If there’s one thing students learn to perfect in college, it is the art of racing the clock to meet deadlines. At the beginning and end of each semester, tension rises along with heart rates and blood pressure. The to-do lists get longer, and the hours seem shorter with each fleeting day. Is that even possible?
Imagine for a second a world where you are actually prepared to take on the day, instead of scrambling around at the last minute to whip up a poorly planned project that could possibly determine a large portion of your GPA. The thought sounds nearly impossible, but with a few tips, we’ll have you out of procrastination mode, creating more room for relaxation. Deal?
P.S. Don’t you dare put down this article for later. You will end up wishing you hadn’t. Plus, we’re trying to help you grow in the anti-procrastination area, and putting this paper down is defeating our entire purpose. Stick with me.
First, prioritize. I know. I know — you’ve heard it before, but have you actually tried it? Before Monday rolls around, set aside some time to plan your week. Mark days for upcoming tests, papers, study groups, etc. Write it all down in a planner, so you can quickly view what needs to be done.
Ask yourself what are the most important projects to tackle each day? Divide big projects into smaller ones. Accomplish part one today and part two tomorrow. This prevents you from getting overwhelmed or burned out.
You can use an “ABC/123” system. On your to-do list, mark A’s as most important, B’s next and C’s last. Number A’s with a one, two or three (from most important to least), and follow the same pattern for the other letters. Ta-dah! You have prioritized your to-do list. Start with A1 and close the day with C4.
Now comes the tough part. Roll up your sleeves, and get it done. If you knock out the “worst” project first, the others will seem like a piece of cake. Keep this in mind when you’re planning your “ABC/123” list. You’ll have the most energy at the start of your day and will end up with better results.
Don’t forget to cross off items on your to-do list as you accomplish each task. The sense of completion will keep momentum going.
But, do you ever have those things that just get in the way? Your phone rings and dings, and social media alerts constantly call your name. What will the world do without you for five minutes or a few hours? Try putting your phone on silent (No cheating. Keep it out of sight, too). Believe it or not, you can actually breathe without a cell phone attached to your ear (or palm for you texters).
Focus for at least half an hour, and then reward yourself with some phone time or whatever your major distraction is. Studying in shorter spurts over a long period of time actually helps retain information in your long-term memory. Thank you, psychology class. See what would have happened if I had been too busy looking at my phone?
Finally, to steal a quote from Nike, “Just do it.” Putting off tasks until later only magnifies their intensity. You’ll psych yourself out by continuing to put off what could be done today. You know that feeling of accomplishment you get when you finally turn in that big project and breathe a sigh of relief? Multiply that by 20 and you’ll come close to experiencing a life without procrastination.
By prioritizing and eliminating distractions, you’ll make more time for the important things in life, like that date you blew off because your lab report was due the next day. Nerd out now, and you can let loose later.
