- False Security: You look at your syllabus, and you see an 8-page paper due in six weeks. You’ve got plenty of time. It won’t hurt to go out with friends and unwind before doing work.
- Laziness: YEY Free time! Oh, I have this assignment I forgot. Fine, let me start this and get it over with. Right after I take my nap and catch up on Revenge episodes =)
- Excuses: “I’ve been busy! I deserve a break from your work. I mean, I had a crazy weekend, and today I have classes all day plus an exam. I really deserve to take a few days off from thinking about any schoolwork whatsoever”.
- Denial: 8-page paper? No big deal, I work best under pressure anyways! I’ve got tons of time. Classes end at 3pm today, and it’s not due until 9am tomorrow. That’s a total of 18 hours. What assignment in the history of college has ever taken 18 hours? I don’t need sleep, that’s what coffee is for! I GOT THIS!
- Crisis: (It’s 7:45 am): OH NO! HOW DID I LET THIS HAPPEN? I HATE MYSELF, I HATE THIS CLASS, AND I HATE MY TEACHER. NEVER AGAIN. I HAVE LEARNED MY LESSON.
The 6th stage is simple: REPEAT!
Oh us college students, the funny yet tragic ways we screw ourselves over……
UNDERSTANDING PROCRASTINATION
You do the stuff that makes you feel good now, even though you know it’ll affect you negatively in the future. You ever wonder why doing laundry, cleaning your room or writing a piece on procrastination all seem to become so much more interesting than that thing you should be doing? Gratification, that’s why! Why feel good later when you can feel good now! The thing is, your brain isn’t very good at planning ahead, it’s really only concerned about the ‘you’ in the here and now, even though we all know they’re both the same person. Confusing I know, but sometimes you really are your own worst enemy….
One of the best ways to beat procrastination is to understand it; knowledge is power and all that.
How to beat it
- Get up and move
- Setup reminders
- Get a motivation buddy
- Make yourself accountable
- Create something everyday (anything that gets you into a creative mood and gets you working)
- Wake up early
- Go to sleep early
- Clean and clear as you go
- Cut the cable
- Just do it (no excuses)
- Schedule time blocks
- Follow a task list
- Have a system
- Don’t check email (check it after your done working)
- Destroy social networks
- Time yourself
- Track yourself
- Computerize when you can
- Create a playlist
- Identify and face your fear
- Realize it will never be perfect
- Become mindful
- Set “goals” for the day
- Give yourself a break
- Stick with tools
- Entertain yourself
- Work less
- Have some quiet time every day
- Don’t settle
Remember these quotes the next time you intend to procrastinate:
“Nothing is as fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” ~William James
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.” ~Don Marquis
“Every duty which is bidden to wait returns with seven fresh duties at its back.” ~Charles Kingsley
“If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.” ~Olin Miller
“There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back.” ~Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
<3 Giselle