Whether it’s taking an extra-long lunch break, typing “njvfdisork” instead of actual words, or saying “I’ll do it later,” procrastination is a trap that most students fall into. The thing is, students know that they will have to do the work at some point — so why not now?
The typical, “I work better under pressure” excuse often comes up when students attempt to explain away their procrastination habits, which only means that students are rushing through the weeks’ worth of assignments and not absorbing much material. Similarly, the overloading of schedules contributes to procrastination more than anything. While planning your day is helpful, many are going about it the wrong way.
“I usually procrastinate because I tell myself I have so much time to get an assignment done with, when that isn’t the case,” said Lily Rubenstein, a freshman majoring in biology and physics. “To stop myself from procrastinating I try to use my calendar and plan out my work evenly on the days leading to the due date. So everyday I have a little work to do rather than hours of work for one day.”
Having a well-balanced schedule is essential to avoiding the procrastination bug. There are many scheduling apps like Notion or Google Calendar, and even cutey paper schedules for sale on Amazon. Start by listing things you need to get done and number them by their urgency, then simply block out hours of the day dedicated to finishing that assignment. Balance this by adding time blocks in the day to take full, non-working breaks whether it’s for lunch, the gym or going down the Instagram rabbit hole.
To begin creating a good schedule, plan every hour of your day. It may be tedious at first, but once you get used to it you can begin scaling back on the scheduling. By using this method, you are setting aside time for every activity you have to do in a day, with time being set aside for homework, projects, classes, club meetings, meals and free time.
“One technique that works for me is to break a task into small components and then to knock them off one at a time without any commitment to doing all of them at the same time,” said Rod Gillis a senior Lecturer of psychology. “As you knock off component parts of a project, the part that remains gets smaller and less onerous to the point where the motivation to procrastinate dissipates.”
This way, needing to accomplish one task often allows you to get other tasks completed that need to be finished first. Similar to prioritizing school, prioritizing your other activities helps to limit the perpetual push back of work — until you have exactly 59 more minutes to complete it.
Another solution is the 3-2-1 rule, which is exactly what it sounds like — you simply say 3-2-1 and get up. Doing a little bit of physical activity like walking around your dorm building or apartment, gets your blood flowing and puts your mind in the “go” mode.
“While intense workouts may increase endocannabinoids, leading to feelings of calm and relaxation, light to moderate exercise is generally more beneficial for enhancing motivation and facilitating task completion,” said Dr. Wesley Smith, the Director of Graduate Program in Nutrition at the University of Miami. “Exercise also has a significant anti-depressive effect, reducing the brain’s response to physical and emotional stress.”
“Over the long term, regular light exercise provides numerous mental benefits. It can stimulate the growth of new blood vessels to nourish the brain and possibly create new brain cells through neurogenesis. This process can improve overall brain performance and prevent cognitive decline,” Dr. Smith added.
A good rule of thumb when it comes to procrastinating is to motivate yourself by coupling assignments with things you like, whether its sitting in front of Lake Osceola with an iced coffee or simply chewing a piece of gum and listening to your favorite music. This final method is a sure-fire way to motivate you and change up your daily routine. So get out there and crank out those assignments you’ve been putting off — hopefully before the clock strikes midnight.
words_victoria fondeur. photo_valeria barbaglio.
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