Photo Courtesy of Tashi Lhamu ’21
“I have to pull an all-nighter tonight because I have a paper due tomorrow. I would have finished it by now, but I was watching vines on YouTube instead.”
“I have been waiting for this episode for so long. I am going to watch this first and then do my laundry after.”
“I don’t know how I got from ‘Inheritance of Blood Groups’ to ‘7 Reasons Why You Get Bitten By Mosquitoes More Than Everyone Else,’ or why I spent the last hour wondering why blood group O is more attractive to mosquitoes.”
Most procrastinators have gone through their own versions of the situations above. I once watched a TED talk on procrastination, “Wait But Why” by Tim Urban, only to avoid doing my extended essay in high school. In the end, I regretted my decision because I had to stay awake until 5.30 a.m. writing a 4,000-word essay. You would think I learnt my lesson from my experience, but no. Even today, I find myself drawn to the temptations of clicking on that one extra YouTube video or bingeing on that one extra episode which leads to many more.
Everybody, I imagine, has procrastinated at least once in their life, but that is not an issue. Procrastination becomes a complication in one’s life if and when it becomes a habit, which is why it is better to nip it in the bud before it goes viral. If you are like me and most other procrastinators, you have probably wondered, “How do I stop procrastinating?” Well, the answer is really simple. Google it! Oh, better not, you will probably end up watching The Office, again.
The first step to stop procrastinating is acceptance. Accepting that procrastination is a problem and then finding the motivation to solve this problem. The internet has so many suggestions on how you can stop procrastinating. There is no specific method that works for everyone because everyone is different and the degree to which we procrastinate is different too. Generally, the number one suggestion is finishing your homework or paper right away rather than leaving it for later. Doing this not only means that you can finish the work on time but it also means that you are one step ahead. Relaxation can come afterwards and bring peace of mind with it!
Sometimes, if you are too distracted to complete your work, it is good to take a walk or meditate to refresh your mind. It is always better to get back to completing the work as soon as possible because longer breaks make you lose your focus and interest. Setting conditions with oneself is another technique that you can try, where you reward yourself on completing your paper and meeting your deadline! For me personally, setting conditions works best because it gives me the framework and motivation to finish my work.
There are so many approaches to help stop procrastination but the most important factor of “How to stop procrastinating?” is perseverance. No matter how many times you fail, do NOT give up. It is easy to give in to the temptations but remember, time waits for no one and regret always follows procrastination. So, do not wait for tomorrow to stop procrastinating: Start NOW!
