I'll Do It Tomorrow..It's Only a Day Away.......

Fess up: You're a procrastinator. Tomorrow sounds like the perfect day to do whatever...or maybe next week...next month...

Sound familiar?

 

Maybe you're putting something off because you feel overwhelmed. Maybe it's because you know it will take a ton of your time. Or, maybe you don't think it's going to take that long.

And then....the paper is due, the bill is due, the project is due, or you're still eating too much junk food..... and you haven't done a thing about it.

Yikes!

 

If your excuse is: I don't have any spare time.....

Take a look at how you're spending your time. How many hours are spent watching TV? Texting? Gaming? On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat? Today, grab a pad and pencil and write down how much time you're doing those things. You may be surprised how much time you actually have available.

Here are some tips that might be helpful for you to stop putting things off:

 

• Doing something is better than nothing. Get started! If it's a paper you need to write, start by choosing a subject and writing down an outline. Now you have a plan.
• Set reasonable goals. Chances are you cannot do the entire project or paper in just one session.
• A large calendar is going to be a huge help: Your instructor gives the due dates of all papers and tests at the beginning of a semester. Write it all down on your calendar and refer to it daily. Look ahead: What's due next week? Then you have to make a plan to accomplish it.
• Don't blow it all out of proportion. You can do it!
• Make a decision. Whether it's about what your project will look like, or what you want to achieve--decide something. Do it today.
• Don't expect perfection, but do your best.

 

• Break the task down into smaller chunks. Set time limits, like: I will work on this until 2:30 and then take a break. I will give this one hour of my day in the morning and one hour in the evening.
• Give yourself a little reward. Think: When I reach this goal, I'll have some coffee, or I'll get up and walk around a little. 
• Stay focused: When you're working on this, you're not doing anything else. Your phone is in another room, and you do not check your phone or think you can play 'one short game' while you are working. Two minutes distracted can so easily turn into half an hour...another half hour that you didn't work on your project.
• Write down your timeline. That is, by a certain date you will have an outline finished. Two days later, you will have the first three parts written....until you have a completion date, well ahead of the actual due date if possible.

 

• Start with the hardest part. Everything else will fall into place after it.
• Ask for help if you need it. Do you need a tutor? Maybe just someone to bounce ideas off of? Seek someone out---and not someone who will be an accomplice in procrastination!
• Don't delay something thinking that it will give you an excuse for not finishing: "I would have done it, but time just got away from me." It's a pretty good bet that an employer or instructor isn't going to be impressed with that excuse. Of course, you're letting yourself down, too, by not allowing yourself to be successful.
• SAVE YOUR WORK!!!!
• Are you allowing yourself to fail? Is that your comfort zone? You can't blame someone else for a goal not met.
• Most important, when you set goals and achieve them, give yourself a little 'pat on the back,' for finishing that task. Remember how reluctant you were to start, and the fact that you're on your way to achieving what you wanted. Good for you!
• Keep up the good work!!!