Beating the deadline: Avoid procrastinating this time

If you have experienced that caffeine-induced working plus the constant glancing at the clock, then congratulations! You are an official procrastinator! (Pixabay photo)

“I’ll do this today.”

How many times have you said these four words to yourself, only to realize that so many ‘todays’ have passed already and the deadline is actually in the next hour?

If you have experienced that caffeine-induced working plus the constant glancing at the clock, then congratulations! You are an official procrastinator!

And today, September 6 is the day for you – even if it an unofficial holiday.

Procrastination. The Oxford dictionary defines the word as a noun that is the action of delaying or postponing something. But how can something that stalls a certain event or task be addicting for someone to repeatedly do it? Certified procrastinators would know, coming from one herself.

Fun fact, the stress it brings is not exactly a pill that procrastinators love to take, but probably the satisfying thing one feels in the end when they are able to finish the task despite the short time they allotted for it can be a bit fascinating. It basically allowed them to have more time “goofing around” but still got that task off their checklists.

This is not me encouraging procrastination at all as it is not a good habit to have. But today is Fight Procrastination Day and who knows, some tips on this battle may actually help others who go through the same cycle.

Why do you procrastinate?

Well, really, why? This is an important question to answer because there are various reasons and the answers can actually lead you to different ways to fight.

Are you simply too lazy to get up and work? Or is time management straining you in the sense that you get too overwhelmed with the tasks on hand and fail to just check the time? Maybe you end up getting too distracted with so many things happening at once or so much of your attention is spent on having fun? Or could it just be that you easily get burnt out and end up not being able to finish the task when you only focus on doing it?

Once you find your answer, it gets less hard to figure out your next steps. Try the ones below.

Plot that schedule

No, using those planners, highlighters, and sticky notes is not about you “trying to have the illusion that you have your life organized” as internet memes say. These things prove useful in noting down and keeping track of a lot of things because the brain cannot possibly remember everything on a really busy schedule (unless you have superb memory, of course).

Digital planner apps or simple calendar apps also exist for those who find the whole traditional planning too much of a hassle. While it is not required to be too neat and organized, it is a good option to have a whole sheet of schedules where in just one look, you can see a summary of what is to come in the future.

This is a general initial step to combat procrastination, for it gives you a wider view on how much time you can spend on the task or tasks that you need to accomplish.

It will also set your pace, allowing you to know which ones need priority if there are more than one, or giving you a glimpse of how much time you can use for your fun and rest.

Stick to it

Now that you have that schedule all laid out, the tougher thing to do is how to find the drive to make it happen. No matter what.

There is not much challenge in listing down your tasks, its details, and when it is needed. Even placing a date next to when you should accomplish this task or when you want to work on it is not that difficult. The real challenge is to make sure you get yourself to stick to that schedule.

How does one do that, you may ask.

There is no one rule that fits all in this situation.

But there are things that you can do to push you to just stick to it.

You can set multiple reminders in a day or even an hour that pesters you more than it just reminds you. The more annoyed you get, the likely you’d start doing it; similar to how alarm clocks work.

Punishment games also work even with yourself. For example, you can set a certain punishment if you don’t start moving at a certain hour. You can’t have that favorite dish for a week? No dose of your most-loved series until you get it done? And many more.

You know yourself and what else can help you just turn that start mode on.

Get a cheerleader

Okay, let’s say you’ve set up your schedule on your calendar, you’ve placed an effort in keeping your planner organized, you’ve punished yourself several times (yikes), but time is still running and nothing’s still working? Well my friend, maybe what you need is a human that boosts you and not the robotics and inanimates.

A concerned friend? Your mom? Your beau? Anyone, really, who would be willing to cheer you up whenever you are feeling your motivations dropping low. Or anyone willing to reprimand you when laziness is starting to creep in.

Sometimes, emotional support is what one needs in order to fulfill their list of tasks.

Clear the weeds.

Nothing still working even if you have the drive? Probably, it’s the best time to not be distracted.

It can be tempting to just scroll through your social media to check on those people and hashtags you’ve been following, but nothing is more fulfilling than actually using that time to finish your work.

Or you’re probably in the middle of checking which series to bingewatch next? You might have to pause that no matter how exciting the developments are, because you know you’d be lying to yourself when you succumb to that “Just one more episode.”

Admit it, being surrounded by a lot of these things spells bad news for you especially when you have something to work on.

Best thing to do is to turn off your wi-fi or data for a bit so you can focus. Just play some good music that would keep you company.

Maybe your work needs the internet? Well, you have to close all those tabs that have nothing to do with what you’re doing and this is harder than the usual tip, because really, who would be checking on you to tell you “You should be working” right?

This one requires some drops of discipline and the main thing you have to do is stay away from all these distractions as much as you can.

Because once you deceive yourself into believing that you can do it even with everything in your environment, you’ll be stepping into the rabbit hole.

Take a break

Of course, a worn-out brain and body cannot be productive so you gotta take some breaks. The key here is to set an alarm until when the break extends to.

Luckily, a break is not all about sleep. A break can be a simple music video of your favorite band. It can be some food to treat yourself. Some reading to refresh the soul. Or even just a short stretch and sense of nothingness and blankness.

If machines need breaks, more so for humans. So do not deprive yourself of a break. Just be sure to limit it so it would not end up as a trip to dreamland!

Procrastination happens and many people succumb to it. But that does not mean that it cannot be fought.

Hopefully, these tips are able to help you in your battles. (Now that you’re at the end of this article, start working!)