps you away from doing your work.”

While most students may get distracted, unfocused, and struggle with procrastination, here’s a list of things you can do to battle this rising disaster!

#1 Identify the reasons why you procrastinate and take action. 

Doing this helps you know what things may keep you distracted and have an idea of what to eliminate first. If you take the time trying to understand why you don’t want to do a certain task, you’ll find it easier to deal with it later. 

#2 Split larger tasks into simpler and more manageable ones.

If you ever feel overwhelmed by how hard a project seems to be and you aren’t feeling sure about how to start with it, the chances of you not doing it are higher. So whenever you face something like this, try identifying parts of the task and write down a step-by-step guide with the smaller tasks indicated, and eventually completing the whole task.

#3 Create a schedule on how you’re going to work on different projects.

After you have split it into more manageable tasks, you can start planning what to do each day until the project is completed. A useful tip is to set the deadline a few days earlier than when you have to pass them, to ensure that you have spare time to do revisions and edit your project.

#4 Learn how to prioritize tasks.

 Another important thing to remember is to start with tasks that are the most important and time-consuming. When you have several tasks to do, it’s very tempting to do the easiest ones first. But this may lead to not starting the important ones at all. When you try to complete the easy ones first, you’re sort of giving the sense of not procrastinating while in fact you are avoiding the most important ones and leaving less time for them. A good idea would be to put emphasis on these tasks when writing them down so that you don’t forget to do them.

#5 Work in specific amounts of time and set breaks!

To ensure a work well done is to work for a set amount of time. It’s relatively easier to get started if you know how long you’ll be working. It could also be helpful to work for the same amount of time each time you study, for example by using the Pomodoro Method. This is a time management method that involves chunking work into intervals. In between intervals would be set breaks, traditionally 25 minutes. Taking breaks to eliminate procrastination because you aren’t constantly postponing your work.

#6 Allow yourself to “procrastinate” for a set amount of time.

When using time management, another tip is to have a specific time when you’re allowed to do activities you usually do as a form of procrastination. For example, you could allow yourself to use your phone for 15 minutes then resume studying or treat yourself to 30 minutes of surfing after you’ve completed your tasks for the day. This is a smart way to stay motivated, to want to get work done, and to have your reward.

#7 Keep yourself accountable and let others know what your goals are.

If you surround yourself with productive people, stay in a productive environment, and tell them what your goals are for a study session, you’ve set an expectation. You are more likely to complete the task at hand and feel more motivated to work at the same time. If you often study alone, try writing down your goals for the day and keep it somewhere visible while you work. The point is that you set a goal so you’ll work harder to get everything done.

These are just some of the tips and tricks I used in the past year and they surely proved effective to me! Just put your heart and soul in it and you’re sure to succeed. Stay motivated, don’t lose track of what you want to achieve and you’re on your way to more productive use of your time!

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