No matter if you’re a college student or a dedicated employee, sometimes procrastination can get the best of us.
I’m sure we’ve all been there… You spent your whole day slacking off, wasting time, and procrastinating. Then, 10PM rolls around and you realized that a homework assignment or work project is due at 8AM the next morning. Crap! Panic sets in and it seems impossible to not only get everything done but to get it done correctly.
I know from experience and I can promise you that this won’t happen again if you turn the following tips into habits.
My top secrets to beating procrastination are outlined below for your benefit. Remember to take action with these secrets – don’t procrastinate 😉
If you’re more of a video watcher than a reader, then click here to hop over to my YouTube channel to see these procrastination tips in a video! Or you could just scroll to the bottom of this post!
Functional Environment.
Finding the right environment to work in is key. If you’re stuck in a loud, busy, and distracting area then you’ll find countless reasons not to get your work done. At the same time, a really quite and comfy place (like your bed or couch) could hinder you from getting work done.
Make sure to find a place that is clean, decluttered, and has minimal distractions. It’s time to get to work!
Immediately Get Started.
Often times, the hardest step is just getting started. That is why it’s important to just jump in and immediately get started on your work. Once you’ve started it’ll be much easier to maintain that momentum and keep working for however long you need to.
Be Realistic.
Try not to get over ambitious by having a daily to-do list a million miles long. You need to be realistic about what you’ll actually be able to accomplish. Having an extremely long to-do list can be overwhelming and daunting, one of the many reasons why people procrastinate so much.
From Big Project, To Small Pieces.
If you have a super big project or task your working on, then split it up into smaller pieces! Often times, big projects can feel never ending and intimidating. Taking a big project and splitting it up into smaller tasks can help the overall project seem more attainable and you’ll feel more accomplished.
Start With Something Easy.
Similar to taking a big project and chopping it up into small pieces, I highly recommend you always start off with something easy. Once you’ve finished something easy, you’ll have the motivation to continue doing more work and ultimately completing one of the more difficult tasks that you were avoiding.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m sure we’ve all had those days where we’ve put off our work until late at night only to panic when we realized we’ve wasted so much time. The important thing about this is to not beat yourself up. Don’t get mad or angry at yourself for wasting away your day, instead focus on the task at hand and understand that you will get everything done.
Don’t get mad or angry at yourself for wasting away your day, instead focus on the task at hand and understand that you will get everything done and you will complete it correctly.
Positive Visualization.
Along with not beating yourself up, it’s important to maintain a positive mindset for what the future holds. Visualize yourself completing all of your tasks… what does it feel like? and how does that look? This positive mindset can propel you into your work, giving you the motivation to complete one of your dreaded assignments.
Celebrate Small Wins.
While keeping a positive mindset is great, it’s also key celebrate the small victories. If you’ve completed 5 things today the celebrate and recognize the small wins. Take this positive energy to continue on throughout your day or even into the next day!
If you’re interested in more college + life tips then head over to my main youtube channel where I upload videos every Wednesday!