They always tell us not to procrastinate…
It’s the most popular tip to give college students. I admit I’ve probably even advised it, while turning around and doing it myself. So what if we stuck to our compulsory ways and kept procrastinating, but did it to an extent which we still accomplished all we needed to? There is not enough time in a day not to procrastinate. Therefore, let us procrastinators ban together and show the people who are good at managing time how it’s done.
It’s 10 pm and where did all of my day go?
Edward Young once said, “Procrastination is the thief of time.” Perhaps he was right. Yet that doesn’t stop us from doing it. It’s okay, take a deep breath. Even though you have a midterm you have hardly studied for and an essay to write you need to face the fact that you are a procrastinator. And then once you’ve faced that fact you need to embrace time like it was your child. Here’s how to get going and accomplish what you need to by the morning. (May result to tiredness, falling asleep in class, drowsiness.)
1. Clear your head, clear your space. In order for you to get everything done you will need the best possible work setting to accomplish the maximum amount of work. Do you need complete silence? Go to the library or stay in your room (if your roommate isn’t too distracting). Do you need background noise for inspiration? Go to a lounge or a late night coffee shop. Once you’ve settled into your workspace, clear your head from the worries of the day, the upcoming deadlines and constant worries of life. Focus strictly on what you need to do and start there. Turn off all distractions that might prevent you from working, such as phone, Facebook, etc. Don’t take on more than one task at a time.
2. Make a to-do list! Post-its are my favorite way to organize life. Make a list in order of how important each task is/when each task is due (this is called prioritizing chronologically). By laying out all that you have to do, you can be scared out of your mind for 15 seconds and then get over that by working. Remember: Crossing off a task on your to-do list is probably one of the top 5 most satisfying things in life.
3. Be willing to work on something, regardless of how long it will take. Take as long as possible until everything is completed. When you start thinking about the other life aspects that will keep you from completing your work such as sleep, you will start to worry and it will trump over your work ethic. So stay focused and don’t think about how long it will take to complete everything.
4. Set amounts of time that you will work on each task. Though it’s important to go into working on something with the mentality that you will work on it until it is perfected, that’s not reality in a procrastinating setting such as this, because there are other things that need to get done as well. Stay with allotted times and get all that you can get done within that time, and then come back and revise as much as possible when you are finished with other tasks.
5. Get in the zone and work. Tune out the world and focus on what needs to get done.
6. Have a (preferably caffeinated) beverage nearby. This always helps me stay awake, but still allows me to sleep once I am finished with my long and grueling night of work. Even something non-caffeinated to sip on is usually helpful with staying awake, I have found.
Fellow procrastinators,
I’m sorry to inform you all that we will forever be procrastinators until we learn self control or how to manage our time. Or you can keep being a procrastinator and hopefully follow some of these tips and accomplish all you need to, while still procrastinating.
