As someone who has such a short attention span and who would put her responsibilities aside until the last minute, I know how stressful it is to do all of those things in just one sitting and you think that you have to change your ways. Procrastinating has affected my life in so many ways that it became quite detrimental to my life. Hence, I started to think about why I was procrastinating in the first place and plan everything out. If you are a procrastinator who wants to change him/herself, then go read further to know how I did it!
REASON WHY I WAS PROCRASTINATING:
1. CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF!
I already said earlier that I have a short attention span and yep, I have little to no self-control. I don't know how I got through college knowing how I am, but I did. I keep relaxing and chilling just a day or a few hours before the deadline. I just keep scrolling through my timeline on Twitter while being bugged at the back of my mind my responsibilities as a student. It really is a problem that I have to face eventually.
2. I DON'T WANNA FACE IT, MA :(
Sometimes the things that I have to do intimidate me that I did not want to deal with it at all. Example is our thesis. There were times that I muted my group's Facebook chat just so I can escape the reality that is our research paper. I know that it's rude that I did that but could you really blame me that I have already associated our thesis with stress and frustration? Hence, when there are things that I have to do something that I deem as something stressful, I don't go doing it immediately.
3. NO INSPIRATION OR MOTIVATION
I think out of all the reasons, this is the ultimate one. I was not thinking of the future since I am so present-driven. I love living in the moment and I just want to relax and be happy for as long as I can. However, I thought that if I keep this going, my aspirations and dreams will definitely not come to fruition. Being a procrastinator sacrificed my dreams of going to my dream university. Being a procrastinator made me get all those low grades in certain subjects because I was not putting in time and effort. I have all of these dreams at the back of my mind but it's time that I work my ass off for them!
HOW TO COMBAT PROCRASTINATION:
1. CONTROL YOURSELF!
Another tip is to keep your eyes on what you are doing. I cannot stress this enough because it really is what you have to do if you don't want your progress to slow down. Just keeping your eyes on what is in front of you is enough to not make you want to grab your phone or do something else. You have to keep doing what you are currently doing and think about what you want to achieve. It may be easier said than done but if you control yourself and push yourself to finishing what you have started, it will definitely pay off in the end.
If you need to have something to help you, then go for it! You may download productivity apps on your phone. I personally have Forest app on my phone. You can set how long you want the app to block your other apps and plant the kind of tree you want to plan on your forest! How cute is that! And if you choose to give up, you have to kill the tree, and I don't wanna kill a tree! It keeps me from fondling my phone constantly and it has some words of encouragement during that period.
I also have downloaded this app called Headspace wherein you get to have short meditating sessions everyday and it's effective for me, actually! I get to have a clearer mind and I feel more ready to face the challenges that comes my way!
And while studying or doing any work that I think I should have no distractions, I look for playlists on Spotify in the Focus section. I personally like the Ambient Chill playlist because it still has a variety of instruments comprising the tracks but it definitely still has that feel of ease as well as a great deal of use of space in the tracks so I go for that, but it can depend on what you like to listen to and what will make you clear and ease up your mind. It can also be a great way to block out all the external noise going on around you! Whatever will make you put your eyes and attention on your work, the better!
2. FACE THE MUSIC WHEN IT'S DIRE
Yes, I just quoted a Marianas Trench song and yes, I love Marianas Trench! Anyway, dealing with the fact that you still have to do these intimidating responsibilities and chores and that they will only sit there until you ACTUALLY do them is the way to go. It may be hard, I know that feeling all too well, but trust me. Once you touch these things, you'll just have to go with the flow and do them with the best of your abilities. It will take practice for you to continuously deal with them but every practice is precious and will contribute to how you will deal with them in the future so as much as possible, don't go running without a fight!
3. KEEP YOURSELF INSPIRED
Everyone gets inspired by diffrent things and everyone has different ways of being inspired. As for me, I am not one who gets inspired easily by words such as quotes and all that kind of things so I have to rely on visuals. I have this simple doodle that I made which reminds me that I have to get that license! I go to my personal Pinterest and Instagram just look at the journal idea photos there and it just makes me wanna write in my notebook and keep track of what I have finished and what I still have to do! I just have to do simple things to keep me motivated and inspired. You have to experiment and keep searching for what makes you motivated. It may not be through visuals and you needed words of affirmation so go to your family or friends for some encouragement (don't go bugging them every time though!), or it may be through going for a walk in the park and internalizing the wonders of life! It can come from anything and anywhere! If you want to see the things that makes me pumped, check out my Pinterest found at the right side of my blog and you might get inspired from them too!
These are just some of what I want to share with you with regards to procrastination. I know there are lots of us who are struggling with this but I know that we all can conquer this and successfully reach our goals without putting everything to the last minute. I believe in me and I believe in all of you so let's start moving and lessen the chilling!
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