Procrastination was a terrible study habit that I developed. When I first started getting a lot of work in high school, I used to think that I would still have enough time to accomplish this assignment or that it wouldn’t take too long. As a result, I postponed my task until the last minute. When I first started doing this, it didn’t bother me as much, but once I got to college, it started to bother me.

It wasn’t so great being a procrastinator in college as it was in high school. The assignments are much more difficult, they take much longer to complete, and must be completed in a short amount of time! Some professors, who are strict graders and demand work to be turned in on time, aren’t as flexible as high school teachers. All of this put me under a lot of stress, and I had to pull all-nighters to study or finish my work. My work would occasionally appear rushed as well. This did not result in good grades, which made me upset. I don’t know how many times I wished that I had started working on an assignment earlier instead of making the mistake of putting it off until last minute!

I wanted to stop procrastinating so badly, but it’s too late. Procrastination is like a mental drug! Once you had gotten into it you cannot stop cold turkey. That isn’t to say I figured to overcome it! I discovered a few strategies that have proven to be helpful in helping me stop procrastinating.

Get organized

If you don’t have a specific plan or idea for completing your work, you are more likely to procrastinate. Keeping a planner is a good idea. Begin keeping track of all your assignments and their due dates. When you’re organized, you have a more orderly way to work. I find it easy that once I’ve made a list on what I need to get done I try to complete the assignments that are due sooner and don’t take much time first. Then I have more space in my brain to concentrate on the bigger work.   

Eliminate distractions

Another way to avoid procrastination eliminating distractions. You are more likely to complete your tasks if you limit the number of distractions around you. You can always turn off your phone, or go to a quiet place.

Set goals and deadlines

One of the reasons you may procrastinate is that the amount of work you may have to do appears to be overwhelming. It’s much easier to get started on a project when you set small, reachable goals rather than a big plan. It’s also critical to establish a deadline for completing a project or assignment. Attempt to complete them a day or two ahead of time. That way, if something unexpected happens, you’ll have enough time to finish them. This has been very helpful for me since I tend to get sick a lot, and that makes me fall back behind my work.

Reward yourself

All those things you wanted to do when you’re procrastinating, such as watching a T.V show, eating a snack, or hanging out with friends. You use them as rewards you’d give yourself whenever you completed an assignment. Knowing that you’ll get these finished your work will actually make you want to do your work more and even do your work better.  

It will take some time, but once you get used to it, you will learn to be more productive and will be able to stop procrastinating completely!