Growing up, my mother used to tell me “if you did that when I asked you to do it, then you could have had more time to do whatever you want” every time I put off my chores. As a child, I did not understand what she meant. However, as I approach adulthood, I have a better understanding of why she said that to me: it is better to finish your responsibilities now so you do not have to worry about it later. Now that I have my own place, I live by my mom’s believe of not putting off tasks that can be accomplished now.

As I completed one of my papers this week, I did not realize that it is November already, which means that final papers and exams are coming up! Yikes! Like other students, I do admit that I tend to procrastinate; it is an old habit that dies hard. I believe that it is something that students often encounter in both their career and academic life. Fortunately, I have some tips to help you to overcome procrastination.

Before I talk about my tips, what is procrastination? According to Psychology Today, it is when we put off a task because we view it as unpleasant. It is also called “task aversion.” It is difficult to AVOID procrastination, but it is possible to OVERCOME it.

Tips to Overcome Procrastination

• Recognize & Resolve

Recognize when you procrastinate and why are the first steps. By doing so, you can stop yourself from going down the procrastination wormhole.

• Organize & Plan

Time Management and Organization are not only important skills as a student but also as a professional. By organizing and planning your priorities, you can have more time to do fun things. Set up your own realistic deadline to give yourself enough time to effectively complete your tasks.

Below are some blog posts that I wrote as an undergrad at USG that may interest you regarding how to be more organized, goal setting, time management, and how to prepare for exams.

Organization

Time Management

Midterm Prep

• Get Ahead & Prioritize!

I am a fan of getting ahead because I can get the small things out of the way and focus on the big tasks that I need to do. When you start planning your week, see if there are any tasks that you can complete in advanced so you do not forget them.

Resources to Overcome Procrastination

Below are several websites that I found that might interest you if you want to know more about how to overcome procrastination.

 Ebberg, H. (2009). How to stop procrastinating: 7 timeless tips. The Positivity Blog. Retrieved from https://www.positivityblog.com/how-to-stop-procrastinating-7-timeless-tips/

Lombardo, E. (2017). 11 ways to overcome procrastination. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/better-perfect/201703/11-ways-overcome-procrastination

Mind Tools. How to stop procrastinating. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm

Rodriguez, A. (2013). No pressure. Retrieved from https://nopressur.blogspot.com/?m=0

I hope my post this week will be helpful to you as you move forward in your academic and career path. Comment below to let me know what you think or any additional tips you may have to overcome procrastination.