Did you know that laziness does not really exist? That is true! The reason you procrastinate has a much deeper root, and if you want to fix this issue, you have to find the real reason why you put important things aside.
Many students face this issue; some can’t complete their college tasks on time because they can’t start working on them on time, and others decide to buy essays for college because they can’t pull their thoughts together and write a compelling paper. And there are a lot of examples where students may consider themselves lazy, but they are not even aware of the real reason.
In this article, we will take a closer look at procrastination, discuss the reasons why this has become an issue for you, and provide you with some practical tips to handle the problem.
What Are the Reasons for Laziness and Procrastination?
The reasons for procrastination and laziness can be various. Some people are afraid of potential failure, and they may not even want to start. Another reason is burnout; when you do not have enough resources to handle a task, you are more likely to procrastinate and put it aside again and again. Of course, it is also important to keep the goal in mind. If you have no idea why you have to complete a particular task, you will definitely not be motivated, especially if the task is pretty boring or uninteresting for you.
6 Tips to Overcome Procrastination
If you frequently struggle with procrastination, here are some tips to help you overcome it and stay focused on your tasks.
#1. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps with Clear Goals and Deadlines
Have you ever recognized your reaction to large tasks and short ones? When you get a large assignment, no matter whether at college or your mom asks you to clean the entire house, this can feel overwhelming. That is a regular reaction of any person, and if you feel that this really bothers you, the best way out is to divide large tasks into smaller ones. Break a task into actionable steps that will be more manageable. Of course, these smaller steps can vary from person to person and even from time to time; once, you can break writing your essay into two smaller tasks, but in the future, you may need to break it into three or four steps, and this is still okay. The main idea is to make the process comfortable for you. When you complete each step, you build confidence and momentum to keep progressing.
#2. Prioritize Tasks
Surely, not all your tasks are equally important, and it is important to rank them first by urgency and importance. There are a lot of tools available today that can help you to schedule your tasks. These apps can not only help you visualize your duties but also set reminders and deadlines and even leave comments. You can download the favored app on different devices and have your schedule always in front of you. This will definitely help you prevent last-minute stress. Here are some of the tools that you can try:
- Trello. Use a visual board-based system for organizing tasks, breaking them into smaller steps, and tracking progress with customizable cards and lists.
- Todoist. Prioritize tasks, set deadlines, and manage recurring assignments with an intuitive interface and productivity-tracking features.
- Notion. Enjoy task management, note-taking, and calendar tools to create detailed, customizable workflows for your studies.
- Microsoft To Do. Set reminders, create subtasks, do daily planning, and sync across devices for easy access.
#3. Reward Progress and Schedule Rest
Remember to always acknowledge your achievements, no matter how small they are. Treat yourself with breaks, snacks, or other incentives to stay motivated and enjoy the process of reaching your goals. Also, keep in mind that quality rest is essential. Thus, we highly recommend putting your day off on the to-do list. That may sound strange, but this is really important.
#4. Eliminate Distractions
As it is important to break large tasks into smaller ones and set deadlines for them, it is also important to fully concentrate and eliminate all distractions. Create a quiet study space, turn off notifications, and limit social media access to maintain concentration and get into the flow of your work. There are also a lot of apps that can help you block out distractions, or you can just create a study mode on your smartphone and activate it whenever you sit at a desk.
#5. Seek Help When Needed
Many students think that if they need help, they are poor learners. That is wrong! No one is perfect, and there is no person who does not need assistance. Well, it is really important to recognize when you need help and ask for it. Today, students can get assistance from teachers, peers, tutors, and even online services that write customized college papers. There is no need to avoid the task; you can complete it with ease, and you can just find the most suitable way to get the assistance you need. Just try to request help and enjoy this feeling when you are not stuck!
#6. Practice Self-Compassion
Remember that mistakes and delays happen to everyone. The best way to help yourself is to avoid harsh self-criticism. Instead, you can forgive yourself, refocus, and try again with a better plan to improve your approach next time. Many students can’t really handle this feeling because they move back to their childhood when their parents punished them for ‘mistakes.’ Well, remember that little toddler and try to recollect what he/she wanted at that particular moment; most likely, it was understanding and support. So, give it to yourself right now!
We hope this article was informative and gave you some ideas on how to overcome procrastination and complete all the tasks on time.
The post Overcoming Procrastination: Tips for Students to Stay Productive and Meet Deadlines first appeared on The Yucatan Times.