Like the majority of people on this planet, I enjoy procrastinating. Why would I want to hurry to do work when I can mess around and have fun? This procrastination may seem like an escape from stress and hard work initially, but in the end it never works out that way. More often than not, I find myself doing an excessive amount of work at the last minute. My work always gets done, but last minute cram sessions aren’t exactly fun.
In order to help others avoid those last minute cram sessions that plague me, I thought I would discuss tactics that I have (successfully) used to avoid procrastination.
- Get a calendar. When I say a calendar, I don’t mean just any calendar. You should get a nice, big calendar with lots of empty white space on it. Now, fill it out as completely as you can. I have found that writing things down helps me remember them and it will make you think about what you have to do every time you see it.
- Reward yourself and take little breaks. Tell yourself that if you complete a percentage of your work, you can take a small break to screw around. Just make sure that this little break does not turn into a longer one.
- If there are other people around (e.g., parents), tell them what you are working on. Although it isn’t fun to get nagged by others, it will keep you from straying from your task. Fear is an excellent motivator.
- Make up due dates that are earlier than they really are. This will make you do your work faster and give you extra time in case you mess up. Also, you can start something new earlier.
- Feel free to go into panic mode. People always act like panicking is bad, but it has some upsides. If you are panicking, you will work faster and get stuff done. While it is not always good, I find that my best work frequently occurs when I am highly stressed out and working hard. I end up working hard and getting stuff done.
Procrastination can be the poison for many people, but these tips should help you figure it out and fight it off!