If you are reading this, you are probably a college student who should be doing homework, writing papers, practicing their instruments, or sleeping right about now instead of sitting at your computer. However, if you are reading this article instead of doing one of those things, you may be more than a college student. You just might be a procrastinator.
Yes, I am talking to you, guy watching Netflix, and girl watching British YouTubers right now, and myself who has been writing this same article for two weeks! This is a habit that we are all in, that we all have said we're going to break, and that we all have put off breaking until later.
Here are some ways to deal with your procrastination and take control of this behavior we have all participated in:
1. Stay busy!
If you stay busy, you will have less time to put things off. Now, I'm not saying to take 21 credits and join 4 clubs, because that is never a good idea, but keeping a full schedule will help you greatly!
2. Keep consistent.
This is something that will likely come naturally with staying busy, but it's still important to remember. If you usually go to dinner with your friends at 6:30 p.m., make that part of your daily routine, this way you're less likely to change the time to get out of something else. Another example is making a homework schedule. If you always do your calculus homework at 8:30 p.m. the night it is assigned, don't mess with it! If you do, before you know it, it will stop getting done.
3. Think ahead.
If you keep busy and stick to a schedule, you should always know what's coming next. If you put off your paper for English until tomorrow, will you still have time to do your calculus homework that night? If you watch that extra episode on Netflix, will you really be able to get up for your 8 a.m. class the next day? Thinking about how procrastinating is going to mess with the rest of your schedule will be a good motivator to stop doing it.
4. Believe in yourself!
If you decide to kick procrastination in the backside and get it out of your life, you need to believe you can do it, simple as that. I have given you and myself some helpful tips, so just apply them and stick to it! You got this!
Now, don't get me wrong, a little procrastination every once in a while, won't hurt you. In fact, it's probably good for you. Just remember that you can't do it all of the time. I hope these little tips help you, and if they do, let me know!
Until next time!
