The Battle Against Procrastination
We’ve all been there before. You haven’t even started on your paper, your project, your assignment yet. You can feel your heart racing, your stomach churning as the deadline – days, hours, even minutes away – looms over you. This is a familiar situation for all of us who procrastinate.
In an age rampant with distractions, from Instagram and Snapchat to YouTube and video games, it is becoming increasingly hard to delay our gratification when something as instant as these distractions is within arm’s reach. How many times have you thought about working on a project or assignment that you know will give you relief if you finish it, only to find it uncomfortable and default to one of those distractions? After all, mindlessly scrolling and refreshing your social media feed is much easier and more fun than working. This is usually because humans are not very good at sympathizing with our future selves, which is why chronic procrastinators seem to repeat the same mistake over and over. However, you have the power to break this cycle if you follow a few tips:
- Forgive yourself. Say it out loud at least 3 times: “I forgive myself.” Studies have shown that guilt and self-loathing make it harder for us to improve ourselves. Rather, showing sympathy towards yourself will set you up for greater success in the future.
- Environment. If you are given the option between working on something hard versus something fun and easy, you will almost always default to the latter. Do not give yourself this option. Remove your distractions.
- Awareness. When the project is too hard or vague, we tend to unconsciously default to distractions. If this happens, stop everything you’re doing and take a few deep breaths. Reflect on what is making you want to procrastinate. Awareness allows for action.
- Action. Break your projects and assignments into smaller and easier tasks. Give yourself a specific list of instructions. It is easier to follow a list of visual instructions than to sit back and brainstorm about what you want to do next.
- Just do it. As simple and obvious as that sounds, if you set a timer for 3 minutes and simply get started on whatever project you need to get done, the momentum you create by just getting started will lead to greater results.
If there’s something that you’ve been procrastinating on lately, go back and read the five steps again and then do something about it. Your future self will thank you!
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The Battle Against Procrastination
We’ve all been there before. You haven’t even started on your paper, your project, your assignment yet. You can feel your heart racing, your stomach churning as the deadline – days, hours, even minutes away – looms over you. This is a familiar situation for all of us who procrastinate.
In an age rampant with distractions, from Instagram and Snapchat to YouTube and video games, it is becoming increasingly hard to delay our gratification when something as instant as these distractions is within arm’s reach. How many times have you thought about working on a project or assignment that you know will give you relief if you finish it, only to find it uncomfortable and default to one of those distractions? After all, mindlessly scrolling and refreshing your social media feed is much easier and more fun than working. This is usually because humans are not very good at sympathizing with our future selves, which is why chronic procrastinators seem to repeat the same mistake over and over. However, you have the power to break this cycle if you follow a few tips:
- Forgive yourself. Say it out loud at least 3 times: “I forgive myself.” Studies have shown that guilt and self-loathing make it harder for us to improve ourselves. Rather, showing sympathy towards yourself will set you up for greater success in the future.
- Environment. If you are given the option between working on something hard versus something fun and easy, you will almost always default to the latter. Do not give yourself this option. Remove your distractions.
- Awareness. When the project is too hard or vague, we tend to unconsciously default to distractions. If this happens, stop everything you’re doing and take a few deep breaths. Reflect on what is making you want to procrastinate. Awareness allows for action.
- Action. Break your projects and assignments into smaller and easier tasks. Give yourself a specific list of instructions. It is easier to follow a list of visual instructions than to sit back and brainstorm about what you want to do next.
- Just do it. As simple and obvious as that sounds, if you set a timer for 3 minutes and simply get started on whatever project you need to get done, the momentum you create by just getting started will lead to greater results.
If there’s something that you’ve been procrastinating on lately, go back and read the five steps again and then do something about it. Your future self will thank you!