5 Steps to Conquer Procrastination

If you’re anything like me, you’re a procrastinator. You complete your work and do it well, but not until right before class. This lifestyle can be exhausting, stressful, and unhealthy. Outgrowing the habit can be a challenge, so I am here to share with you the secrets to conquering your procrastination!

College is where procrastinators begin to see the consequences of putting off work. Let’s learn to beat this nasty habit! It’s going to take time and patience, but we can do it. There’s no way you can wake up tomorrow morning and be cured of procrastination. Most likely, you’ve been practicing it for years, so keep at it and don’t give up!

Keep a planner

…and learn how to use it correctly. You should write down when your assignments are due and when they need to be completed. Completing your assignments ahead of time, or planning to complete them ahead of time will bring a pressure to get your responsibilities done right away, excluding any chance for procrastination.

Looking at your planner and effectively using it will keep your work more organized, thus increasing productivity and your work ethic. This works towards defeating procrastination! A planner is a great way to schedule what is really important and what really needs to get done over the temptations of procrastination, which brings me to the importance of prioritizing!

Prioritize

The psychological barrier of being a procrastinator is the biggest barrier of them all. You need to personally realize what needs to be done over other things. Your dorm may need some cleaning, but don’t use that as an excuse to avoid your schoolwork because you can’t “work in such a mess”.

Being able to prioritize your list of to-do’s is a skill that most procrastinators lack. As a blogger, I found myself spending many hours setting up my blog because I had my school laptop open, instead of doing my actual schoolwork. It takes willpower to say no to what you want to do and prevent putting off what you need to do.

Put down the screen

I live my life off my phone. As a blogger, it is essential for me to be up-to-date on my blog and social media. My laptop is my right hand and my phone has become my left. And I’m sure we are all no stranger to Netflix.

I am a supporter of using technology to learn and being productive. However, humans are not perfect and procrastinators get distracted very easily. It takes a click of a mouse to open a new tab and get off topic. The longer off topic you are, the more you end up procrastinating on the items you need to get done.

Putting your phone away and closing all unimportant tabs will keep you focused on your work. Getting in a room without extra screens isn’t likely to distract you, and that brings us to our next point!

Concentration Zone

Making excuses is an easy way to move you away from work and into the depths of procrastination. Try to get away from all your distractions in order to be productive. Sure, you may have a nice looking desk in your dorm, but you also have your snacks, a bed, a roommate, and Netflix creeping over your shoulder.

Find a place on campus that suits your study habits. If you need a quiet, clean place: find a library. Or if you need white noise and company: look for a lounging area. Getting outside of your dorm will lessen the distractions of other responsibilities and you will be able to focus on the one thing you need to get done.

Be prepared

When in your concentration zone, be surrounded by tools that will only help you get the job done. Being surrounded by food, your phone and other tech toys can be very distracting and prevent you from doing your work.

You’re in your concentration zone, the worst thing you can do is find distractions there. Bring all the supplies you will need in order to get the job done, so you’re not jumping back and forth from your zone to your dorm. If that means you bring your dorm room into the library, so be it! Just don’t bring distractions with you!

What do you do to beat procrastination?

Andrea plans on attending North Dakota State University in the fall, where she plans on majoring in Nursing. She is involved in her local theaters and softball teams. In her free time, she enjoys blogging, singing, dancing, eating sweets, and watching CSI. You can find Andrea on her blog, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!