What is ‘procrastination’? Procrastination is when a person lacks the motivation and/or inspiration to start, continue, or complete a project or other work. Many times, the project does not, as Marie Kondo says, “spark joy.” Students are some of the most habitual offenders of procrastination, especially when the class the work is for, is not interesting to them.
The two Sides of procrastination
- “Just don’t want to do it.”
Projects that we just never want to get done, they are extremely tedious and uninteresting to us. These projects also take more brain power than wanted from us. Eventually these projects do get done, however, they get done closer to the due date or done “halfway.”
- “Works better under pressure”
People who constantly procrastinate always tell themselves this lie. They know they procrastinate and are absolutely convinced that they only work better closer to the due date because of the urgency of the assignment. The people treat the “due” date as the “do” date.
Ways to Overcome procrastination
Every person is different. What may work for an individual may not work for you. The best advice is to “find what works for you.” This may include trying lists and calendars and even as silly as it may seem, scheduling EVERYTHING.
Here are some techniques that people have found to work:
- Making a list: This could be on a sticky note or even part of its own notebook. Making a physical list of every assignment that you have that you need to complete by the end of the day can help. Visualizing is key.
- Google Calendar: It is a free service to use on the web and on your phone by creating tasks, multiple calendars, and reminders, all in one place. Calendar is easily accessible across all platforms from iOS to Windows.
- Planner: Purchasing a planner can help exponentially if you are someone who needs a physical reminder and limits distractions, unlike a cellphone or computer. The ability to write anything you need without limiting it to a category can be more helpful!
- Pomodoro Method: The Pomodoro Method is a study method using twenty-five-minute timed intervals (also known as pomodoros) of consistent studying, then after the time goes off, you take a five-minute break. After you repeat those steps 4 times, allow yourself to take a longer break 15-30 minutes. At that point, you would have been studying for at least 2 and a half hours. The main struggle is maintaining focus by eliminating any distractions you can.
- Assignment Tracker: If you Google “Google Sheets Assignment Tracker Template” there are some already-made trackers where you can plug your current assignments with the due dates and subjects. Through the sheet, you can check off the assignment and keep track of your progress.
Procrastination in our day to day life
Based on my own experiences, I will procrastinate anything and everything if it means that I can avoid confrontation or uncomfortable situations. However, this also means that I also get myself into uncomfortable situations due to procrastination. I noticed that I procrastinate the most on communication, I will not reach out until the last minute and I will avoid hanging out with people and justify it as “me time.” I have learned within the past month and a half at college that many people do the same thing but overcome it by just forcing themself to just do it, put themselves out there, and go to that event, hang out, or club meeting.
Interviews
I spoke with two of my friends and asked them both the same questions (these questions were mainly focused on schoolwork):
- What do you do to prevent procrastination?
- How do you overcome any procrastination?
- How do you keep track of all your work and what helps when you’re doing your work?
- Is there any special method you use to focus on classwork?
Friend #1 is a STEM Education Major and these were her responses:
- She writes everything down and visualizing works really well for her.
- She attempts to force herself to just get work done. It does not work most of the time, mostly because even more assignments pop up.
- Using the Pomodoro method helps her physically keep track of all of her work when she is doing it. The reminders to take a break help her regather her thoughts.
- For the last question, she just reiterated that visualizing the assignments helps her keep on top of everything.
Friend #2 is an English Education Major, these were her responses:
- “What I do to prevent procrastination is make lists and schedule when I want to do things. This creates fake urgency and helps me not save things for the last minute. It does not always work but if I do not finish something on the day I want it to get done I still have time before the real due date. Additionally, I find I procrastinate less when I am working on homework around people because if they are working I feel like I also have to be productive.”
- “I overcome procrastination by starting to do some easier assignments and then once I’m in a productive state I do some harder assignments. If I try to start with the hard assignments I will try to delay starting as much as possible. If I start with something easier I can complete it and feel accomplished and then I’ll be at my computer or my desk already to start my assignment.”
- “I use Canvas to Keep track of my work. I use my dashboard to make sure I don’t miss any deadlines and as they get submitted on canvas they get crossed off.”
- “I do not use any special method to focus on classwork.”
How I Overcome Procrastination.
Sometimes it’s hard for me to just sit down and get in the zone to finish the book, or even just hang out with my friends. I’ve learned that putting down any due date, free time, or even meal times into my calendar is such a good way to be productive and STILL enjoy what I am doing. I have also learned that it is ok to do things by myself and to take a leap of faith. Coming into college as someone who used to be afraid to put herself out there forced me to open my eyes, to communicate, and overall it helped me change my mindset. While I still have those instances where I want to curl up cozy in my bed all day, I get up, get ready, and face the day… sometimes, without procrastinating.
Closing
Everyone has different ways to get out of their procrastination habits. What is important is to find what works for you and to stick with it. Another thing to remember is that EVERYONE procrastinates, whether they are a chronic procrastinator, is a whole other story.