You may have heard the term, but you still don´t know what it means? Did they tell you that you are a born «procrastinator» and want to know if you should feel offended?
Today we will talk about «procrastination» and if you are a student, pay full attention, because it may interest you!
You’ve probably heard the old saying, «Do not put off until tomorrow what you can accomplish today» Well, that is a direct message to the procrastinators. And procrastinating is always leaving things for later.
And what happens when you do that? Well, sooner or later things are left undone, you do not meet deadlines, your performance plummets and you have problems.
If you are a student, procrastination is your worst enemy, because when you constantly postpone your tasks, sooner or later the stress arrives, you can´t finish your work on time or fail your exams.
In this post we will go a little deeper into procrastination and we will give you useful tips to stop it.
What is procrastination and why we do it: science responds
To better fight your enemy, you must know him well. And that’s why we want you to better understand what are the mechanisms that lead us to leave everything for the last moment.
Science has carried out several studies on the phenomenon of procrastination and although it is a very extensive topic, some of the brief conclusions can help us to better understand the problem.
First of all, studies have found that those who are in the habit of procrastinating are subject to greater stress, endure more frustration and ultimately, are more unhappy. But why do we do it, if it causes us unhappiness? The answer lies in our brain chemistry.
Our limbic system has a reward mechanism. Thanks to it, when we perform certain activities, we secrete dopamine and that makes us feel good. When procrastinating, we postpone tasks that are tedious, cause us nervousness or tension or simply displease us and instead of them we make other more pleasant ones.
This is how little by little and almost without realizing it, we can become great procrastinators. We become addicted to the reward we get by doing what we want and not what we have to do in order to obtain a higher good that we will receive in a longer period of time.
If I spend now my time with my Play, I will receive immediate pleasure; although if I study, I will be sacrificing that momentary reward for a higher good in the future: graduation.
If you choose to play, you are a big procrastinator! But don´t worry, here are some recommendations that will help you to take the right path.
5 tips to stop procrastination
As said before, in order to be a successful student, you must completely abandon procrastination. And to achieve it, the following tips will do wonders.
#1.Plan your time
Whether through Google Calendar, an app or the usual piece of paper, you have to plan yourself! Keeping your agenda up to date, with all your tasks correctly scheduled, will allow you to better organize your time and avoid being unrealistic with the tasks that you can postpone without having disastrous consequences in the future.
#2. Try to keep your routines
In the 50s of last century, plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz observed that the brain of his patients took 21 days to adapt to their new image and confirmed the same pattern in other aspects of the life of patients from other areas of medicine.
His discovery has been rescued today by numerous coaches who claim that it is necessary to maintain a habit at least until the twenty-first day. From then on, it is no longer difficult for us to carry out our tasks.
If you have decided to start studying with enough time for the evaluation, do not postpone it on the first day. Begin your study routine and make it a sacred one for the first 21 days. Then it will cost you much less to study.
#3.Create your own reward system
For your brain it will not be possible to deceive you … if you lead the way and cheat it first!
If the procrastinator’s problem is that they become addicted to immediate rewards, you should include a reward mechanism in your study routine.
For example, go outside for 5 minutes every hour of study or eat a chocolate ice cream after completing the academic tasks you had pending for today.
In that way, your brain will perceive an immediate pleasure while you work intensively for a higher good in the medium-long term. Easy, right?
#4.Eliminate distractions
In a previous post we talked about the best applications for students and we mentioned an app, SelfControl, that allows to block all Internet activity (email, social networks, etc.) during the study, if you are working with a MAC computer.
But in fact this app is not necessary, you can obtain the same results with a bit of willpower. Do not pay constant attention to your Facebook notifications, your email or your Instagram. Doing so you will be destroying your concentration!
Every not finished task due to distractions, implies that you have to postpone it, so you will be taking the first steps to become a professional procrastinator. Avoid it at all costs!
#5. Study in a suitable environment
Eliminating distractions is a good step to start; but there are many other requirements that a suitable study environment must meet.
It has to be a comfortable, quiet, clean and well equipped space, among other things. You will get less tired, spend more hours dedicated to work and perform better during the time you stay there. You will reduce so the chances of leaving tasks undone and postponing them for later.
And if you want to make the most of your studies and achieve your highest goals, the university residences can provide you the environment you need.
In flats for students Vitium we put everything at your disposal so that you just have to worry about studying. With your needs covered and excellent services delivered, you can concentrate on your studies and you will also have time for some fun and for sharing incredible experiences with your fellow residents.
Ready to study in a non-procrastination environment?
Contact us, do not leave it for later!