The main reasons we procrastinate are
to avoid a certain amount of discomfort,
boredom or mental strain, and we think
that our future selves will have the
motivation and enthusiasm to finish that
assignment tomorrow.
However, our future selves are a lot like our present selves and
if you wait until tomorrow, you’ll have even less time to get that
assignment done! But don’t worry, these four tips can help you curb
your procrastination:
Reframe your expectations
We often think that we need to be in the right mood, have enough
time and the right space to get the job done. However, these
elements more often than not won’t magically come together in
time. Try lowering your expectations for yourself by understanding
that you don’t need to be in the right mood or have 100% of your
attention and focus on your task. Even 20% of your attention on
that task is better than 0%.
Eliminate distractions
As mentioned, we think our future selves will be more motivated
than our present selves and that we won’t have a problem with
avoiding distractions. Unfortunately, this is often not true. So make
it easier on yourself and get rid of potential distractions ahead of
time. Examples such as downloading an app or program that blocks
the internet for an assigned period, doing the task away from home,
and hiding time-wasters in very hard to reach places can minimise
the temptation to procrastinate.
Break the task into smaller steps
Imagine that you have a stack of dishes waiting to be cleaned in
the sink. If you tried to clean all the dishes at once, the job may feel
overwhelming and you may not even start! However, if you change
your aim to cleaning one dish, achieving your goal will feel more
manageable and you will eventually get the task done. With any
large task, write down all the steps it will take to complete the task
and commit to completing one step at a time.
Reward yourself
One way to keep your motivation high is to allocate rewards
for each task you do. If you continually deny yourself enjoyable
activities, you may trigger feelings of deprivation, which can make
your procrastination worse. Try setting small rewards that you would
like to be doing instead of each task and commit to getting the
work done before you indulge.
For more tips
on how to beat
procrastination
and get your work
done on time,
check out advice
from practising
psychologist
Ann-Marie.
Visit the
HealthyU
website.