Five Strategies to Manage Procrastination
Procrastination gets the best of most of us but we don’t address it head on because we feel like we have no choice but to do everything haphazardly and rushed. But, usually it’s our conscious and unconscious choices that fix our schedule so that we’re rushing to do what’s most important at the very last moment.
Today, I’m going to share 5 strategies (in order) that I’ve developed to manage my procrastination tendencies. I hope these strategies help you too!
1. Get clarity on what you’ve got to accomplish.
This one sounds like: duh, Danielle! But believe it or not—we don’t often consider exactly what our various homework assignments, essays, tests, and assessments require us to do in order to prepare for them. So we don’t set aside enough time, we don’t prepare the right atmosphere and conditions to work in, and we don’t put ourselves in the right frame of mind.
You have to think carefully and strategically about all of the stuff you’ve got to do and what it’ll take to get it done. Only then can you start step 2.
2. Prioritize your tasks.
How you do this will depend on what kind of worker you are. Does it motivate you to knock the big, time consuming stuff out of the way first or does it encourage you when you’re able to start by delving into something smaller that you’ll be able to finish quickly?
Figure it out and prioritize accordingly. You’re not prioritizing so that you can choose what gets done and what doesn’t—because the plan is to get everything on your to-do list accomplished—but by prioritizing you’ll be able to tackle these tasks in a way that works authentically for you.
3. Break up tasks into bite-sized pieces.
You’ll be less overwhelmed and less intimidated if you break up big projects into smaller parts that you can do a little bit towards every day.
Big exam coming up? Break up your studying into chapters or sections. Or study for one portion of the exam one day and another the next day. Not only will you feel WAY more relaxed but you’ll actually retain the information better too. The same thing applies for essay writing. If you do a little at a time, you’ll have a higher quality paper to turn in at the end.
4. Schedule!
So you’ve figured out all the bite-sized pieces that make up everything on your to-do list. Now, it’s time to make a schedule!
Be realistic when scheduling. Don’t schedule a 6-hour study block when you know you don’t have the attention span, the energy, or the time to study for 6 hours straight. Instead, schedule a 2-hour study session and insert some down time and then get back to studying. You’ll be more productive when you have manageable chunks of time dedicated to work.
Also, don’t schedule brain-intensive activities when you know you’re going to be too tired. Some of us are morning people. Some of us are night owls. Learn your natural rhythm and schedule the most mental heavy lifting during your peak hours.
5. Hold yourself accountable to your schedule.
Last but definitely not least: a schedule won’t help you if you don’t stick to it, so hold yourself accountable!
You can do steps 1-4 but if you don’t make sure that you stick to your goals then procrastination will continue to plague your life. Write down your schedule and keep it someplace easily accessible. When you catch yourself slipping be honest and fix it.
Turn off the TV, put down your phone, go to a quiet room with little distractions if you can, and get to work!
Danielle Procope
Founder & Lead Editor of Mertina Writing Services
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