In the process of showing you how to stop procrastinating, I will also show you how to stop the inner conflict you may be contending with and the guilt associated to procrastination.
Procrastination means to delay what you are supposed to be doing. You may be choosing to watch TV over revising for your upcoming exams, for example, despite knowing how important exam revision is to achieving your ultimate academic goals. You may be avoiding what you know what you should be doing for the greater good but instead you are choosing to do what you immediately enjoy doing.
This type of distraction is common behaviour when we associate “pain” to tasks and choose instant pleasure and gratification.
Procrastination, on the surface, may appear to be simply be poor time management. In order to stop procrastinating, we should firstly address the root of why we may delay important tasks that we feel we ought to be doing.
To simply give strategies on how to avoid procrastinating will not help you to develop the skills to carry out long term if we do not acknowledge WHY you are avoiding the “pain” associated to your most important tasks. We must address the mindset, our psychology on WHY we are procrastinating.
There are 5 main reasons why most people procrastinate:
- The task is overwhelming
- We associate pain and lack of enjoyment
- Our mind tells us a story about why it won’t be good for us
- We have some suffering now that causes us to distract ourselves
How to lose the causes of procrastination
To avoid feeling deeply overwhelmed in our studies, break large tasks into small digestible tasks. Put it down on paper – write down all the things you have to do and focus on one thing at a time. Focus on where you need to start rather than all the tasks you have to do.
For example, if you have a long essay to write, perhaps you may want to plan the structure, then write one paragraph at a time. Try to not focus on having to complete the whole task all in one go. Be realistic with your deadline, however. Think practically and work productively. Here’s more on goal setting and how to improve memory.
Previously you may have found great displeasure doing what you needed to do. Try to eliminate these thoughts and identify what thoughts exactly that are stopping you from moving forward. Write this down and try to reject it. Instead, try to think objectively and remember that this task could offer a completely new experience with the right approach.
Whilst doing the task, you may be anxious and you may say things like “I’m not good at writing stories”. Our beliefs are conditioned by the story we keep telling ourselves. Change the “story” and say positive affirmations over again and change your story by conditioning an empowering “belief” even if you don’t quite believe it yet. If you shift your focus and perspective, you are more likely to get better results. We may have insecure thoughts that come about. In which case, ask yourself empowering questions such as “Is it possible that I actually am capable of learning this? How could I make myself capable? Who can I go to for help?”
Try to avoid comparison. You may compare yourself to other students who may be performing much better and you have identified yourself to be fixed and you fear that you are not good enough.
When these particular thoughts come to your mind, ask yourself “how can I model the successes of others?” “How can I learn from him / her?” What are they doing differently?” Try to be resourceful rather than perhaps resentful. Remember we all have to start somewhere, and learning is a process and if you do it consistently well enough, you will inevitably become successful. Here are some learning strategies to help you learn more and faster.
We are often anxious and believe that one outcome is better than another and often we innocently believe that one outcome will cause happiness and one outcome will create pain. We must address what meanings we are associating with our thoughts. For example you may be convinced that if you do not achieve a certain grade, you will be a failure. Instead, focus on doing your true best and you will have no regrets.
Remember that those who are successful in education and achieve the best results usually have a strong sense of discipline; students who perform well as often those that will perform important tasks which may involve hours of study because they have a long term vision for what they want. Remember we get rewarded in public what we practise in private.
Effective students will prioritise important tasks and sacrifice short term pleasure and will think practically to be able to do what needs to be done whether they feel like it or not. This is certainly a skill that can be very challenging to master, however, one should adopt this mentality to be able to avoid procrastination and develop mastery in education. Here are some study skills and mindset strategies you can implement to help you in your studies.