as someone who used to be a Chronic Procrastinator, i entirely understand the horrifying idea of studying a subject one hates,,,,,, which then somehow progressives into a three hour nap, two episodes of gilmore girls, and âstudy with meâ videos that never end. here is the step by step method to overcoming procrastination, 100% satisfaction guaranteed, or your money back.
why do people procrastinate?
Lack of Interest or Motivation.
The task does not particularly invigorate or excite you, giving you no real reason to start it, much less finish it. Most likely the task bears one of three qualities:
Seems To Have No Value. No immediate gratification is received, and it is not clear how its completion will benefit you.
It is Unpleasant. The task is unappealing and you are reluctant to even think about it.
Requires Major Effort. It is too complex and unnecessary; most likely because it is outside of your comfort zone, it does not fit well into your daily routine, or itâs just simply too large of a project.Â
Tediously Boring. The task merely doesnât pique your interest. Itâs absolutely and utterly dull.Â
Either youâre afraid of the future or failure.
Future. There are a number of different subtopics within this one, but some examples could be: fear of the imminent frustration (root cause: the task that needs to be finished), fear of whatâs next, fear of your need of perfection, fear of a possible proceeding task (such as a needed presentation of your project), etc.
Failure. This one is fairly simple. Instead of actually committing to a project and possible not getting the ideal outcome from itâs completion, itâs much easier to not do it at all.
Itâs become a habit to procrastinate, and habit trumps willpower.
Habits are nearly permanent, whereas willpower is almost always temporary.Â
Recognize why and try to change it; even becoming aware of the reason behind your reluctance can help.Â
steps of a procrastinator:
Defer. Itâs not due until [some date seemingly far into the future] (which lmao might be a month or just a few hours)Â and there is still time to do it. You can do another much desirable task without having to think about this one.Â
Avoid. There is still [amount of time that used to be longer]. You could get it done now, but itâs unnecessary; itâs not your priority.
Guilt. The due date is Much Closer. You are disgusted with yourself and you lowkey want to time travel to the past so you can passive aggressively ask your past self what was wrong with them???
Panic. Â You realize that there really is not enough time to do what needs to be done.
Hysteria. Itâs already 2am and you havenât accomplished anything. You want to cry and you almost consider just screaming for three continuous hours.
Self-Loath. You properly hate yourself, and at this point there really isnât anything to be done. You give up on all urges of perfection and settle on an average, but completed, assignment.
Keep in mind this will be a constant routine, until you acitvely work towards avoiding it.Â
You control your environment. Try and reduce all stimulation from outside sources. Turn off notifications, block the sites that distract you, turn off the music.Â
Some resources that might help:
Stayfocusd. Blocks any inputted site; extremely effective. It also offers other settings.
Forest // FocusNow // Tide. Pomodoro timer apps that block phone use.Â
Masterpost of other apps & websites.Â
Music can be distracting, even if you regularly listen to it while you study. Here are some alternatives:
Coffitivity (ios) / (android).Â
Again, you control your environment. Try to make your study space an area that you want to spend time in.Â
Wear comfortable clothes. Fuzzy socks and pajamas are wonderful. Eat if your hungry. Wash your face, go to the bathroom, put your hair up.Â
Make sure everything you need is accessible. If you need pens, collect pens and put them in a mason jar right on your desk. Everything needs to be convenient, and easy.
Declare your intentions publicly, to yourself or whomever. Make sure you know why youâre doing this. Add motivation. Light a fire and let it grow.Â
Ex: Iâm doing this because this is 15% of my grade and I want an A.Â
Take out a piece of paper, and write everything you need to do. Make it realistic, and donât overload yourself with tasks you wonât be able to do all at once.
Break the big problems into manageable pieces. Large tasks can seem more daunting than they actually are, whereas small ones encourage progress.Â
Just beginning can be enough to drive you to finish. Remember, according to Newtonâs first law, objects in motion tend to stay in motion. If youâre having problems doing so you can:
Time Travel. Imagine yourself in the future, finished, released, completed, free!! Itâs exciting, but impossible if you donât start. Imagine the reward.
Use the Pomodoro Method. Take 20 minutes to do work, and guarantee yourself 5 minutes of break afterwards.Â
Itâs critically important important that you acknowledge each accomplishment. Give yourself validation, a cookie, a dance break, a long tearful stare at your finished draft; anything.Â
Make this into habit. Nurture discipline. Build a routine of posite reinforcement,Â
But also donât forget that you will sometimes procrastinate, and thatâs entirely okay. Sometimes thereâs absolutely no way to overcome a lack of motivation. Give yourself time. Do something you want to do, and then come back and Overcome.Â
You can use RescueTime to track your activities if you have trouble doing so!! Continue and continue until this is habit, not just willpower.Â
i hope this helped !!! Good luck with studying.Â
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