Procrastination happens across the nation! The allure of doing anything else is just too strong until that last minute urgency. So why does it happen? I've got a few theories of procrastination and ways to avoid them!
1. Don't Do Something or Anything Else
You will often find yourself creating a list of all the other things you have to do. As soon as you get a due date for your assignment, a different task pops up. That second task seems a lot easier to tackle and get done. So you just go ahead and do that one. Sometimes that is a great idea. Sometimes you can think of 20 tasks to get done ahead of the dated one. This is a down fall. As soon as you get a due date for your task, start planning when you're going to get it done. If you have to study for a big test, start studying little by little each day. If it's a research paper, plan to start research one day and writing another so it doesn't seem like such a daunting task.
2. “I Hate Doing _____ &_____"
Your upcoming task may be the one thing you dislike the most. The thought of having to do it fogs your mind. You dread the deadline. But wait! If even the thought of doing this bothers you, why not get it done and out of the way? Getting these types of tasks done sooner rather than later will save you loads of stress. Getting it done early means you won't be stressed by the deadline while you're doing it. Then after you're done, you don't have to constantly think about it as part of your to-do list. Get it done. Get it out of the way.
3. Procrastination Causes Procrastination
It's a vicious cycle. Once you start out procrastinating with a series of tasks, it will just continue. You’ll wait last minute to do one which means you won't have time to get a head start on the other one. Now, you're stuck doing the next task last minute. To break this, you will just have to use some free time to get tasks done faster and hopefully sooner than the deadline. Once that is done, seamlessly move onto the next task and start that process sooner rather than later. Having a planner can help you see your upcoming deadlines and how close they are together. This will help you schedule time to get working.
So staying focused, being strong willed and organized can help you overcome procrastination! I’ll be applying these to my life ASAP. Try them out and let me know how it goes!
