Do either of the following statements sound familiar to you?
“I’m not ready yet.”
“I have time; I’ll just do it later.”
If you’ve answered yes, this article is for you.
I’m Neha, a second-year Philosophy & Modern Languages student. From essays to group projects and exam preparation, the workload that comes with each assessment period sometimes overwhelms me to the point that I struggle to even get started. However, I’ve found some tricks that help me to cut procrastination and make the most of the day. I’ll be sharing them with you in this article.
Find the root cause
To weed out procrastination, the first step is to understand why you procrastinate. Whether you are lacking motivation or feeling overwhelmed, I recommend you jot the reasons down in a personal journal, notebook, or even in your notes app. As you begin to recognise the root cause of your procrastination habits, you can work towards getting rid of them by creating realistic, actionable goals for yourself. For example, when I realised that perfectionism was contributing to my procrastination on essays, I made a goal to set aside more time for revising and editing.
Practice the Pomodoro Method
The Pomodoro technique is a time management method that can increase your productivity. It involves dividing study sessions into 25-minute intervals, each followed by a five-minute break. It’s a great way to break up large and overwhelming tasks into bite-sized chunks and helps to create a healthy balance between focus and fun. I typically use Pomodoro timers on YouTube to guide my study sessions, as they often include relaxing music or ambient noise I can listen to as I work.