Procrastination is a universal thing that everyone experiences throughout their life. There are obviously certain people who are able to make rational and sensible decisions when it comes to working on assignments or other necessities that need to be completed, these people are called non-procrastinators, but those who have difficulty doing so are called procrastinators.

In the mind of a procrastinator, procrastinating is more of an unhealthy habit more than it is an unhealthy choice. Breaking lifelong habits such as procrastination can be a very difficult thing to do, but it is not impossible. Anyone can overcome the urge to procrastinate, but you need to keep a couple of things in mind:

Own a Planner

If you were to write things down on a daily planner, there is a minimized chance of you conveniently forgetting about the assignments or tasks you need to get done, which you might consider unpleasant and unnecessary.

Keeping your planner up to date with school assignments, events and other tasks that you need to get done will help you identify the most important and time-consuming tasks that need to be completed as soon as possible, in addition to the tasks can be saved for later. This will help you set up a mental time frame in which you can prioritize what needs to get done soon or what may take a long time to do.

Get Rid of All of Your Distractions

Phones. Social media. Netflix. Youtube. These are only four of the major reasons people procrastinate. People tend to use one of these apps as their supposed “study break”, and then they are unable to break away from the screen.

“My biggest distraction has always been my phone. It is why I never get anything done,” freshman Melina Telleria said.

Of course, studying and completing assignments for too long will undoubtedly become tiring and bothersome, so study breaks are essential. Depending on the level of importance of your task, going on your phone may or may not be the best use of your study breaks.

Apps like Instagram, TikTok, Netflix and Youtube are able to grasp your full attention and completely blind you from your responsibilities. This is when procrastination begins and it is extremely hard to break away from this trance-like state once you’ve already been consumed by it.

If the task at hand is indeed one of importance, it is better to continue to isolate yourself from your phones and instead take a quick 20 to 30 minute nap, take a shower, eat a snack, take a walk outside or play with your dog! Do not let yourself be sucked into your phone; you will never be able to get anything done if you do.

Get the Hard Assignments Done First

Once you have set your mind to completing these challenges, make sure to get the hardest assignments done first! By doing so, you are able to concentrate better on the task at hand, thus letting you work at a faster pace and in a more efficient way. This is because your mind is solely focused on one thing: getting the job done. Once this bothersome task is done, it is over with and you do not have to be stressing over it for any longer. From then on, every other assignment is going to seem easier and it will take a significantly less amount of time to complete.

Procrastinating is never a good thing but sometimes it just cannot be helped. These simple tips and tricks can be the push for you to become more motivated in school and in your everyday life. If you ever start to feel like you can put off certain assignments for later, ask yourself this: “What’s the worst thing that can happen if I do this today?”