It's the start of a new school year and a perfect time to purge yourself of that procrastination habit you keep meaning to break. Make it happen this time around. You’ll thank yourself when those due dates aren’t sneaking up on you anymore and those all-nighters grow less frequent. Here’s how to do that (right after you're done reading this article, of course.)
1. Make a list of every step of the big tasks you need to accomplish
This is the simple-but-nonetheless-necessary part. Write down everything you need to get done. Don’t be vague. Break down every project or assignment into bite-size steps. Instead of writing “English paper,” write “come up with thesis,” “collect evidence,” “write first body paragraph,” and so forth. This makes larger assignments less daunting. In an interview conducted by Psychology Today, Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D. and Timothy Pychyl, Ph.D. agree that a common reason for procrastination is fear of doing poorly on the assignment at hand. We are overwhelmed and anxious, so we put it off for another time. By breaking your projects into smaller undertakings, we can see that they really are manageable. A manageable workload means that our inclination to push it to later doesn’t feel so urgent.
2. Write in the amount of time it will take to complete each item on the list
This will allow you to set aside an appropriate amount of time for work in advance. The designation of work time and free time makes it less tempting to procrastinate because you know that if you do, you’re cutting into your free time.
3. Whatever on that list you most want to avoid, tackle first
Complete the first step in whatever task most overwhelms you. That lab write-up making you nervous? Dreading studying for that econ test? The sooner you get going on that daunting project, the less daunting it will be. Make the graphs for your lab data. Make a study guide for the first two topics on your econ test. Now, you can take a deep breath because you just proved you can do the things on your list that freak you out the most.
4. Next, do the smaller, less intimidating tasks
Get all the small things—any day-to-day busy work, shorter readings, emails to send—out of the way. Check them off your list as you go and watch your agenda shrink. Satisfying, right? Now you can focus on just the big things with the taste of beating procrastination fresh on your tongue.
5. Know when you’re about to procrastinate
Whenever you think to yourself that you don’t want to do something, or that you’ll have time later, or it’s not that important, you’re procrastinating. Identifying your behavior will help you ditch that habit and do the work. As soon as you start thinking of the possibility of leaving your to-do list for another time, remember that the excuses you’re giving yourself are garbage and you’ll feel a lot better if you just get it done now.
6. Remember why you don’t want to procrastinate anymore
This is the part that can make or break your efforts. According to Scientific American, we’re biologically more motivated by immediate gratification than distant satisfaction. That’s why it’s so easy to let the prospect of trading your homework for Netflix win you over. You could just do the work tomorrow. It’ll be fine. Just take tonight to relax. NO! Think back to the first day of classes when this was going to be the year you got stuff done and didn’t turn in last-minute work. This is STILL going to be that year. All it takes is for you keep checking off steps on your list. It’s that easy. You can do this. Just relax and get comfy at your desk. Time for a night of achieving your goals.
7. Don’t fool yourself into believing you’re “just not in the right frame of mind” to do something
If you feel unfocused, adjust your workspace to better suit the task at hand. Put on music that helps you concentrate. Wear comfortable clothing. Prepare your mind to concentrate. Make the changes you need to make to be in that "work" mindset. Psychologist Kendra Cherry writes that we fool ourselves into thinking we need to be in a certain mood or wait for spontaneous inspiration to begin our work. That’s how we justify dragging our feet for so long.
8. Accept that you don’t actually work better under pressure
So, you say you leave work for the last minute because it helps you do your best. You may tell yourself this, but even you know it’s not true. The only reason you wrote an entire 20-page paper all in the night before it was due is because you had no other choice. So what if you still got a B+? Just think what grade you might’ve gotten had you spaced out your writing and left more time for critical thinking and editing. You know your best work doesn’t come from eight consecutive hours of rushing.
9. Reward yourself for completing tasks
After you check off a few items on your list, give yourself a little break! You deserve it. Browse The Odyssey Online for a few minutes. Go on a 10-minute run. Do a few yoga poses. Anything that gives your mind a chance to relax and makes you happy. Use that taste of earned relaxation to power through your next chunk of work. You’ll be glad you did.
10. Don’t put too much pressure on any one assignment
Procrastination experts (yes, that's a thing) Joseph Ferrari and Timothy Pychyl agree that we tend to procrastinate on projects in which we feel we need to succeed. We’re so scared of a negative outcome that we freeze up and don’t want to engage at all. Take a deep breath. What you’re working on is neither your be-all nor end-all. So there’s no reason to run away. You can handle this. One step at a time.
