Don’t Procrastinate: 7 Strategies to Help You Get Started Studying

We all know that feeling when faced with a task that seems unpleasant, difficult, or seemingly impossible, we look for excuses to put it off until later. In some cases, the task may be as simple as making a phone call to make a dental appointment, or it may be a recurring problem, such as doing homework regularly. Nevertheless, procrastination gets in our way.

Studies have shown that about 20% of adults are chronic procrastinators. This indicates a serious enough problem that a simple “get a grip” recommendation won’t be enough here.

Procrastination is a trap that many students fall into, and it directly affects the success of your learning. Students who struggle with procrastination are more likely to burn out, not complete the course. However, there are effective strategies to help students overcome procrastination.

#1. Identify the cause

Procrastinators are not lazy. And, contrary to what you might expect, they are not even lacking in motivation. Often their intrinsic motivation conflicts with some other factor, resulting in characteristic indecisiveness. A person who misidentifies the reasons for their procrastination can make it difficult, especially if it makes them feel guilty.

For example, a procrastinator may fear failure, so he puts off working on a project he loves. He may be overcome by insecurity, in which case he needs to focus on past successes. Or he may be avoiding a painful decision that could lead to personal sacrifice on his part. Identifying the cause may help the procrastinator realize that what he is worried about is not so insurmountable after all.

#2. Focus on motivation

As mentioned above, procrastination is not as simple as a lack of motivation. However, motivation can help a student regain enough energy to begin working on their learning task.

How can a student motivate himself? For example, write down their big motivational goal at the beginning of the course and then remind yourself to do so if you don’t log on to the learning platform within a few days.

#3. Prioritize tasks

Sometimes procrastination takes the form of focusing on unimportant tasks instead of larger, more complex and important current tasks. This false productivity can make a student feel exhausted but still unsatisfied because their biggest task has been left for last.

Set clear priorities. Give yourself extra points for assignments after you have completed the most important work.

#4. Reduce the to-do list

Another procrastination trigger is when a student is faced with a long to-do list with many tasks that all need to be completed. By shortening your to-do list can give you the momentum you need to complete other tasks.

To shorten an overly long to-do list, start by removing non-urgent tasks. If they are still important tasks, move them to a list to be processed later. Then look at the remaining tasks and determine which ones can be completed easily. These are the important tasks that can be dealt with quickly in a few minutes. By removing the minor ones, your students will be able to focus on the larger tasks. Finally, consider delegating some of the tasks to an essay service or other professionals. This will free up more time for you to focus on the tasks that are most important.

#5. Give up intense scheduling

Procrastination is usually the result of stress, and unfortunately, additional stress can only make the problem worse. Some stressed out students use an intense schedule that makes them busy all the time they can. Such a schedule will backfire, causing the student to panic more about their study load.

Instead, abandon overly rigid schedules and use a flexible schedule. This will also help you be more reasonable about what you can accomplish.

#6. Break your study load into manageable stages

Procrastinators sometimes fall victim to an up and down cycle where they become intensely active for a short period of time, then burn out, and then feel resistant to resuming their study load because they mentally compare it to the previous up and down cycle.

Instead of tackling a huge amount of work all at once, break it up into smaller chunks. This gives you more motivation to study because you can see the progress that you have made clearly.

#7. Take an intentional break

This may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes a student just needs a break. The key here is what kind of break you take. Many procrastinators waste break time browsing social media or reading articles online. The problem is that they can’t rest and recuperate. Instead, they feel even more frustrated.

Schedule time to get up and go for a walk, cook a meal or read a book. Focusing on maintaining relaxation can help you get out of your routine and get back to studying when the break is over.

#8. Ask for help

Make sure you have somewhere to turn if you do run into difficulties. Everyone needs help from time to time, and reaching out is nothing to be ashamed of. If you’re having difficulty managing your workload or studying effectively, consider asking a teacher or professor for advice. They can offer helpful tips on how to prioritize tasks and manage your time more efficiently. In addition, your school may have resources available such as tutoring services and academic advisors that can help you get back on track.

Furthermore, if you need help writing a college essay, you can pay for college essay cheap services that can provide you with quality help at an affordable price. This way, you can make sure that your essay is well-written and free of errors while still staying within budget.

It can also be beneficial to connect with other students who are in the same field of study as you. Talking to peers, classmates, or even older students can provide insight into studying techniques and test-taking strategies that have worked for them in the past. They can also provide moral support, which can serve as a great motivator when it comes to tackling difficult tasks.