We all have experienced - some more often than other - that dirty little excitement in us when we tell ourselves that the pile of homework can be finished tomorrow instead.
Welcome to the kingdom of procrastination.
As students we work hard to play hard. Most of the times, we work hard finding valid excuses to do our work or assignment
later. It just feels so right at the moment we think,
"yea, I can definitely finish that paper Tuesday. Friday is just too good to be spent on writing 'Does Abstinence Work?' for my English class."And then, there comes Tuesday and it was the night the Vikings is playing against the Saints.
"Hah! Since the game is gonna end before midnight, why not write after the game is over?"Yes, climax for the story - you fell asleep before even the game entered third quarter.
Now let's see, we do not have the intention not to submit our assignments. No, we want to be good students, too, but life is simply too happening for us!
Here is your solution towards this ever-ending problem.
I researched, trust me I actually did, on ways to overcome procrastination suggested by different writers. I tried to look out for some common ways that can get rid of this evil nature of all human.
Here's what I've found. Since I am a big fan of acronyms recently, I am going to put it this way: follow the
PJRR formula.
First,
prioritize. This sounds silly but you should definitely make your list and asterisk the top three items that are bigger deals, especially the ones closer to deadlines. Remember to set your bar low. Do not be too ambitious about what you want to achieve in a short period. Be realistic with your to-do list. For example, if you only have three hours to spare, don't even think about writing a term paper because it is simply not enough. Set the right goals.
Once you have your list down, the next step is to
jumpstart. The toughest part of completing a project, is to start it. Studies show that toughest part lasts only the first 10 minutes in the beginning of a project. The main cause to all procrastination is the laziness to press the petal to begin going. We just need to hang on to what we want to do for that 600 seconds, our mental strength will then take over and does the rest of the remaining work. Great saying goes, "if the mind can perceive, the body can achieve." If you get it started, you are actually half way done.
Next, once you get your engine going, and the rest of the things begin to fall into place, you need to get some
rest. I know sometimes we will get too hyped up about some projects that we are working on and find no need to sleep. Our bodies need a certain amount of time to recharge energy. Keeping ourselves awake for too long will only accumulate tiredness and thus affect our next projects. Don't loss a forest because of a tree. This is why the planning and prioritizing stage is essential.
Finally, when all is done,
reward yourself! Do not underestimate the power of self-pampering. You are probably more motivated to complete your project when there is a new movie, or a mouth-watering dinner waiting for you (only when) your work is done. I personally find that setting similar reward at the end of the day can be really prompting. Remember, a good sleep should not be the reward that you want to look forward to. Food, hobbies, or quality time with loved ones are, however, great incentives.
As fall break is approaching, take the time to relax, breathe, and get recharged. When school reopens, find your focal point and get back going again. Thinking about it at this point, since we have come thus far this semester, why not evaluate ourselves at this perfect time and get back to the right pace.
It is not too late to start now!
