How to stay motivated and avoid procrastinating

I’d be lying if I said procrastination hasn’t been a long-term enemy for me, especially when it comes to studying but, over the years I’ve found different ways to tackle procrastination. Here’s my top tips for avoiding procrastination whether you’re at school, college, sixth-form or university.

What is procrastination?

Procrastination is defined as, ‘the act of postponing or delaying something’. This, of course, is less than ideal when it comes to studying, especially in the run up to exams. Maintaining motivation and pushing procrastination can be the golden ticket to exam success but it’s easier said than done.

Whether you consider yourself a procrastinator or not, over the course of your studies there will undoubtedly be times where procrastination tries to take over. And, when you inadvertently find yourself at procrastination station, it can seem almost impossible to re-motivate yourself and finish that past-paper or write those revision notes.

Why do we procrastinate?

In order to work out how best to combat procrastination, it is important to understand why we procrastinate in the first place.

Whilst there is much debate over why we procrastinate, there is a general consensus that people often procrastinate because they're afraid of failing at the tasks that they need to complete. A fear of failure can be due to many things including a lack of confidence, the weight of expectation and overthinking the consequences. So, even though your parents may accuse you of laziness, when it comes to procrastination this is almost always not the case!

This fear of failure can promote procrastination in various ways, whether that’s preventing you from finishing a task that you’ve started or stopping you from getting started on a task in the first place.

There are also certain things that can heighten procrastination, the biggest of them all being stress. So it’s unsurprising that exam season really brings out your procrastination abilities, even if most of the time you’re not prone to it.

How can we fight procrastination?

Avoiding procrastination is almost impossible but there are steps we can take to fight it and many of these steps can be taken before procrastination even arrives. Here are my top 10 tips:

1. Break down the task in hand

We often procrastinate because we find our workload overwhelming. Breaking it down and setting smaller targets will help ease this overwhelming feeling. So instead of trying to tackle a whole past paper, take it one double page spread at a time. If you still procrastinate on the task after breaking it down, then break it down even further.

2.Use a checklist

A checklist is such a great and simple way to structure your revision. It can help you to break down your tasks as well as managing your time and the gratification of crossing something off a checklist can sometimes provide the motivation to move onto the next task (it’s the little things!)

3. Tell someone else about your goals

This doesn’t have to be an intense conversation about your life goals, just simply telling a parent, sibling or friend what you hope to accomplish in a morning or afternoon will do the job. Knowing that you’ve told someone else makes you feel more accountable for reaching those goals. Sometimes getting a parent to ask whether you finished what you’d set out to at the end of the day can give you that extra push.

4. Take a break

Little and often is the key here. Our concentration span, especially on difficult tasks, is a lot shorter than you’d expect. Make sure you’re taking regular scheduled breaks, there’s no golden rule for how many breaks and how long they should be for but it will be useful to try out a few methods and see what suits you best. Leaving your place of study on your breaks will help, whether that’s just moving to a different room or walking around for a bit. Remember, your brain will still be processing what you’re revising or working on so don't beat yourself up about taking a break!

5. Eliminate distractions

Far easier said than done but this really is essential, especially for the pro-procrastinators. Your phone is not your friend when it comes to revision so do whatever’s necessary to keep yourself away from it. Turn it off, put it in a different room, lock it away or even give it to a friend or family member to hold hostage. Trust me, it will be for the best and if you’re taking enough breaks you shouldn’t feel it’s absence too much!

6. Use incentives

Treat yourself! The thought of a reward might be just what you need to get a task started or finished. Obviously all rewards should be in moderation, but choose something that will make an impact. Anything from 10 mins on your phone to your favourite snack, whatever works for you!

7. Speak to someone who’s already achieved those goals

It might not come as much comfort to know that you are far from the first to take a trip to procrastination station in the run up to your exams. But, some reassuring words from someone who’s been there and has been able to push through could be just what you need to hear. Knowing that you’re not alone and picking up some tips, speaking to an older sibling or peer is definitely worthwhile.

8. Change up your environment

Associating revision or work with one space can be beneficial but not when you start associating that space with procrastination. Move rooms in your house if you can or venture out and try a public library or cafe. Sometimes a change of environment = a change of mindset!

9. Set yourself deadlines

Deadlines can be scary but if you’ve broken down your task and set yourself a checklist then they should feel more achievable. Giving yourself a healthy dose of time pressure can demand concentration.

10. Positive procrastination?

Whilst you might struggle to convince your parents that this is the case, it has been proven that procrastination can in fact be beneficial. Productive procrastination is the key here. It involves familiarising yourself with a task and then getting distracted for a while. Crazy as it may sound, your brain is processing the information and potential solutions to the task whilst you’re busy occupying yourself with procrastinatory tasks. This is most helpful when you’ve hit a wall as taking some time away and allowing your brain to mull over things will probably lead to a higher quality of work when you do manage to bring yourself back to the task.

We hope you found this ‘avoiding procrastination’ blog helpful. If you have any further questions about procrastination or EasyA’s on-demand tutoring, please do get in touch. We look forward to helping you excel.