You’ve made it yet again! It’s that time of the semester – papers are flyin’. Exams are loomin’. Cortisol levels are risin’ because stress is a-brewin’. Many of you within the last week must have thought: a-ha! It’s the long weekend! I’ll, get, like, tons of stuff done and be way ahead of the game! Now—how many of you actually did that? Am I hearing cricket chirps? Yeah, just as I suspected.
I think the first thing to know is: we’re all guilty of procrastination. Lots of us are on our own for the first time. That, combined with the virtue of having campus-wide WiFi access and a 2016 Internet to roam on, we are constantly distracted. I mean, I just “took a break” from writing this article to play a needless game of Tetris Battle.
Ew. My textbooks. Gross.
1. First, to slay it, understand what procrastination is.
Procrastination is a combination of chemical stuff happening in your brain and perception. Whenever you do something enjoyable (Tumblr cats, Reddit AMAs, Twitter rumours), dopamine floods your brain, which makes you want to repeat the action. In addition, the phenomenon of temporal discounting makes you believe that a small reward now (entertaining Buzzfeed video) is worth more than a large reward later (well-done essay and sense of relief).
AsapSCIENCE does a good job explaining what’s actually going on in your brain and how to “incept” it.
2. Just get started.
The Zeitgarnik Effect is an interesting phenomenon that you may have experienced. Often once we start something, we have the urge to keep on doing it. It’s just the starting that takes a little effort. Realize that once you start, you’ve already won(!), and use that momentum to keep on going.
3. Have external pressure.
Back in high school we had teachers and parents looming over us. Deadlines were more often and you were constantly reminded of them. Moreover, if you didn’t succeed, some adult would kick your butt. Now, if you fail a class, professors don’t have to care (about your academic performance) since they get paid anyway and your parents don’t have to know. You have to find a way to be accountable to yourself. Sometimes it’s as simple as being proud of your work. Other times it’s setting goals, or having a friendly competition with a friend. You could even pair up with someone else and strike a deal that the first person to finish an essay by this time and date will have a free lunch paid by the other person.
4. Techniques.
The Pomodoro Technique is a popular procrastination-beating technique in which you set a timer to work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After four rounds of Pomodoro, take a longer break. Use a free Pomodoro timer here.
5. Get away from the Internet.
I swear, the Internet was the greatest thing created by man and the most evil. To keep yourself away from Tumblr cats and Buzzfeed videos, try a site-blocking app like Self-Control. It blacklists sites you want to keep yourself away from for a set amount of time. You can also whitelist the few sites you’ll allow yourself to visit.
6. Just get away.
I find changing up my environment helps. Work in the kitchen. Work on the beach. Work in a coffee shop in proximity to other people working so that their working peer-pressures you into working! Besides, you can only stay in a coffee shop for so long before you overstay your welcome, and you don’t want to pay for another drink, do you? So, get your work done in that window of time!
Wreck was practically made for overstressed students.
7. Speaking of coffee shops, find the hum.
Some people find music a motivator…but not too much of it. I personally like the “hum” of a cafe or study lounge (like Irving) while pure silence drives me insane. You can try listening to white noise while you study if you amazingly can’t find a coffee shop somewhere in Vancouver.
Find the hum
8. Reward yourself (but not too much!)
It’s OK to let yourself loose a little and have a donut (or two) during stress season. However, I’d caution against going too crazy, like binge-drinking to forget about stress.
Hangover + essay = nightmare. Save that trophy for after your last exam (and try not to kill too many brain cells in the process).
9. Remember that breaks are good.
Your brain is a living thing with cells. It needs food and sleep to function. Give it that. And hey, sometimes a break is what you need – not one playing Tetris, but a walk in fresh air, or a friendly conversation with a friend. Or a sandwich.
10. Remind yourself why you’re doing this.
Hopefully you’re studying something in university you genuinely care about. No matter how disciplined you are, you won’t reach to your fullest potential unless you genuinely want to succeed. If not, maybe think about why you’re studying what you’re studying and if it’s necessary to change any of that. Self-reflection never hurts, and in the thick of things, we often forget to take care of ourselves. Once in a while, do run yourself a hot bath and eat some ice cream!
Good luck beating procrastination HCUBC cuties!