Have you done your homework yet? Have you cleaned up your room already? Have you finished all your tasks for the day? Unless you’re doing some sort of research for an assignment, you are currently procrastinating if you haven’t finished all your work yet. Whether you are staring at the paper in front of you but thinking of something completely different or simply scrolling down your newsfeed on Instagram, you’re not doing something that will help you be productive.
We are all guilty of procrastinating at some point and then cramming in the last few days before a deadline. We’ve all had times when we’ve handed in papers one or two days before they were due, haven’t we? Or maybe, it’s just me… But how to avoid all those annoying and stressful situations?
Most of us don’t like admitting that we procrastinate, so we find excuses. Some people hide behind the fact that they work better under pressure, while others think that they won’t manage to get done their tasks in time anyway, so what the point in being productive, right? WRONG! This kind of mindset results in putting assignments off, which won’t ever end up done. If you are in a situation in which you’re pretty sure you can’t finish your tasks in time, don’t give up! Even though you might not get all your homework done, your teacher will be happier with half of it instead of none, so try to do as much as you can.
If you are still reading this article, I bet you are willing to be as productive as possible, at least in the near future, so here are some of my best productivity tips:
The two minutes rule: Big tasks seem to scare us, so we try to avoid them as much as possible. Whether you have an important assignment or you have to clean your very messy room, you don’t want to start because it will take you so much time or because you might do something wrong. Therefore, the two minutes rule says that you have to get done anything that will take two minutes or less, like writing the first line of your homework or picking up a pen and putting it in the right place.
Creating a to-do list or scheduling your time: Time management and productivity are interconnected; you can’t do one without the other. Writing a list of the things you have to give done will give you an overview of the day. Plus, it’s really satisfying to cross tasks off the list once you accomplish them. On busier days, you can even estimate the time you’re going to need to get a certain task done and schedule everything, using time blocks.
Set artificial deadlines: Don’t allow yourself to cram before an exam or assignment, because even though some people support the idea that they work better under pressure, that is not true. They might work faster, but they don’t focus as well as they do when they are not under pressure. Then, their mind is not only inclined at the specific task but also at the fact that they can’t finish it in time, so their attention is spread. To avoid that, you can set deadlines a few days or a week before an assignment is really due.
Take breaks: Even though this sounds like the last thing you want to do when you have an important task to get done, working for very long periods of time, will result in you losing your focus, or is a recipe for burnout. So, taking regulate short breaks is good for your productivity. Remember, being a “workaholic” doesn’t make you productive! What really makes you productive is the quality of your work. Therefore, you can take a break when you feel tired and even take a day off once in a while.
To conclude, don’t forget that you are amazing and be confident in your work, because you are going to achieve all your tasks! Now, I bet that after reading this article you are willing to try some of those methods yourself, so what are you waiting for?
Editor
Cesara Andronic
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