Students are indisputably among some of the world’s worst procrastinators. How often have you found yourself somewhat conveniently wasting time on futile activities such as rearranging your stationery drawer or making endless cups of tea – just to postpone the actual task at hand? If you are prone to procrastination you are not alone. As many as 95% of students procrastinate according to the American Psychological Association.
This is a menacing habit that can lead to severe stress brought on by the fear of the consequences surrounding the inability to complete a task on time. Luckily, all hope is not lost as procrastination can be dealt with in a number of simple yet effective ways.
Admit that you are procrastinating
In order to address your procrastination, you need to first admit that you are indeed prone to procrastinating. Delaying an important task such as studying briefly for a good reason is both understandable and acceptable but once you start looking for excuses not to do something you are entering treacherous grounds. The most common signs of procrastination include filling your day with low-priority tasks, starting a high-priority task only to stop shortly afterwards to do something that is of virtually no importance and skipping all the important things on your to-do list, telling yourself you will ‘get to them later’.
Make sure you sleep enough
When we are tired we tend to procrastinate even more than usual. It is with good reason that the World Health Organization recommends between 8 and 10 hours of sleep a night for anyone over the age of 18. All aspects of our wellbeing are affected by fatigue, including our ability to think clearly and concentrate on our tasks. The more compromised our focus becomes, the more we tend to procrastinate, and so the cycle continues. By getting enough sleep on a regular basis, you will wake up feeling refreshed and revitalized, ready to take on the day to the best of your ability without feeling the need to procrastinate.
Up your nutritional intake
What you eat has a direct influence on your brain health which, in turn, can either increase or decrease your level of procrastination. By incorporating a supplement such as AddieUP brain pills into your lifestyle you will find yourself in a zone that is substantially more conducive to success. Some of the recommended ingredients include Citicoline which is known to increase mental energy, concentration, and focus, and L-Theanine which calms calm brain activity, block distractions an improve focus.
Adopt anti-procrastination strategies
After you have upped your sleep and nutritional intake you can adopt a range of anti-procrastination strategies that will help you even more. Focus all your attention on doing something instead of avoiding it and promise yourself a small reward for completing a task in a timeous manner. If you think it might keep you on track, you can ask someone to check up on you from time to time, making sure you are busying yourself with important tasks. Remember to get the tasks you dread the most out of the way first to avoid being tempted into delaying them indefinitely.
Procrastination may seem harmless but if it is not addressed it can have a serious impact on not only your studies but your every-day life as well. By following the guidelines above and making the choice to kick your procrastinating habits to the curb you will find yourself achieving more than you ever thought you were capable of!
