Helpful Ways To...

Handle Procrastination
Have you ever had an assignment that you had a lot of time to do but you procrastinated until the last minute and did it in a rush the day before it was due? Just as I thought: many, if not most of you have done this. No, it’s not because you’re lazy or you don’t try. It’s a simple matter of overestimating how much time you have to complete a task or assignment and realizing when it’s far too late that you wasted the time you had to complete it.

What can I do to not procrastinate?

It’s simple really: Creating a schedule. It might seem a little overplayed but it works wonders. For example, if you’re working on a project for a class and it’s due in let’s say, 3 weeks from when it was assigned. That very day, look at what the project assigns. Instead of doing it all in one sitting, you could break it off into smaller chunks and once you've finished a portion of the project, reward yourself with something that you enjoy. It could be anything: your favorite snack, your favorite book, anything that you like, it can be used as a reward for yourself. Continue this method until you have the project done and remember to pace yourself!

Another way to not procrastinate is to get someone to remind you constantly about it. That person could be anyone you trust to hold you accountable for that thing. For a while, it may seem like they’re simply bothering you to get you to do something you’re simply unmotivated to do but after a while, it starts to help you to think: “Oh now’s about the time *this person* starts to tell me to do my assignment. Maybe I could do it so when they inevitably come, I can tell them I already did it.” However, I would not recommend this method unless you have a few months to do something because it takes a while for someone to reach that mindset.

That concludes this edition of “Helpful Ways to Deal with..”! I’ll see you all next time! Have a pleasant day and remember: the sooner the better!