Tips and Tricks to Overcome Procrastination
Overcoming procrastination is an essential skill to learn if you want to succeed academically. We all know how procrastination feels and how it can get in the way of our productivity. The good news is overcoming procrastination is possible and it doesn't have to be hard. In today's blog post, we'll be sharing a few tips and tricks that will help you overcome procrastination and tap into your full potential to reach your academic goals!
Write it Down- It has been scientifically proven that writing down your goals will increase your likelihood of achieving them. This is because it will help you know exactly what it is you want to accomplish and give you an overall sense of direction. Having a million and one things swirling around your head can be really overwhelming. So whether it be big or small, write it down! Getting things out of your head and onto a piece of paper will help you lighten your load. You can do this by writing down a daily to-do list but you can also write down weekly, monthly, and yearly goals! You can even keep a separate journal on hand to write down any new ideas you have or if you simply want to write about your thoughts and feelings.
Start Your Morning Right- Your morning routine has the potential to set the tone for your day. For example, if you wake up and the first thing you do is reach for your phone and scroll through social media (I'm guilty!) then you are more likely to be distracted throughout the day because your brain will constantly be craving those distractions. Once you get distracted first thing in the morning, it will be hard to stop. That's why setting the tone for your day in the morning can be so important. So here's a tip for you, instead of reaching for your phone, keep a pen and paper nearby and reach for that instead. Write that to do list we were just talking about and start with the easiest items on that list. Once you check off the easy stuff, you'll feel accomplished and ready to tackle the harder stuff!
Break it down- Try breaking down a big goal into smaller parts so that the goal will seem less daunting and make you more likely to commit to it. If you have to study for an upcoming test, you can write down the material you want to cover for the day by "breaking it down." For example, if you say "study 5 hours for my biology test" you haven't specified what exactly you will be studying in these five hours and the task will seem overwhelming. When something is overwhelming, you won't want to do it, and you will find other ways to fill up your time, otherwise known as procrastination! Instead, try this "Study chapter 1 of the textbook in the following order- Passive and Active Transport (25 minutes), Learn the Phases of the Cell Cycle (30 minutes), Learn the Function of Organelles (30 minutes). In this way, you can clearly see what topics you plan on covering and how much time you will need for each, making the task much more doable.
These are just a few but very important tips that will help you overcome procrastination and lead a productive and fulfilling day. Remember, procrastination is something we all face and you shouldn't feel bad about it, overcoming it is a journey! Try to slowly begin incorporating these tips into your daily life and notice the shift. There are many benefits to overcoming procrastination; it will eventually lead to academic motivation and thus academic success. Don't forget to make note of any new tricks that work best for you in overcoming procrastination along the way. Good luck!
