If college has taught me anything, it is how to stay motivated. Among the billion other things going besides school work and class, it can be easy to lose track of academics. It sucks when you’re sitting at your desk at 10 PM trying to finish an essay and all you hear is your floor mates getting ready to go and and have an epic Friday night without you. For a moment, you consider trashing the essay and taking the zero. Eventually common sense kicks in and you realize that a zero on this assignment would haunt your GPA forever. But, this doesn’t mean your night is completely lost. There’s still a chance you could knock out the paper asap and join them anyway, given the right motivation of course.
1. Get your life together.
I know this sounds impossible. But, productive procrastination is tremendously underrated. Instead of writing that essay, take a break to do a simple task. Make your bed, fold some laundry, send an email, or something equally mundane. Not only will it make you feel better overall, it will give your brain a break and allow your subconscious to sort out what’s holding you back from making progress.
2. Discover a new artist or genre.
It might seem convenient and comfortable to just put on a Spotify playlist of your favorite songs. But, studies show that exposure to new content helps to boost our imaginations. Instead of listening to the same-old same-old, select a radio and hit shuffle.
3. Embrace your inner child.
I have no shame admitting that I like to color. I always have and always will. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Disney princess coloring book, or a detailed paint-by-number Mona Lisa. Personally, this helps me to be productive because sitting there staring at a blank screen is pretty much torture. I don’t handle boredom well and when your mind is racing a million miles an hour thinking about all the fun things you could be doing besides writing that essay, you deserve to at least enjoy yourself a little.
4. Drink water.
I have a bad habit of over-eating when I’m stressed out. Although I am embarrassed to admit it, eating is a comfort for me and I sometimes use it to cope with feelings I’d rather avoid. Instead, every time I get distracted by the thought of food while I am working, I take a big sip of water. Although this helps your physical health now, it will later improve your cognitive thinking once it becomes a solid habit.
