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At some point in our lives, we all start to procrastinate. If it happens once in a blue moon, you shouldn’t be very concerned. However, if you procrastinate on a regular basis, this can become a real problem. Unfortunately, college students are very prone to kicking the can down the road. According to a 1997 survey, procrastination is the major reason why Ph.D. students fail their dissertations. Another study conducted in 2007 revealed that 80 to 90 percent of college students tend to put things off when it comes to writing academic papers (usually MLA, CMS, or APA essay format).
But students are not the only ones to fall victim to procrastination. You can lose your job, friends, money and even your family if you make it your habit. If left unchecked, this problem can effectively ruin a person’s life. Hence, it is clear that procrastination never pays off. One immediate solution is to a have a proper goal-setting process as your planning guide.
Check out our 5 simple tips for putting a stop to procrastination and you’ll be able to get rid of it once and for all.
Acknowledge the Problem
The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging it. Do not downplay its significance due to it being too simple. Failure to admit to being prone to procrastination won’t let you take the necessary steps to overcome it.
Identify the Causes
The next thing to do is to identify the causes of procrastination and eliminate them. The most common ones are television, social media, games, etc. Going cold turkey is usually very difficult, so you should do away with them gradually.
Set Yourself Short-Term Goals
Lack of goals means that you have nothing to look forward to. Hence, you have no desire to do something right now. This goes to show that by creating goals for yourself, you give yourself a reason to work actively in the present. Therefore, it’s recommended that you set yourself short-term goals and realize them one by one. Witnessing your progress will help you enjoy the process and make it harder for you to regress into your old habits. Also set goals for the year ahead that you will actually follow through to the end.
Provide Incentives for Yourself
Incentivize yourself with gifts occasionally. You can even have a close friend, relative or even parent (that is, if you are still a student) provide you with incentives as you progress. The incentives could be new clothes, shoes, perfume, dinner, etc. That way you’ll train your mind to think that good things happen when you don’t procrastinate.
Be Around People Who Inspire You
Being around goal-oriented people is also a great way of overcoming procrastination. Talking to Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey for 20 minutes would most likely be more inspiring than spending a day on a couch. It goes without saying that the people we spend time with have a huge impact on our lives. So, the question you need to ask yourself is, ‘What kind of people am I hanging around with and what impact are they having on me?’ If your answer is not encouraging, then it’s time for you to find individuals who can inspire you to be the best version of yourself. It could be a classmate, workmate or your significant other.
Share your problem with them and devise a schedule so you can both work on your respective projects together. You can simply spend time with them on a regular basis if your situation prevents you from working jointly on a project. Their diligence and positive attitude towards work will surely help you beat procrastination.
6 Common Reasons Why Students Procrastinate
● They believe they work best under pressure
● They lack the required skills and knowledge to do something (usually assignments)
● They lack motivation
● They wait till the eleventh hour
● They keep forgetting things
● They get no kick out of getting things done
Summing it up, it is easy to fall prey to procrastination. In fact, quite a few students were never able to beat it and had to pay a steep price for that. What was the price? Failed exams, bad grades, expulsion, you name it. So, the lesson to draw here is very simple: never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. No matter how simple and trivial that may sound to you, it always works. Just don’t go with the flow – take the initiative in your own hands and leave procrastination no chance.
Ignoring the signs and assuming that you are above procrastinating can be your ultimate undoing. So, take time to consider the points above and you will see significant improvement in all aspects of your life in no time at all!
