Perhaps one of the biggest struggles our generation faces is procrastination. Surrounded by screens, it has never been easier to fall into the trap of scrolling through social media (when in doubt, go for clout), watching the last season of Dragon Prince (the less said about that the better), or pushing up on trophy road in Brawl Stars (hey, don’t judge; they’re making a comeback, trust). All of this leads to an attention span receding faster than the Rock’s hairline (seriously, look at it). Procrastination truly is a detestable disease, a malicious malady, an atrocious affliction, a vile virus––oh wait, let me waste more time finding another synonym instead of actually doing my work. See how it destroys focus? Yeah, it’s that bad.
So, with that being said, here are our top tips to stop procrastinating:
- Just. Don’t. Do. It. You can’t procrastinate something if you don’t intend to do it in the first place. The question we, as academics of course, often find ourselves asking “Do I need to work?” instead of “How do I do the work?” This question can sometimes be hard to answer. But, don’t worry, usually, life has a way of letting you know what’s important. Either in the form of that feeling of wretched dread in your stomach, the social media post by your way-more-talented-than-you cousin, or your parents barging into your room asking why you are on “That Phone” once again. One way or another, life makes sure you know what actually matters—whether you like it or not.
- Getting a “good” amount of sleep is overrated. Everyone’s different, and therefore everyone’s definition of a “good” amount of sleep should be different. Just take me for instance. I’ve slept for four hours more times than I can count, and I’m fine, aren’t I? Uhh…okay, maybe that’s debatable. I mean, sure, I’ve felt a little lightheaded some days, and there was that time I forgot homeroom existed, but that’s nothing a little caffeine can’t fix. Speaking of which…
- RED BULL GIVES YOU WINGS!!!! Of course we’re not advocating for the use of a highly potent neuostimulant that may cause heart disease in the future, but there is a 25% sale right now, so…
- Half Baked Ideas Don’t Taste So Bad: So, now, let’s take inventory: you’ve figured out that it’s important for you to do some tasks, you may have clocked in your daily 8 minutes of sleep, and you’re nice and caffeinated. Now, the only thing left to do is actually work. Don’t worry: you don’t need absolute perfection. Why cook a five-course meal when a simple PB&J would do? Sure, maybe a few things won’t taste or feel quite right, but that’s okay: who doesn’t like eating raw cookie dough?
- Change Your Device’s Background! To allow your mind to fully be present and focused, you can’t have distractions. So remove that Big Chungus wallpaper and put something motivational on. Pictures of your friends (“friends”) are fine, I guess, and motivational quotes are decent, but the best motivator is failure. So go ahead and set your F- as your background.
- Don’t Stress! It’s okay to feel overwhelmed—no one expects you to become productivity legends like us overnight. Self-growth takes time, and mistakes (even a hundred thousand of them) are part of the process. Take time to enjoy it! The sun will always rise again to greet you for another full day… to do absolutely nothing… again.