Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time, sometimes to the "last minute" before the deadline.
“Oh, I’ll just do it later.”
“But that assignment’s not due till next week!”
“I’ll just pull an all-nighter!”
If these statements sound familiar, you can be sure that procrastination is one of your worst enemies. Waiting till the last possible minute to complete your assignments or study for your tests can be a habit that’s hard to break.
Here’s some practical advice on how you can fight this nemesis and before that know why you should not procrastinate.
Step 1: Identify the Reason Behind your Procrastination
Most often we tend to overestimate how much time we have to complete an assignment and underestimate how long it will take to do the various tasks involved in finish it. Another common reason is the belief that you need to feel inspired or be in the right frame of mind to get it done. You could also be procrastinating because you have no idea where to start. Stop using these excuses to hold you back. Identify what’s stopping you and get rid of misconceptions.
Step 2: Be Realistic
More often than not, your excuse to procrastinate is completely unrealistic. You’re setting yourself up for failure by leaving all the work to the last possible minute. Understand the advantages of getting a head start. Make a to-do list so that you don’t forget about unpleasant but must-do tasks. Set time-bound goals. Eg. Complete assignment A by 4.30pm.
Step 3: One at a Time
You might be good at multi-tasking, but focusing on one task at a time can get it done quicker and with more accuracy. Stop trying to juggle multiple assignments. Get them done one after the other for better efficiency.
Step 4: Prioritize
Procrastinators are heroes at putting off urgent tasks for less urgent ones. Once you’ve made your to-do list, prioritize tasks according to their urgency, some tasks are important but not high-priority. Some tasks, no matter how unpleasant, need to be done to accomplish other goals. So list down even the smaller parts of the task and prioritize them.
Step 5: Take Breaks
It’s highly misguided to think that you can finish faster by sitting at your desk for hours on end. Take short breaks to refresh your mind. But avoid getting carried away with your break time activity.
Step 6: Work in Pairs or Groups
Take a bet on who can complete the assignment faster. Studying together will ensure that you set up a time and place, so this cuts down on procrastination and gets you working with a healthy competitive spirit.
Step 7: Stop Planning, Start Doing
All said and done, don’t spend excessive amounts of time planning, organizing and prioritizing. The sooner you get started, the sooner you can finish!
