This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Marist chapter.

There are 3 kinds of procrastinators

Too lazy to care
Ignorer of responsibilities
Test the boundaries

Most people start out as forgetful before it becomes a mix not caring about forgetting or turning it into a game of “how long can I wait and still do the assignment?”

Some people are content with procrastinating, and may even take pride in it. First thing is first, no one cares how long you waited. No one is envious of your procrastination skills. No one is in awe of you. Many people don’t care enough to fix their procrastination and start being more organized and productive, but those of you who do care…

Here is my guide to combatting procrastination:

1. Choose a place to write down all of your assignments.

It has to be a place that you will look at. Better yet, it should be a place that you look at naturally and is not a conscious effort to check.

On your mirror
Sticky not on your laptop
Calendar
Phone reminder
The wall by your bed

2. Create a system for your reminders

Color code

Red= hard or long assignment

Blue= quick assignment

Red= math

Blue= english

Whatever makes the most sense to you

ALWAYS write important assignment information

Essay on Plato

Due: Monday at 3:30

For: Philosophy

Must be printed

3. Always plan to finish the assignment two days before it is actually due

This allots for you falling behind, it being more timely than you expected or you needing to ask for help

4. Keep all assignments, not just the assignments approaching, on your reminder list

Make sure everything on your plate that you are aware of is organized.

5. Everytime you tell yourself you have no homework, check your list

Unless your list is empty, there is something you could be doing

6. I don’t suggest you do unassigned homework in advance unless you are confident that you know what to do

If you have reading due in two class periods, sure go ahead in read it.

If you have an essay on that book, I don’t suggest starting the essay until your teacher has officially assigned it. They may have made prompt changes or helpful suggestions.

That is how to handle your assignments, but how do you get motivated to care?

1. Well, the first thing you have to do is tell yourself that you’ll feel less stressed once your to do list lightens up.

2. Start by doing the hardest tasks first. Get them out of the way. Once those are complete, you’ll feel more motivated to move on to the easier stuff.

3. Or work your way down the list. Do the assignments in order that they’re due. Once you get all your homework done for each day, you’ll feel better off overall.

4. Or break up your assignments into 20 or so minute segments. Telling yourself that you only need to focus for 20 minutes will make it easier to get through the entire assignment.

But how do I stay focused?

1. Always keep your to-do list visible as a reminder of all there is to do – this keeps you accountable

2. Remove distractions

Put white noise on in the background

Listen to your music

Put your phone away

Find a quiet space, alone

3. Set up mini rewards for reaching checkpoints

Tell yourself that you will eat your chocolate bar once you have written your first page.

4. Set a timer and take a break every 20 minutes

Tell yourself that you will do 5, 20 minute segments of work.

Honestly, procrastination is a mindset. It is a conscious decision to push off your work. It is a state of carelessness. You may be surviving now, but one day, when it really matters, your bad habit will cause you problems. So nip it in the bud now.

How to Combat Procrastination