#notstudying

100% foul proof 3 step plan to stop procrastination ... jk it's not as easy as that (i wish it was though)

I’ll be brutally honest with you but there is no easy way to beat procrastination. (and we are all guilty of procrastinating and you can't say otherwise) As much as we all would love an easy 1 2 3 step way to stop procrastinating it’s a lot harder than that. However, there are ways to motivate yourself to stop procrastinating. (fair warning this might not work for everyone so you should try different things you think would help you)

𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 (𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕)

from what the dictionary told me ~ 

pro·cras·ti·na·tion

/prəˌkrastəˈnāSH(ə)n/

noun

the action of delaying or postponing something." your first tip is to avoid procrastination"

something we are all guilty of doing when we feel lazy ... mee all the time 

me when I make my animal crossing island look pretty instead of finishing my calculus homework on limits ... eww

𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚢 (𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐)

1. Recognize that you are procrastinating

First off, you have to realize that you were actually procrastinating. Maybe you were delaying an important project because you were too caught up watching too many episodes of demon slayer (or you actually had a good reason for delaying your task…could not be me || i procrastinated way too much about writing a blog post about procrastination… the irony hits hard) However, when you delay yourself from finishing said task your more likely to get sidetracked and forget about finishing it.

2. Minimize distractions

This might be a hard one for a lot of us. Since a distraction could literally be almost anything. Our phones, tablets, and laptops are all potential distractions waiting for the right time to strike. From an Instagram notification or just changing a song, these are all likely distractions. When studying, you should try and put away your devices or use apps where you are locked from switching to a different app. (I know that there are a few study apps that contain timers and will notify you if you leave the app; aka flora or other apps that keep track of your progress such as flipd || these are the two that I use from time to time) Or maybe even just turning off notifications and turning on do not disturb could help you.

3. Commit to the task at hand

Try and focus on one task at a time, write a list of all the tasks you need to finish and a time for doing them. Don’t try and switch to another task if you aren’t done with the first one. (You’ll most likely forget which task you were doing or where you are at if you switch to another task)

4. Give yourself a reward

When you finish your task on the allocated time you specified, reward yourself by taking a well deserved coffee break, or a sweet dessert. This helps with positive reinforcement (for you non-psychology students: positive reinforcement is the introduction of a desirable/pleasant stimulus after a behavior, making it more likely that the behavior will reoccur) This is a good way to trick your brain into being more productive.

5. BE ORGANIZED !!

In part 3 of the series of blogs on mental fitness for the parents of a teen, let us discuss some of the possible reasons behind his/her seeming disinterest in the studies. 

There are 6 possible reasons: 

POSSIBLE REASON NO. 1: He does not understand the way the lessons are taught in the classroom. So why doesn’t he say so? Majorly because he does not even understand that this is the reason. Sadly our education system expects every child to respond the same to every teacher and every subject. Children are not encouraged to voice their discontent about the teaching methods. Most teachers consider their duty to end with the completion of the course curriculum. Interestingly, even when some of us do understand this, all that we do is join him to some popular coaching class. Little do we realize that a child who has challenges in raising his doubts in the familiar environment of his school, can not do any better in any popular and more crowded coaching class. 

POSSIBLE REASON NO. 2: She does not have the aptitude for some subjects or for academics in general: Very little if any consideration is ever given to the fact that every child cannot have equal aptitude for every subject. We never had and so is the case with them. We go by the social trends that imply that certain things “MUST” be done by all. Hardly do we ever give a thought as to why do so many countries insist on offering a wide array of vocational subject options to their children. We on the other hand make the child stop every other activity that he or she may likely take up later as a career just so that he can focus all his attention on the studies that he may not be even understanding in the first place.

 POSSIBLE REASON NO. 3: His basics are not clear: This factor is very commonly seen in high school students. Many of those who have not been as attentive in the middle school or did not have very good teachers in the formative years have never had the opportunity to get a clear understanding of the subjects. Now in their high school, where every subject is based on some earlier basics, this child perceives each subject as Greek and Latin thus throwing him way off the interest scale. 

POSSIBLE REASON NO.4: He is being bullied at school or some other place: Indian parents are not very aware of this concept of bullying. Traditionally, parents tell the children not to be sissy and go and fight back. Sometimes they even poke fun at the child. A child who is bullied soon loses interest in school activities including studies. Bullying is also done by the teachers and the child may be very much frightened to complain even to the parents in fear of the consequences. 

POSSIBLE REASON NO. 5: She lacks a clear aim: Many a time the children do not like what they see as options after school education. They have very limited exposure and not all children are attracted by the popular career options. These children may lose interest in studies not able to see any clear interesting outcome of their hard work. This is especially true for this generation that responds to the logic of things and not to compulsion and coercion. 

POSSIBLE REASON NO. 6: Some other issues are bothering the child: Sexual harassment by house maid, teachers, or a caretaker are common occurrences in Indian families where both the parents are working and the children are left in the care of some known or hired help. The statistics of such incidences is staggeringly high. In most cases the children are too afraid to share with the parents who are usually too occupied to speak beyond a few words every day or are too strict or moralistic about the child’s behavior and conduct.