We’ve all been there: You’re staring at a blank document, wishing you started your essay earlier instead of scrambling hours before it’s due. You submit it and you know it’s probably not your best work, and promise to do better next time, but still, the cycle repeats.
If it makes you feel better, know that you’re not alone. In fact, a study by Psychology Today has shown that half of all high school students procrastinate on a daily basis. It’s even worse when you feel like you’ve studied for hours but made no progress. This struggle is common, especially as students enter college. Studies show that 85-90% of college students procrastinate. Ineffective studying, combined with procrastination, can feel overwhelming and stressful. However, there are solutions to help mitigate the problem, starting with acknowledging the need to take action.
Taking action is always difficult, but by doing so you are helping yourself in the long run.
Getting out of bed and forcing yourself to work on an essay seems like a daunting task, but breaking it into manageable steps helps. The Harvard Business Review states that small steps are easier than tackling the entire task at once, and taking the first step is crucial, even if it is the hardest.
Once you start, it’s easier to keep going because the hardest part is done. Break it down minute by minute if necessary, figure out what the next rational step is, and take it. For example:
1.) Get out of bed
2.) Open your laptop
3.) Open Google Docs
4.) Write something, anything, even if it’s just the MLA header
Boom, You’ve broken the cycle!
Yes, it is incredibly difficult to find the motivation to do schoolwork when the immediate results aren’t always obvious, but if the feeling of finishing the work doesn’t provide enough motivation, it can be helpful to create small rewards to push you to complete a goal.
When following this system, it is important to create specific and exclusive rewards for a certain task. The key to this system according to James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits” which also gives advice on breaking bad habits including procrastination, is to do something you love while doing the thing you procrastinate on. A common example is watching your favorite show when doing household chores.
On the flip side, enforcing consequences for not achieving certain goals may work better for some people. Whatever works for you is best, but now that you’ve gotten started, the question of how to progress in an efficient manner arises.
The biggest mistake students make when procrastinating is doing the bare minimum. Simply reading over notes is not enough for you to do well on a test. According to the Learning Center at the University of North Carolina, active studying that requires interaction with the material will best prepare you. This could be rewriting, teaching, making flashcards, and creating other tools to help you study – IB Psych students know all about System 2 thinking!
Knowing what works for you and sticking to it is the key to productivity. As we prepare for college, learning how to balance school and life is increasingly important. Especially for students who have a lot of extracurricular activities, it’s important to use your time wisely. Remember to take breaks and set reasonable goals for yourself. Begin by using these tips in your daily academic and study routine and you will find yourself becoming better at time management and a reduction in your stress levels.