What do you do when you're at home and need to get some study or some other work done? Do you do it? When there is no one watching over you and keeping you accountable what do you do? Do you do what you're supposed to be doing? Or do you do some things that you're not supposed to be doing? And in case you're wondering yes Facebook is one of those things!
As a student, you know there are deadlines coming up (and hopefully you are aware of them), but unless they are coming up really soon (like when something is due tomorrow) there is a good chance you're in a state of total relaxation. But why is that?
If you're the only one currently holding yourself accountable then unfortunately there's a good chance you'll be happy to let yourself off the hook! You don't want to be mean to yourself after all. Life is short. You want to spend your time having fun. Watch television, jump on the internet, go shopping for new clothes, play computer games and generally do whatever you like! Well, that's what you're thinking anyway (we know this because that's what we're thinking too!)
The difficulty that arises with this approach is that a little voice in our head starts saying, "Don't forget about that thing that's due soon" or "You're really going to get it if you don't do that thing" and it really seems to start hounding us louder and more often if we don't do something about it (like drown it out with music!) So we always suggest that you get the work done first and then you can have as much free time as you want later. In order to do that you need to know how to stop procrastinating and start taking action. Here are five tips that will make procrastination a thing of the past for you:
Tip number one. You are not perfect, so deal with it! So many procrastinators get stuck because they believe things just have to be perfect. But nothing in life is perfect! Spoiler alert: you are not perfect and you shouldn't try to be because you will only make your life harder that it should be. And sometimes you will fail - deal with that as well! It's OK to make mistakes but it's not OK to not do anything because it has to be pure perfection or nothing. Perfectionists would rather not hand an assignment in and fail than hand in an OK assignment and get a mark of 75%. Now isn't that just plain silly!
Tip number two. Always break down any task into smaller tasks. This should be obvious but it's amazing how many people are unable to break big tasks down into smaller tasks. If you look at a big task then it will look big. Because it is big! But you don't have to build a house with one swing of a hammer. You have to go through a series of smaller tasks. That's life. Break your tasks down into tiny little tasks and then complete them one by one. Once you make a start you'll wonder why you were ever worried about the task at all!
Tip number three. Find an accountability buddy. This is actually really powerful if you can manage it. When there is someone else keeping you accountable you are far more likely to follow through on your promises. You both agree on what you will each be doing and it's the job of the other person to hold you accountable. So you both hold each other accountable. Bonus tip: if you put something on the line (like if you agreed "If I don't complete this promise you get my iPad" and vice versa) it will make it even harder to not do what you promised and you will be super motivated.
Tip number four. Spend as much time as possible with people who want to do something special with their life. When you spend time with drop-kicks you also become a drop-kick. It's just human nature. Find people who have already achieved what you want to achieve (many of them can be found online these days!) and start listening to them and learning from them. You deserve to give yourself an opportunity to do something awesome with your life so don't mix with the wrong crowd.
Tip number five. Become a distraction destroyer. If you notice a distraction creeping up and getting ready to take you away from what you should be doing then smack the heck out of it! Distractions are a major reason why things don't get done. So don't take them lightly. Hit them hard. Turn off the television, switch off the X Box, put your cell phone on mute, jump off Facebook, YouTube, Pin It and every other time consuming social website and just do some work. You'll find that after 10 or 15 minutes of doing something it will be easy to do another 10 or 15 minutes, and then another, and then another.
In the end only you can decide what is important to you. Life is long when you spend your time doing things you hate. So don't make a career out of it! Make the choice today to make your life something special. Good luck!
As a student, you know there are deadlines coming up (and hopefully you are aware of them), but unless they are coming up really soon (like when something is due tomorrow) there is a good chance you're in a state of total relaxation. But why is that?
If you're the only one currently holding yourself accountable then unfortunately there's a good chance you'll be happy to let yourself off the hook! You don't want to be mean to yourself after all. Life is short. You want to spend your time having fun. Watch television, jump on the internet, go shopping for new clothes, play computer games and generally do whatever you like! Well, that's what you're thinking anyway (we know this because that's what we're thinking too!)
The difficulty that arises with this approach is that a little voice in our head starts saying, "Don't forget about that thing that's due soon" or "You're really going to get it if you don't do that thing" and it really seems to start hounding us louder and more often if we don't do something about it (like drown it out with music!) So we always suggest that you get the work done first and then you can have as much free time as you want later. In order to do that you need to know how to stop procrastinating and start taking action. Here are five tips that will make procrastination a thing of the past for you:
Tip number one. You are not perfect, so deal with it! So many procrastinators get stuck because they believe things just have to be perfect. But nothing in life is perfect! Spoiler alert: you are not perfect and you shouldn't try to be because you will only make your life harder that it should be. And sometimes you will fail - deal with that as well! It's OK to make mistakes but it's not OK to not do anything because it has to be pure perfection or nothing. Perfectionists would rather not hand an assignment in and fail than hand in an OK assignment and get a mark of 75%. Now isn't that just plain silly!
Tip number two. Always break down any task into smaller tasks. This should be obvious but it's amazing how many people are unable to break big tasks down into smaller tasks. If you look at a big task then it will look big. Because it is big! But you don't have to build a house with one swing of a hammer. You have to go through a series of smaller tasks. That's life. Break your tasks down into tiny little tasks and then complete them one by one. Once you make a start you'll wonder why you were ever worried about the task at all!
Tip number three. Find an accountability buddy. This is actually really powerful if you can manage it. When there is someone else keeping you accountable you are far more likely to follow through on your promises. You both agree on what you will each be doing and it's the job of the other person to hold you accountable. So you both hold each other accountable. Bonus tip: if you put something on the line (like if you agreed "If I don't complete this promise you get my iPad" and vice versa) it will make it even harder to not do what you promised and you will be super motivated.
Tip number four. Spend as much time as possible with people who want to do something special with their life. When you spend time with drop-kicks you also become a drop-kick. It's just human nature. Find people who have already achieved what you want to achieve (many of them can be found online these days!) and start listening to them and learning from them. You deserve to give yourself an opportunity to do something awesome with your life so don't mix with the wrong crowd.
Tip number five. Become a distraction destroyer. If you notice a distraction creeping up and getting ready to take you away from what you should be doing then smack the heck out of it! Distractions are a major reason why things don't get done. So don't take them lightly. Hit them hard. Turn off the television, switch off the X Box, put your cell phone on mute, jump off Facebook, YouTube, Pin It and every other time consuming social website and just do some work. You'll find that after 10 or 15 minutes of doing something it will be easy to do another 10 or 15 minutes, and then another, and then another.
In the end only you can decide what is important to you. Life is long when you spend your time doing things you hate. So don't make a career out of it! Make the choice today to make your life something special. Good luck!
About the Author:
HelpMeToStudy.org is the number one resource for learning new study skills, transforming your study habits and discovering the best studying tips available. We will help change the way you think about study - and even better - we will show you how to study effectively: How To Stop Procrastinating | Studying Tips
No comments:
Post a Comment