Procrastination is an art developed over many years. It is the ability to sit down fully intent to do one thing and several hours achieved none of them because your attention was diverted by……….well pretty much anything else! So, what are the tried and tested ways of overcoming study procrastination?
Know your learning style – Once you know what your learning style is you will be able to work out your most effective ways of learning;
If you like note taking you are a reading/writing learner, buy a nice new pad to jot notes in.
If you are an auditory learner then find resources on your course that are podcasts
Visual learners may like to find videos that are related to your subject.
If you’re a kinaesthetic learner then try to apply what you’re learning in your role or find a way to ‘do’, with some subject matter this is easier than others.
A social learner like to be in a group of people to learn. If this is you look for workshops or become actively involved in forums and discussions.
If you are a solo learner and prefer the sound of your own breathing and everyone else in the room can feel like ‘white noise’ then that’s an easy one to solve…….find a nice quiet spot and open your books.
We are often not only one type of learner and will need to use a mixture of the above to get it right.
Ask for help – if you are on a study course you will have a dedicated tutor or adviser so ask them to help you. Remember there are no silly questions, you are on a learning journey, you don’t know what you don’t know!
Eliminate distractions – turn your devices off or at least turn them screen side down. If you like background noise make it low and make it something that isn’t visual.
Work when you feel most alert and efficient – some of us are ‘owls’ and work best at night and some of us are ‘larks’ and are awake early. Work out what you are and use that time for your study. You will be at your most focused and achieve more if you are not tired and are fully alert.
Set simple, achievable goals– Break things down into more manageable, small, bitesize pieces and reward yourself when you’ve done it, whatever it is that makes you feel like you have earned something for all your efforts.
Remind yourself why you are doing it – write down why you are studying, what it is you want at the end of it all. Put it somewhere you see when you’re studying. Everyone’s study motivation is different, for example; getting another job, moving up the career ladder, learning a new skill or gaining recognition for all your years of experience.
Set yourself deadlines and tell someone you are going to do it by a date/time – it could be friends or family, your tutor, or a mentor. This makes you accountable to someone.
Above all – DON’T PANIC, this is not ‘life and death’ your learning is meant to be enjoyable, and it is a journey to achieving your goals, which will make you feel great, it is not meant to create more stress in your life.