Everyone procrastinates at different times in thier life. In students, putting a task off for the next day is a commonly observed tendency. Psychologists believe that people who procrastinate do not have the correct sense of time and thus, they believe that there is enough time to complete a task. If you struggle with procrastination, then below are the best ways to avoid it:
Do not hate any task
The task aversion tendency is because students tend to view a certain task in an unpleasant manner. Catastrophizing that which can be simplified to making a huge deal out of a simple task may lead the individual into believing that it is very difficult to complete the task. However, this procrastination leads to more stress for the student with the fear of impending deadlines. Therefore, avoid making an assumption about the nature of the task before you start to work on it.
Understand the reason
Students who procrastinate usually think about the short-term benefits of putting off a task than thinking about the long-term outputs of finishing a task at the right time. Therefore, the next time you procrastinate, ponder over the necessity of completing that task. Thinking about the benefits of finishing a task gives a boost to one’s morale and eliminates the procrastination factor.
Use a planner
Schedule your tasks in a planner so that you are aware of the kind of planning you need to put in for different projects and activities. Mention a definite date for completion of the work so that you prioritize it in a systematic manner. You can also set a timer because it will enable you to finish the tasks in allotted time. Additionally, make a habit of reviewing your daily progress. By spending a mere 5-10 minutes every day, you can have an idea of the high-priority tasks.
Break any project into smaller tasks
It has been commonly observed in procrastinators that they tend to put off tasks which are large and overwhelming for the next day. Thus, a large task when divided into smaller chunks is easy to complete. If you still find yourself procrastinating after you have broken down the task then you must simplify these tasks even further.
Remove any distractions
Don’t make it easy for yourself to procrastinate. Look for the distractions which push you to procrastinate. Check for the website bookmarks on which you spend a lot of time and shift them to a separate folder. You can also unsubscribe to the email notifications of such websites which tend to take up a considerable amount of your time. While people might deactivate their social media accounts, it is generally not necessary. It can be avoided because you need to be conscious of your actions than taking drastic steps which might not be a permanent solution.
The way we procrastinate and the tasks we tend to push off for later varies from person to person. While procrastinating can hinder your success, the built-up stress might even affect your health and state of mind. So, next time when you sit down to work on a project and you think about procrastinating, just follow the above-mentioned ways.