It’s Monday night. You don’t have anything due tomorrow. But you want to be more organized and productive. “I’ll start on my project early this time,” you think to yourself. So, you go over to your phone and create a 6AM alarm. You climb in to bed and pull the covers over your body without even thinking of tips for overcoming procrastination.
Before you can finish your dream, you hear “BEEP…BEEP…BEEP.” It’s your 6AM alarm. 6AM feels so much earlier than you thought. You hit the snooze button. Ten minutes later, you hit the snooze button again. You think, “I still have time.” Two days later, you wake up to the same alarm. Your paper is due tomorrow and you haven’t started yet. You think, “What is the paper even on?” You scramble out of bed in the dark and attempt to find the light switch.
You turn the lights on and start the coffee machine. “It’s going to be a long day.”
Tips for overcoming procrastination can be hard just like the old saying “its hard to teach an old dog new tricks.” But they said its hard not impossible. So let’s get started, find out tips for overcoming procrastination to the curb with these tips for overcoming procrastination.
Tips for Overcoming Procrastination
1. Invest in a planner
Getting organized is the first step to ending the cycle of procrastination. The most likely reason we wait to the very last minute to complete our work is because we lose track of what day it is and when things are due.If we get a planner and start writing all due dates down then we can plan out our days and our weeks.
To make full use of your planner, make sure to place it somewhere you will see it and reach for it everyday. Make it a habit to check your planner daily to make sure you’re on schedule and aware that its Tuesday December 21st.
No matter how many times I check my phone, I always forget the date because I’m scanning my phone for text messages and notifications. But when I write things down in my planner, I remember because the act of writing and checking my planner forces me to pay attention to the current date and time.
2. Create a realistic To-do list
Every morning, you should take ten minutes to create a realistic to-do list. Write down things that have to get done. Many people, including me, are guilty of making to-do lists that are nearly impossible to complete. A to-do list with 25 things on it will kick start your procrastination habit. You feel tired just looking at the list. So, you put it off for another day and before you know it the due date is here. But if we make a to-do list of no more than five things then we will finish it.
Once you complete a task or two on the to-do list, you’ll be more inclined to finish it. Your to-do list makes your plans more achievable. They break down your weekly plans in to five daily tasks. By creating steps to your plans, you will be more likely to achieve them.
3. Start early is one of the best overcoming procrastination tip
This seems like a no-brainer but until you actually plan out your day and create a to-do list you won’t have time to start anything early. Once you’re organized with a planner and a to-do list you can realistically start projects and papers early.
Starting things up to three days in advance can help you plan out more free time to hangout with friends and reduce your stress levels because you’re not worried about getting things done in time.
Imagine having the time to visit family, go to the party, and have a movie night with your friends without worrying about the upcoming due date. You can enjoy your time off and spend more time having fun rather than being stressed.
4. Make it a habit
Now that you’ve started to complete projects earlier, you have to continue doing it. Make starting things well in advance of the due date a habit. Starting early for one project won’t help your procrastination tendencies.
Remember how good it is to finish something and finish it early? Well, remind yourself daily. Get out of bed, log out of your Netflix account, and go to the library or coffee shop and get your project done before the due date.
5. Skip the Late Nights: One of the best tips for overcoming procrastination
Late nights lead to late starts in your day. When you finally make it out of bed at noon, you feel more tired than the night before. As you slowly pull on a sweater over your pajama shirt and slip on some yoga pants, it’s already 1PM. By the time you have your first cup of coffee and turned on your laptop to do work its 2PM. You’re hungry so you go out to get some lunch. Before you know it, it’s already 4PM and you’ve done nothing productive with your day so far.
Late nights decrease your productivity and make you tired the next day. Your tiredness will make it harder to concentrate and harder to complete the to-do lists and plans you set out for your week.
So make it a goal to be in bed by 12AM every night. With this method, you can get a solid 6-8 hours of sleep and boost your productivity.
If you’re off the next day or it’s a special occasion, don’t feel bad about staying out later. You deserve a night off after working so hard the previous weeks. But don’t forget to go back to those good habits you started. Once work or school starts again, go to bed by midnight, wake up, and make a to-do list. Sit down once a week to plan out the week’s deadlines and due dates. These good habits will be beneficial not only in school but also at any job or position you have afterwards. Overcoming procrastination will keep your life organized. With organization, you’ll be prepared to take on the day, look more polished, and carry yourself with more confidence because you have a plan and a to-do list to help you complete it.
Imagine waking up at 7AM everyday without hitting the snooze button. You get up to check your emails and look over your planner. Instead of rushing out the door, you have time to enjoy your cup of coffee while making your to-do list for the day. There are deadlines coming up but you’re confident you’ll get all of them done. Deadlines don’t make you nervous anymore and you’re not as stressed as you once were.
Once you’re done planning your day, you put the to-do list to the side. You flip open your planner and smile at the at home spa day you planned for yourself tomorrow.
When you plan ahead, you have time to enjoy your day. But when you procrastinate, it’s hard to focus on anything except the upcoming deadline. Stress will set in and your mood will fall so you need to follow these 5 tips for overcoming procrastination.
Why put yourself through that torture when procrastination can be prevented? Apply our 5 best tips for overcoming procrastination to your life and see how much easier and enjoyable life can be.
