It is ironic that I am starting this at 10 PM the night before I need to send it in for approval. I feel like procrastination is something that every person deals with, whether you’re in school or not. It’s kind of a difficult habit to break and it is just a vicious cycle. I know a lot of you guys can relate, but I feel that homework is something that can only get done right before it’s due or else it will sit on my laptop screen open untouched for four days. For me, whether it's baking 25 challahs all in one day or taking the chicken out of the freezer before my mom gets home, I feel like I can always do it later. The only reason that habit of procrastination is so hard to break is because everything seems to get done on time. I don’t even know where half of the year went, but it seems as though graduation is sneaking up on me. I like to think that I work better under stressful situations, and I think that’s my way of justifying procrastination.
It is nobody else in life's job, but mine to keep me on track
For some people, quarantine exaggerated their procrastination skills, for me it did the opposite. Since there was nothing else to do, I felt like I was on top of everything, working out, doing my homework, and even getting ahead in my class. Quarantine evolved into a break for my mind after working nonstop for the first half of last year. I had a really good teacher who taught me math one on one. She helped me stay on track and realize that I am the only one holding myself accountable. It is nobody else in life's job, but mine to keep me on track. One of the things I saw, when researching how to stop procrastinating, was to have someone hold you accountable. While I think in the beginning that can be very smart, we all know once someone isn’t holding us accountable we will slack off. I think that was my biggest change from middle school to high school. When I was in middle school all of my teachers were on me about missing assignments and papers, but when I got to high school I realized that I was the only one responsible for holding myself accountable.
Here are 5 ways to stop procrastinating:
(your teachers will thank me for this)
Forgive yourself for procrastinating in the past - just because it worked last time, doesn’t mean it will work this time. It’s okay that you did it before, but it doesn’t mean it’s right (that’s my mom shining through me)
Commit to the task - tell yourself that you're going to complete the task before a certain time or activity
Promise yourself a reward - every time you complete a task, give yourself 5-10 minutes to go on your phone, or go make yourself a really yummy snack.
Ask someone to check up on you - now it might be annoying to have someone on your back about assignments, but if you know you will keep procrastinating ask someone to nicely and politely remind you to complete whatever needs to get done.
Minimize distractions - this one is a big one and probably the most helpful. Whenever I have a lot of homework to do, or have to study for a test, I’ll either put my phone to charge on airplane mode, or my personal favorite, take a time lapse video of myself so I can’t use my phone (let me know if you want an example - they’re hilarious to watch).
I hope you guys can either relate to or learn something from this article. Although this was a bad representation of time management, I only started this article late because I was finishing my 27 page AP Environmental Science Review this week…
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