Procrastination is caused by many different factors, and therefore different people have different ways of reducing procrastination.
TRY TO CHANGE YOUR MINDSET
- Remember that it is not too late to start now.
- Try to increase your motivation: your brain works better when you feel your work is meaningful and you understand why you are doing it.
- Think about what you will learn from this task, what you can discuss with others, and how you can get satisfaction from this task.
- Try to change your thinking to be more merciful, away from the pursuit of perfection.
- Reward yourself regularly for the work you have done – you deserve it.
- Practice mindfulness skills and use them to develop your willpower.
CONNECT WITH OTHERS
- Seek help and guidance from a mentor or teacher.
- Do exercises and study together with others, e.g., in a writing circle.
- Tell others about your goals – it will be harder to shirk them.
- Keep in touch with friends, share thoughts and experiences about your studies.
BREAK DOWN THE TASK AND SCHEDULE IT
- Start small. For example, on your first day, go to the library to check out the workspace, and stay and work there for a while if you feel up to it.
- Regularity creates routines. Go to the library or other workspace every day, even if it’s just to do 15 minutes of work.
- Break down your task into pieces as small as possible. For example, start by reading 5 pages of a book a day, or write an essay for half a page a day. Even a small accomplishment will lift your mood and boost your self-confidence and motivation.
- Give yourself permission to work for as long as you can concentrate (e.g., 15 minutes) and then take a short break. Concentration improves as you practice it. Remember to take a day off during a long work process.
- Schedule and make a precise plan for each day. Also, decide on a very achievable goal for each day.
- Some people like to start with the easy task, others with the hard task. Do what helps you get started first.
- Schedule a goal for yourself once you have broken your task down into small parts.
- Speak to yourself about goals, not deadlines.
MODIFY YOUR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Make your study and learning environment comfortable for you. Think about what kind of environment helps you concentrate best: silence, sounds, music, studying alone or with others, dim, bright, etc.
Create a clear distinction between your break time and break activities and what you are working on; keep a tablet computer for breaks if you are working on a computer, for example. You can surf the web on your tablet.
Remove immediate distractions from the study situation, such as social media notification sounds, access to the internet, etc.