How to stop procrastinating and start studying
Being motivated to study when you need to can be tough, and even more so when you’re distance learning and don’t necessarily have a classroom setting to encourage you.
If you’re struggling with finding the motivation to study and will find anything and everything to do instead, then you need our guide on how to stop procrastinating and start studying.
What is procrastination?
Simply put, procrastination means putting something off. You will find anything else to do, rather than the task at hand, whether it’s starting an assignment, revising for an exam or even listening to a lecture whilst distance learning.
It might feel like you’re always going to be this way, but the key is you need to find the reason why you’re procrastinating and challenge it.
Reasons why you might be procrastinating:
- Not sure where you should start
- Worry you won’t have the perfect outcome
- Easily distracted
- Lack of confidence
- Deadlines and goals feel too far in the distance
Psychology Today says: Procrastination is a variety of thoughts and habits that see us putting off tasks because we think we won’t enjoy them and we don’t want to make ourselves unhappy, or there is a fear that we won’t complete them well enough. Confusion over a task, as well as fatigue, can also play a part in procrastination.
Practical Strategies to Overcome Procrastination
Here are a few strategies to help you stop procrastinating and start studying.
Set process goals
Focus on goals that are targeted towards the process, as opposed to the outcome. These process goals are often easily within your control and can be simple things like dedicating a set amount of time to studying each day. This makes it more manageable and less daunting as a whole.
Remind yourself why
If you’re stuck on starting or continuing a specific task, remind yourself why you need to do it. Write down the motivational factors that will help to reignite the purpose of your studying.
Create a conducive environment
Enhance your focus by removing distractions in your study environment. Things like working in a quiet space, using a desk or a table as opposed to sitting on the couch or bed, turning off any unnecessary devices or using applications that will block distracting websites.
Break your tasks into smaller ones
Procrastination can often rear its head when you feel a task is too big to complete, in this case, it’s best to break it down into smaller tasks that seem more manageable. Using this method can help reduce the overwhelming feeling and make things seem less daunting.
Try the Pomodoro Technique
Use the Pomodoro Technique to really give you a boost to get something done. This is a time management method that encourages you to focus for a set amount of time on a task and then follow it with a short break.
This technique is great for maintaining your concentration and preventing burnout.
Introduce self-imposed deadlines
Setting personal deadlines is a great way of instilling a sense of urgency and structure to your study time. By doing this over and over you’ll be aiding your accountability as well as increasing your time management skills too.
Learn your productive times
We all indeed have certain times of the day when we’ll be more productive, so you must get to learn these. Everyone will have different peak times for concentration and efficiency, so you must be aware of your own and ensure that you schedule studying time for them.
How to stop procrastinating in the long term
These long-term strategies for procrastination might help you to overcome this habit of putting off your work.
Understand the causes of your procrastination
By understanding the personal reasons behind procrastination you can address these underlying issues and hopefully nip them in the bud. Whether they’re related to lack of interest, feeling overwhelmed or related to fear you can use tips and tricks to help you overcome these issues.
Develop a reward system
Create a reward system for when you meet your study goals or you complete assignments, exams, etc. These can be a great motivator and give you something to look forward to at the end of your goal.
How to stop procrastinating - A summary
You’re inevitably going to put things off from time to time, but if you’re doing it continually and you’re left feeling stressed as a result, it might be time to consider some of these strategies for stopping procrastinating and starting studying.
Tackling procrastination is important for you to succeed in your academic studies, as well as later in life. Try out these practical methods to overcome procrastination and find out which works best for you to help you develop your time management skills.
