Tips to Prevent Procrastination
How often do you say "I'll do that later"? Throughout life, there will always be a number of tasks to complete. Attending college leads to assignments, new responsibilities, and more tasks to do in a day. Procrastination is the act of delaying a certain activity, and can be a bad habit for many college students. A 2007 study by Piers Steel, PhD showed that 80-90% of college students procrastinate. Below are a few tips on how to combat this issue.
The "Seinfeld Strategy"
Jerry Seinfeld created a method to help people trying to create a new habit, such as ending procrastination. It consists of creating a goal for each day on the calendar and when it is completed, marking an "X" on that day. The goal is to not break the chain. This works for many people because the goal is to continue the number of X's instead of being motivated to do the actual work. A tip is to choose tasks for each day that are simple, and put it on a calendar date that is earlier than the due date. The goals for each day can be different than the day before, but they need to be ones that will make progress on the task.
Staying Off Media
The constant distraction of social media and technology can encourage procrastination. There is a range of how much to distance yourself from technology but here are some ideas that are helpful.
- Put phone on do not disturb
- Download a focus app such as Forest or Stay Focused
- Delete apps while working and download them later
- If it is distracting, turn off music
- Leaving devices in a different room
Give Yourself Rewards
When a task seems long or just not enjoyable, think of a reward for later. For example, hanging out with friends after writing a long paper. Binging a new show or even getting food can be rewards for doing assignments. In life, we have to make time for things we enjoy, and constantly delaying schoolwork can lead to underlying stress. Getting work done with and then enjoying something afterwards leads to getting to do something with work in the back of your mind.
Think About The Future
Many procrastinators focus on how they will feel while working on something, and not how they will feel when everything is over. Think about the benefits of finishing something instead of dragging it on. If the task is doing laundry, think about how nice it feels to have a full closet of clean clothes. The feeling of freedom when there is less on your plate is relieving and procrastinators need to remind themselves of that.
What are Your Thoughts?
Not all of these tricks will work for everybody but they are helpful to try. Are there any ways that you eliminate procrastination that aren't listed? Will you incorporate any of these ideas into your own habits? Or do you find procrastination to be helpful in any way?
Hi Ava! The study you provided a link to is helpful and your visuals kept the blog engaging. I find it interesting you asked if procrastination is helpful in any way. For me procrastinating is detrimental because I get stressed out but I know many people thrive under the pressure. I put my phone on Do Not Disturb when I need to focus on work and I will give myself a reward after finishing a long assignment. I have also tried the forest app but that is not the most effective method for me. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, thank you for your feedback! I feel that procrastination is a negative thing for me as well. I'm glad that you already know what works best to help you combat procrastination! Looking forward to a reward is so motivating. I am on the lookout for more study apps to keep me off the phone, so let me know if you have found any more helpful ones. Thank you for reading!
DeleteHi Ava! Your blog is very visually pleasing and the images along with the spacing makes it easy to read and comprehend. I also think your information is accurate as I also have trouble with procrastination at times. For me personally, to combat procrastination I always set goals for myself daily and when I'm starting my work, I make sure to put my phone across the room so I'm not distracted. I'm definitely going to consider including some of your other tips in my daily routine to see if they can help me even more!
ReplyDeleteHi Morgan! Setting daily goals is so helpful with increasing motivation. Being able to cross something off my to-do list is so satisfying, so I definitely agree with that strategy! I'm so glad you enjoyed my post and that you are going to try out some new tips.
DeleteHi Ava! Your blog was a really enjoyable to read. I really liked the format and design, including the images and color schemes you have chosen. I also liked that you incorporated lists, making it easier for viewers to read. As a student it is hard to not procrastinate assignments. I will definitely take into account the tips you mentioned. I usually avoid procrastination by creating a to do list every week. Overall great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle! Thank you for your kind words! A to-do list is extremely helpful, especially being a college student with so much work to do. A to-do list has also helped me not forget about an assignment in the past. I'm glad you are going to try to incorporate some of these tips into your habits!
DeleteHi Ava! I think this blog was super motivating. I find this is a habit of mine to procrastinate my work, including my studying. I think that giving yourself a reward in regards to studying is important and completing tasks is important and good advice. Making sure that you are prioritizing your mental health by rewarding yourself and having fun is super important when completing tasks. I think you did a great job! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Ellie! I am so glad that you found this post encouraging. I agree that taking time to think about your mental health when it comes to school work is really important. It can become easy to just focus on work and not yourself. Thank you for your kind words!
DeleteHi Ava! I enjoyed reading this blog. It was nice to see different ways I can stop procrastinating with homework or studying. I believe that rewarding yourself is important otherwise you can become burnt out. The way I stop procrastinating is by making a homework board with homework, exams, and papers I have to do that week. I will cross them out when I finished them. I would incorporate rewarding myself.
ReplyDeleteHi Justin! A homework board is a great way to remember when assignments are due, and crossing them off must feel so relieving. It reminds me of the Seinfeld Strategy in a sense. Planning to reward yourself is a great idea. Thank you for reading!
DeleteHi Ava! Your blog strongly resonated with me as I often find myself procrastinating. It was really helpful to learn about different strategies that I can apply to prevent this habit in the future. Although, it was weirdly assuring to learn that 80-90% of college students procrastinate. To prevent procrastination, I usually try to enumerate all my daily responsibilities. This gives me the drive to complete them, similar to the “Seinfeld Strategy” mentioned in your blog. In the future, I will definitely utilize some of your other strategies like distancing myself from my phone.
ReplyDeleteHi Will! Knowing that majority of students procrastinate is comforting in some ways. It reminds us that many other people face the same struggles and habits. I find the Seinfeld Strategy to be very helpful as well. I'm glad that you are going to try distancing yourself from social media when working.
DeleteHi Ava! As someone who tends to procrastinate, I really appreciated the tips highlighted in your blog. I plan my weeks out and I believe that thinking about the future has really helped me end my procrastination. I'm also going to try out the Seinfeld strategy in the last few weeks of classes!
ReplyDeleteHey Ava! It seems like uncanny timing to read your blog, as Spring Break is now upon us and all I have been doing recently is procrastinating. I have been searching for methods to break this vicious cycle for myself, so I am very glad to see one of my classmates putting together a blog full of tips. The strategies you mentioned in your blog prove to be effective, especially for people like me who have goal-oriented minds. Being glued to social media is also a huge problem, so leaving my phone in a separate room while I crunch out schoolwork seems to be a great option.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures you included were great in helping visualize the content, and you kept it brief but packed with valuable info.
Thanks!
Hi Ava! I really liked you blog. I think it is super relevant, I know I personally I procrastinate sometimes. I really liked how you incorporated bullet points and lot of visuals. One thing that has helped me is putting my phone in do not disturb when I am working as you said in the blog. After reading your blog I am going to try the thinking about the future method the next time I am procrastinating a paper or lab report.
ReplyDeleteHi Ava! I procrastinate sometimes, so this blog is relevant to me. I enjoy the use of headings and bullet points. The tips highlighted in your blog are practical and informative and can be helpful for anyone. I will definitely incorporate the information that you mentioned into my responsibilities.
ReplyDelete