Procrastination, one of the most dreadful obstacles to be plagued by. We’ve all experienced that guilty feeling where we put off a task or project for too long and try to get it done at the last minute – it’s not fun. Everybody procrastinates but high school students, especially, know this beast all too well. Take choosing to play video games or using social media instead of working on your history project, for instance. Eventually, it comes back to haunt you the day before it’s due. Fortunately, there are some precautions that you can take to avoid finding yourself in the dark hole of procrastination.
- Hack Your Motivation and Willpower
The biggest reason students fall into the grasps of procrastination is lack of motivation. Simply put, there is no drive to get something done if you aren’t interested in it. For example, it’s common for teens that aren’t doing well in school to lack the motivation needed to improve their grades. They adopt a certain mindset that they’re not smart enough to succeed. Therefore, they feel there is no point in trying. This, however, is completely false. It’s paramount that students understand there is always room for improvement and you’re welcome to get back on the path to success at any time.
As humans, we tend to underestimate our power. But, when you learn to take full control of your willpower, you can achieve virtually anything you want. To gain the motivation to do something you might not want to do initially, you must change your mindset to activate your willpower to get the task done. Instead of taking that time and energy to convince yourself that you aren’t going to be successful, do the complete opposite. Your energy should be spent in ways to prove to yourself that you can and will be successful. Set your SMART long-term and short-term goals, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and most importantly, believe wholeheartedly that you can get your task done.
- Time-Management is Key
Some students may find themselves in a situation where they don’t think they have the time in their schedule to complete a certain task. There’s no denying that the life of a high school student can be very stressful and overwhelming, but it is essential that you learn to make prioritizations and manage your time wisely. If you know that you have a book report due in the next week or so, for example, you might want to schedule to do it little by little each day so that you aren’t holding out till the night before. You’ll find that dedicating at least 30 minutes each day is far better in regards to time than spending 3-4 hours rushing to get everything finished the night before it’s due. Let your time-management be a tool that assists you on your journey to success.
- Practice Discipline
Procrastination tends to have a heavier burden on teens who lack discipline and work ethic. To avoid being hindered by the plague, develop a system that works for your lifestyle and schedule. If you’re a high school student with no after-school commitments, you might want to finish your homework as soon as you get home everyday so you have the rest of the day as free-time. Teens that have a sport or club after-school may want to knock out a chunk of homework during lunch and free-times during class to have the remainder of the day dedicated to their sport or free-time. Overall, creating a plan to get work done everyday and on-time specifically for your schedule can not only help you avoid procrastination, but developing good work ethic to be successful.