Feature
EDUCATION
Finding your Way out of Procrastination
by Joemariequeen del Rosario
Posted on December 17, 2020
Do you sometimes feel unmotivated? When you just want to lie in your bed all day while thinking about the homework and projects you left untouched? Remember when you were given a week or two, but you’re only doing the work the night before? ‘Hmm, it sounds familiar especially now that the pandemic has forced everyone to study online. Being at home left us with no choice but to rely on ourselves to decide on how to go about our days.
But guess what? You’re not alone. According to the American Psychological Association, 80 to 95 percent of college students procrastinate when doing their course works. But to tell you honestly, none of these cramming and procrastination will help you in the long run. So, how do you effectively get out of procrastination?
'I am procrastinating'
Out of distractions
One way to snap out of procrastination is to recognize that you are procrastinating. One sign that you are procrastinating is feeling too overwhelmed yet not being able to force yourself to do anything at the same time.
If you start feeling this way, recognize that it comes from the fact that you left so many tasks behind. You will never know that your deadline will beat the
the hell out of you if you don’t start beating it. You have to know if you are managing your work effectively or not. Realizing that you are procrastinating will help you start getting work done.
Trust me, it can make a whole lot of difference.
To-do today
Make a checklist of things you have to do for the day. It will help you know which things to prioritize and which things can be done later. Keeping a list will help you remember things you have left out and will keep you away from leaving anything behind or forgotten. Checklists will not only help you stop getting overwhelmed by the number of tasks you still have to do, but it will also let you see the progress you’ve made. Who knows, maybe ticking those boxes will help you find that sense of productivity and motivation you’ve been longing for?
Take a Break
Reward yourself for the things you have done for the day. Take a break! Don’t tire yourself too much. Your body knows when you need rest. Sometimes, even a couple of
minutes is enough to regain all the energy you need to get back to work again. Trust me,
you deserve it, and one can tell you otherwise.
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Prioritizing things is another way to let go of being an A-grade procrastinator. Once you learn how to prioritize and get rid of the things that keep you from doing what you have to do, you will see how much time you have wasted. As for many teens nowadays, clinging to social media, watching your favorite series, or playing online games, take up too much of your time. There is nothing wrong with them if you know when to take a pause and start focusing on your works again. Set your priorities straight.
One at a Time
Sometimes, doing different things can get you exhausted and even confused.
Starting a lot of tasks at the same time will only leave you with the same amount of work to finish – all at the same time too. Not having enough focus will manifest in the quality of the work you
are doing for a certain project. Doing things one at a time helps you to focus and refine what you are doing.
Do you like messy?
A messy workplace results in messy work. Try to organize your things from time-to-time. Clean your room, arrange your files, and throw away materials you do not need anymore.
Organizing will help you have a
clearer
view of things and it will make you feel refreshed.
Finally, you have to find the things that you love. You will only find the motivation to do your tasks if you know why you are doing them in the first
What for?
place. Not knowing your purpose will only put you off track. Get back to the reasons why you keep on doing what you are doing, like your goals and your dreams. I am sure there is something to love in all those things– you just have to look for it further.
There are a lot of things in this world that exist to distract us from doing our tasks but let us never back down. Resist. Procrastination is strong, but you are way stronger. Sometimes you just have to start with a clearer mindset and sort it all out. Just trust the process and soon, you will find your way out of procrastination. #