Procrastination is a bane, not just for one but for everyone. Whether it is a working professional or a school goer, a collegian or a graduate preparing for any competitive exams, it is the need of the hour to learn ways to overcome procrastination. We all know that we have to work towards our goal but we fiddle with various other distractions like checking email, social sites, watching TV, movies, hanging out with friends etc. Read, How to overcome lack of focus?
With little efforts we can beat this bad habit and be productive in our exam preparation, school and college tasks. Read, no need to study hard, just study smart. Therefore, keeping in mind the habit of folks, putting things off time and again, we are sharing some tips to overcome procrastination.
Follow the suggestions below to overcome procrastination:
Make a To-Do List: To focus on completing the task and to overcome procrastination, the very first thing is to make a ‘TO DO LIST’. Write down every school or college task or your study plan in that list. Sort and rank the important and time sensitive tasks at the top. Make sure that you strictly follow the list. As time passes by and your priority changes, recreate that list and reflect your new priorities. Completing the important tasks as prioritized will boost your morale and give you motivation for the next task.
Break down tasks and make realistic micro goals: To help yourself get started, break your big task into few concrete tasks. Big task seems terrifying because of which we tend to put them off. Breaking it into smaller tasks will help you complete them separately and in sequence. Like, if you have an exam due in three weeks and you have to do the revision. Then divide it into different sections and set yourself a deadline to complete the revision of that section in the stipulated time.
Remove distractions: Remove all distractions, if possible. Carefully consider the obstacles that might get your way and remove them before getting started on a task. You’re less likely to procrastinate when you’re focused. And remember regaining focus is much harder than maintaining focus.
Reward yourself: Even if you accomplish smaller goals reward yourself after completing a task on to do list. You should do this especially with the important task that you have been procrastinating on. Take a nap, buy a latte, go for a movie; call up your friend, etc. The point is just to have something to look forward to, so that you continue to work hard and stop putting off your work.
Get a study buddy for yourself: Another great way to overcome procrastination is finding a study buddy. A study buddy has to be someone who motivates you to achieve your academic goals. When you work with others it is no longer all about yourself. When you put your tasks off, you will look bad around others who pushed through and worked. Moreover, if they need help your work will be rewarded by their appreciation when you help them out. The old adage, “If you want to be a good student, hang out with good students,” is not only true, but imperative.
Bringing it all together-
Understand the power of the hour. Tomorrow really never comes. Don’t put off your important tasks just to squander away your free time. There is no point putting off things, delaying, hiding from work and working only when it’s unavoidable because at the end it’s you only who will be panicking and regretting starting it late.
You might also like to read our post on, How to avoid these common mistakes in board exams and how to make your boring subject an interesting one.
Do share if you follow any other interesting ways to overcome procrastination in the comments below.
