~Fight Against Procrastination~

Hello Fellow Students!
Happy Holidays! It is I, here once again to help you out with your studying predicaments. Today we'll be tackling the monster named Procrastination. We all have experienced the comfort of procrastination. I mean, it is incredibly easy to say, "Ehhh I'll do it later" or my personal favourite, "That's Future Christin's problem". These thoughts are echoed throughout the day until it's too late and you have to make a mad dash to get your work done in time. Whether it be studying for that test you have coming up, that homework assignment you need to hand in or that project you should start. Procrastination attacks from all angles. I myself am incredibly guilty of this, but no longer! Today I will provide five tips to help you (and me) beat this villain.

Set Goals 

Now that doesn't mean "Learn this entire unit by the end of the night". Know your limits and come up with goals that are realistic and achievable to do. Make your goals SMART.
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timely
Even if it's just to study a topic or two, write three paragraphs for a report, go into your study session with a goal for yourself. Studying for studying sake is just going to be a waste if you go in without a plan. Always make sure you can recite what you set out to learn by the end of the session with ease. That way you know if your goal is achieved.

Be Motivated

Now I know me, and I know that if I try to study or get an assignment done when I'm unmotivated, it will just end up being a waste of time and procrastination is bound to happen. Go in with a mindset of I will get this done today. Find something to get you in that motivated or 'hyped' whether it be music, a certain place or setting that is conducive of getting work done. For me, my bed is the only place where I can focus and get things done because it's my safe space. Find what works for you.

Remove Distractions

This step is admittedly one of the hardest for me. It seems like every time I try to put down my phone to do my work without it, suddenly everything I need is on my phone! I have exprienced multiple occasions when I picked up my phone to be produtive but got so distracted, I forgot what I went on my phone for in the first place. However, I can tell you that the benefits of separating yourself from our devices will improve your study session as now, you have no choice but to study.. Devices are not the only distractions though. People, music, one's bed, all of these are distractions that can make you unproductive. Find somewhere quiet to study if that works for you. If you need music, try music without lyrics or songs you dont know the lyrics to. It makes for good background noise and helps with focus. Separate yourself from things you know will hinder your productivity if you truly want to get things done.

Time Yourself

When you time yourself, you give yourself an allotted to study. Once again, it doesn't have to be "I'm going to study for four hours today". One of the most important aspects of studying is knowing yourself and what works for you. If you know you can only study for short periods at a time, set your timer for thirty to forty-five minutes. However, even if you can't study for long periods of time, that does not mean that you study for twenty-five minutes and call it a day. The longer you study, the less frequent study periods need to be but the shorter your study period the more frequent your study sessions or productivity sessions have to be. Productivity is all about balance. If you're unbalanced, you won't feel like studying and thus you fall back to procrastination. 

Take Breaks

Everyone's favourite part of being productive: when you stop! Kidding aside, breaks are an important part of the study process. Your brain needs to cool off and process all of the information you're trying to put into it. Breaks allow the brain to put the information  you studied from short term memory to long term memory where it will be available for further access. Where breaks stop being beneficial however, is when you decide that you're 'taking a break' for the rest of your study time. The maximum time amount of time a break should be is  15-20 minutes. If you find your break exceeding this consistently, you lose the focus and concentration you cultivated, making it impossible to return to work. Once again, you must balance out your study break ratio for an effective study period.

And there you have it! I hope some of you found this article helpful and put these tips to good use. I got a laptop so I definitely will be posting more frequently now. If there's anything in particular you want me to discuss, don't be afraid to let me know. Shout out to my friend for giving me this idea! Remember to comment and subscribe to get notified every time I post😊.

Happy Studying!

Christin