Procrastinating makes me feel really icky, but I can’t help myself. I always wait until the final moment to do something or study for something and then am always rushing, thus I’m always stressed out. This is the way I deal with procrastination. What works for me might or might not work for you, and that’s okay.
Make a list of every single thing you know you have to get done. This doesn’t have to be limited to a certain time, if you know your university applications are due in two months, put this down too! Also include the smaller tasks you may have ignored like changing your sheets or tidying up your room.
Put some sort of symbol next to tasks you want to accomplish first. These can be assignments due soon, or anything you want to get done quick. I usually use exclamation points and for ones with looming deadlines, I put multiple exclamation points.
Assign an estimated duration to each task, ranging from five minutes to two hours, see how much you can realistically get done today.
After making that list, you may have a rush of energy to start checking things off, so start with something that’s high priority and also has a longer time duration. Work on this for at least half an hour, or at most an hour and a half.
Try not to open Netflix or YouTube on this break. Use this time to get something to eat, you can also use this time to finish those small tasks you wrote out, or play with a pet! If you open any addictive apps, you’re probably going to have problems coming back to the tasks.
As soon as your alarm signifies the end of your break, come straight back and attempt a different task now. If you were to do the same task, you might get bored. Work on this task and follow the above mentioned techniques.
After feeling like you’ve accomplished a decent amount, you can reward yourself something. I usually reward myself an episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine or a face mask!
While doing the tasks, keep checking them off, it’s extremely satisfying and once every single task is complete, you’ll feel so good about yourself.
When at least three things have been checked off, you can take a bigger break. This can last anywhere between fifteen minutes to half an hour. During this break, you can use any of the apps previously banned.
Try to remind yourself why you’re studying. Is it because you want to get into a specific university? Is it because you want to make your parents proud? Is it because you want to prove yourself to haters? Whatever the reason is, channel the emotion attached to it and get back to studying.
Just know that no matter what happens, your grades do not define you. You are not just a number or letter on a sheet of paper, you’re a beautiful human being and you can do anything you want to do.
TW//addiction
I am recovering from my pill addiction, instead of scouring the house for some, I went to my dad and sister. They gave me hugs and said I'm doing great, and said I should do some self-care. So I'm taking a little nap, then I will get up and get some food, clean or homework. It feels nice to be honest and not get rebuked.
DO: Plan thoroughly. Use a project planner such as this one to map out exactly what you need and your partners need to do in order to complete your project, who’s going to do each task and how much time it’s all going to take. Planning is essential in order to stay on track, as well as avoiding any confusions like someone not completing something because they thought some else was going to do it.
DON’T: Have a bad attitude. I know it’s frustrating when you’re paired up with lazy people or people you don’t like, but approaching the project with a bad attitude won’t help. So suck it up and be positive and nice with your fellow members. It’ll make working together so much easier.
DO: Divide work according to strengths. I’m sure most if not all of your partners will have a special skill set that will be a great contribution to your project. If someone has great writing skills, let them proofread everything before you send it in. If someone else is good at graphic design, make sure that they design your slides (if applicable). Whatever it might be, find out about everyone’s strengths and let them shine.
DON’T: Use your teacher’s due date. By this, I mean that you should plan to finish a couple of days before your project’s due. Why? Because life happens. Some people might be busy with other classes, have an emergency or just slack off. By aiming to finish a couple of days before the due date, you can ensure the completion and quality of your projects.
DO: Check in with your group mates often. Communication is key! Talk to ensure often to ensure that everyone is on track and know the status of the individual parts of the project. You’ll also figure out if anyone’s struggling and will then be able to help them. Also, a few compliments here and there like: “This paragraph is really well written” and “I love the fonts and colors you used. Nice eye” will make your partners happy and improve their confidence. You’ll work better with happy partners and good partnership will improve the quality of your project.
DON’T: Be afraid to disagree with others. You don’t want to be insulting or over dominate your group, but if you disagree with how something is being done or know a better way to do it, speak up. Your grade shouldn’t suffer because of a simple mistake.
DO: Use online collaborative tools. As much as I love Word and Powerpoint, Google Docs and Google Slides are some of the best tools for group work. You can all work on something at the same time as well as see who did what and at what time.