I used to always wait until that night before to start most of my homework; including those five page essays that I would just throw together and email right before class started. And if you're anything like me, you have a ton of papers every week, talk about a time consumer. I would always tell myself that I would start it the night it was assigned and I did, but never finished until the night before. I had a really difficult time to stop my habit, but I pushed forward and here I am, ahead and free on most weekends.
If you're a chronic procrastinator that waits until the last minute like I used to, then follow my steps to kick your habit.
1. Make a list that's visible in your room.
Buy a dry erase board or one of those cute stickers that you can stick onto your wall. Put it where you'll see it most so that your assignments are always staring at you 24/7. (It gets quite scary if you don't have anymore room to write another assignment down!)
2. Use time frames.
Next to those assignments you wrote down on your new dry erase board, put down how long it might take you and set a time aside to do it. If it'll take more than one sitting, separate the task times equally between when it was assigned and when it's due.
3. Pick a place you have access to 24/7, with the least distractions, to do your work.
Go to the place that you know you can get work done at, it'll help keep you focused and make it a routine. If you go there all the time it'll seem like less work when you have to go and get things done.
4.Put your phone on airplane mode and lay it face down across the room or table.
Keeping any electronics that cause major distraction will help alot with procrastination. If you don't know that your friends are eating sushi or your significant other is snapchatting you like crazy, you won't get the urge to pick up your phone. Also when you do get time to check all those notifications, you'll feel pretty famous.
5. Play classical or jazz music.
People tend to play their favorite songs, but that only makes you want to dance and sing along to your new jam. Playing calming music enhances your focus and concentration to get things done without having to listen to silence or others around you.
6. Reward yourself for getting it done.
If you finish that huge project in time (without procrastinating), give yourself something like food, a movie, or simply a nap. It makes getting that work all the more worthwhile.
7. Make up a consequence if you do procrastinate.
If you don't get that stuff done in time, punish yourself for procrastinating. Do the opposite of rewarding, take away that movie time or that you can't go out to dinner this weekend. It'll motivate to get it done earlier and you'll be able to hang out with your friends for longer than hour.
8. Do one thing at once.
Don't overwhelm yourself with multiple things as once, it'll only make your procrastination worse. Start and finish one thing at a time like the thing due first and trickle your way down the due scale.
9. Forget that all-nighter
Don't plan to have an all-nighter and simply just don't do them. You need sleep to focus and get things done.
10. Be healthy!
Almost every forum says to stay healthy and you'll feel better about yourself. Well it's true! Drinking more water, limiting my caffeine intake, and getting my daily slumber on made me feel more energized and ready to get things done!
