As October draws to a close, I’m sure we’ve all had our fair share of long nights, made even longer by the ever-growing Canvas to-do list on our laptop screens. It can be exhausting to pull yourself together at this time of the semester (or even throughout the year, honestly), and sometimes it feels like you’ll never see the day when that to-do list becomes non-existent. However, as a somewhat professional procrastinator, I think I’ve finally mastered the art of Locking In. Here are some of the ways I force myself to get work done, even when I least feel like it (which, trust me, happens more often than you’d think).
- Body Doubling
Let me tell you that nothing motivates me more to finish my work than actually seeing someone do it in front of me. There’s something about being in a focused environment with another person, who’s likely suffering through assignments just like you, that miraculously motivates the human mind, even when all else fails. So, the next time you and your roommate are procrastinating on that Canvas to-do list, in favor of rotting in bed and scrolling through TikTok, try motivating each other by being mirror images of your hard-working selves.
- The Pomodoro Technique
This technique is a favorite of mine and, I’m sure, plenty of other students. It involves splitting your work into chunks or time blocks with breaks in between. The blocks can vary from 50 minutes of work with a 10-minute break to 20 minutes of work with a 5-minute break! It’s really about finding what works best for you, which is why this technique can help you get work done even when you lack the energy. It’s fully customizable and makes that list of tasks feel a lot less overwhelming.
- Make sure you have a good environment!
I cannot stress this enough: the perfect work environment makes me so much more motivated. If you’re someone who knows they can’t be disciplined enough to work alone in their dorm, go somewhere where you’re forced to focus under the gaze of others—like a cute cafĂ©, the PCL, or a friend’s dorm. On the flip side, if you get easily distracted (like me), studying in your room might be better. Light a nice fall-scented candle, put on some dark academia music (or whatever you prefer), and open the window to let in some natural light! The possibilities for creating the perfect work environment are endless, and that’s what makes it so fun. A little romanticization of studying never hurt anybody.
- Give yourself little rewards
I especially like to do this when I have a midterm or major project coming up. Knowing that something rewarding is waiting at the end of that torturous tunnel called midterm season, makes the experience a bit more worth your energy and motivates you to put in the work. It could be a new candle or maybe that pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing for a while (I’m looking at you, New Balances). And, of course, an A is always nice to see after all that hard work.
- Give yourself grace & be patient
If there’s anything you take away from all of this, let it be this: midterm season is stressful enough, and constantly criticizing or beating yourself up for not doing enough won’t make things any easier. In fact, that negative mindset will only make things worse by leaving you even more unmotivated. The best thing you can do for yourself during tough weeks like these is to be kind to yourself. Celebrate the small victories, even if it’s just completing one thing off your to-do list. Because if you can do a task once, you can definitely do it again.