How to Stop Procrastinating: ENTP Style
THIS CAN APPLY TO EVERYONE NOT JUST ENTPS. SO READ IF YOU WANT THESE GOOD BUT KIND OF LENGTHY TIPS ON BEATING PROCRASTINATION.
1. Balance your work and fun time PROPERLY
It’s funny because in a schedule of work and fun time, it’s always the fun time bit people mess up. You see, when people actually sit down and work, it’s very high intensity work in which they get a lot done. But then they feel mentally exhausted and need a rest, and that is where they mess up.
What they indulge in is something called low density fun, in order to give their minds a break. These are things like surfing the net, randomly scrolling through Tumblr, watching pointless videos on Youtube, etc. Basically something that isn’t much fun at all. And because it only gives their brains a small amount of fun, they’ll continue doing it for the rest of the day to rewind from the hard work they were doing before. And bam, the entire day wasted with only a tiny bit of work completed.
So the way to stop this is simple, replace the low density fun with high density fun. High density fun includes going to the mall, hanging out with friends, reading a book, playing a video game you really like, going to the gym, park, movies, etc. You get the picture? High density fun is what you find REAL fun, not mindlessly passing hours on the internet.
So in order to stay productive throughout the day, after finishing a portion of your work for that day, do NOT log onto Tumblr and start scrolling aimlessly. Because you won’t get enough fun from just that and will have to continue for hours in order to feel somewhat fulfilled from such low density fun. Instead meet up with your friends, go out or read/watch something that you’ll really enjoy. You’ll find that after resting properly with something you really enjoy, you’ll feel way more recharged to tackle the other work you have to do.
But by all means, if you’ve finished your work for the day, low density fun is a great way to unravel. Just keep in mind that that once you start scrolling aimlessly or clicking random youtube videos, you’re probably not going to stop. However, if you’ve gotten all your work done for the day, that doesn't matter!
Hopefully that made a little sense. If you want to learn more though, I recommend checking out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efr9II6mS3I
2. Work in a public environment e.g. a library, coffee shop, park, etc
Basically, just try to avoid isolating yourself in your room the entire day studying. If you’re an extrovert, seriously, go to a library or coffee shop with other people in it and study. Trust me, even if you’re not talking to anybody, you’ll feel so much more energised just being around other people.
And if you’re an introvert, that’s no excuse for you not to get out of your bedroom. Isolation is great but hauling up in your bedroom cramming for hours is not. Go outside and get some fresh air for a change. Your garden or even a park has such a peaceful and relaxing environment to get work done.
Even study sessions with friends are great since it makes studying fun and interesting which is the aim here. You have a desk in your bedroom for a reason but it is okay to leave it when desired and study in more cheerful places.
3. Competition
For the first few weeks of this term, I barely did any studying. My tests are still quite a while away and so normally I would have procrastinated and started studying closer to the time. Yet since last week, I’ve managed about 1-4 hours of studying everyday.
Last week was also when I downloaded this app called Forest: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/forest-stay-focused-be-present/id866450515?mt=8
Now although Forest costs money to download, it was 100% worth it since it’s EXTREMELY helpful. 3 dollars is about the price of a hot chocolate, so don’t just disregard it because it costs a little money. I’m not saying this app will work for everyone but I’m saying there’s a chance it might work for you. Yet you’ll never know if you won’t try it.
So anyway, after downloading the app I did some studying but not much. What really motivated me was when my highly competitive friend downloaded the app too. Suddenly I was up until 12am, studying and studying. I would think I had beaten her before checking my phone to see that in reality she beaten me. The competition made us extremely motivated to work longer but also made things entertaining as well.
This made me realise how competition really does work miracles depending on the person and if the competition is done with the right people. Even if Forest doesn’t work well for you, that shouldn’t stop you from making studying competitive. Challenge the smartest person you know to get higher marks then you on a test. Challenge your friends to see who does the most hours of studying when they get home. Once again, it depends on your nature and the natures of the people you challenge but if done correctly, competition can make even studying tons of fun.
