Helpful advice for those who procrastinate

Tue 18 Mar

Here are some tips to help you remember what you've learnt about procrastination!

Do you have structured days?

Advice:

Learn time management and actively relate to it.
Plan your day! Create a good structure that works for you. Work in the time slots you're supposed to work and enjoy the breaks you've planned!
Create sub-goals - divide tasks into several small goals and take one at a time. This way you can avoid it feeling too overwhelming.
Remove distractions! You can switch off the internet, put away your mobile phone and other things that distract you. Instead, reward yourself with this during the breaks you have planned.
Do you have too many irons in the fire? There's not enough time. Prioritise!
Attend classes and seek out others. Be active!
Procrastination is contagious: Agree in the group or with the person you are working with - what are the deadlines?
Create a good atmosphere in the study group and cheer each other on!
Create your own deadlines!
Reward your efforts and not results.

What can I do?

Personalised advice:

Be honest with yourself and don't run from the demands - you fix!
Expand your reading room tolerance! Tolerate the silence and anxiety that may arise!
Accept the difficult feelings. Learning new subjects can be a demanding and difficult process. You may feel frustrated, hopeless and lack confidence in your own mastery, but don't run away. Accept that it can be difficult. There is growth in challenges.
If you're having thoughts that you're not good enough, it's most likely a thought virus. Your negative thoughts about yourself say nothing about your abilities and resources. Take the chance to trust yourself.
Unsure of yourself? Thoughts are just thoughts. You ARE not your thoughts.
Embrace the challenge: there's a lot of growth in challenges and sometimes we need to push ourselves!
Practise patience and mindfulness: Accept that it may be necessary to train your own patience and attention when reading. Think of this as part of studying. Am I procrastinating because I'm feeling run down, anxious or depressed? Try to sort out why you feel this way. Talk to a friend. Write it down.
Think more about what it would be like to succeed: Imagine what it would be like to get the grade you want. What's stopping you from succeeding? This will tell you what you need to do to achieve your goals.
Seek recognition: Ask for feedback from your tutor or a fellow student.
Get started. Getting started gives you a good sense of accomplishment and is likely to reduce your worries. Perhaps the task feels easier once you've started? Use the ‘nothing else method’.
Focus on your own learning curve. Who are you comparing yourself to? Don't make it harder for yourself by comparing yourself to the best in your cohort or the best in your group of friends. Everyone has their own starting point.
Make sure you get enough sleep! Create good habits and go to bed and get up at the same time during periods when you need to be productive.
Vary your learning methods. Discuss with someone, make mind maps, think about what you've learnt while walking, repeat to yourself, tell someone else, test yourself with questions, listen to a podcast on the topic. There are many possibilities here. Find the variation that works for you.
Do I procrastinate because I'm impulsive? Be aware of your own impulsiveness. Analyse and find out - when do I change my plan?
Am I procrastinating because I lack the motivation to stick with my chosen subject? Don't forget why you chose this programme. Remember what motivated you to make this choice and what you want to achieve. Can you use this as a driving force?
Use the ‘nothing else method’ to get started.