Back in the day, I was able to write, work, and read anything you gave me in under an hour. Not because I wanted to, but because I didn't allot myself much more time to accomplish these tasks. As I got to college, I decided to reverse these habits because let's face it, no one likes being stressed and time-crunched.

To this day, I am not perfect. I don't completely isolate myself from distractions, or even my phone. I still occasionally get distracted, but for me, the thing that distracts me the most are people I know. I was able to overcome this by finishing my tasks alone, and unplugging social media, or using my short-term reward to reply to a message. (More on this later) Ultimately, it's important to remind yourself to get back to work. As I did this more, I realized it wasn't as daunting, because I would hold the finalized project in higher regard than procrastinating using social media.

In doing so, I decided to analyze which parts of my mindset changed. For starters, I decided to give up attempting to see 'the beauty in chaos,' as anything chaotic started to stress me out. Even the most busy, stressful days needed organization in my book. Thus my first tip is to make a list. Writing down a task is not only certifying it, but add a deadline by the end of it. Naturally, goals without deadlines can be postponed forever. Even if it's tough to abide by such deadlines at first, getting into the practice of doing so will help organize yourself.

Something to make that written task look less intimidating is to break it down into pieces. Instead of assigning yourself to "write essay - due Wednesday" on Monday, decide that you'll "write page one of essay - due Tuesday" and finish it off the following day. Breaking down a task is in a way, rewarding yourself with less work, and less stress because the task is not so overwhelming. It is also not essential to plan out each and every step, as you start your task, the consecutive steps will become apparent.

Once documenting tasks get easier, start ranking them by difficulty. Then, start with the most difficult tasks. You'll need the most amount of energy to do it, and once it's done, the other tasks could even be mundane by comparison. Avoid multitasking as it can increase stress, and your attention and effort will be divided.

Always remember - even the smallest amount of progress is still progress. Thus, it deserves to be rewarded. This can get tricky, because writing a paragraph shouldn't be awarded with an hour of leisure time, but if your project is more long term, then small successes should definitely be rewarded. For example, if your week is filled with responsibilities, then treat yourself to a fun activity with friends when you finish.

Your work itself should also follow a flow, just like you do. If you have an idea, write it down in eternity before taking a break. Even forcing oneself to do simple things like that can help one break out of bigger procrastinatory habits. Remember to keep your priority as finishing your task, as opposed to aiming for perfection. When time management is achieved, then going back and editing work for perfection is an option that may not have presented itself before.

My last tip is probably easier said than done, but don't stress yourself out. It can be daunting and harrowing to think about all the things that need to be done, but one shouldn't waste their energy stressing - which in turn affects the outlook they have on their tasks. If possible, use that energy to jump ahead on your task (and don't forget to reward that behavior!)