By Raymond Jackson
The topic of procrastination barely needs an introduction. The pain of holding off on something until the last minute is something that most people have felt. Despite this, people end up repeating that same scene over and over. Procrastination hurts, but people need to find the reason why. Once we get to the root of the problem, we need ways to rip it out.
You are doomed to repeat the same mistake again and again if you do not find out what the problem of your procrastination lies. The problem can be different for everyone. It can be a lack of motivation where you can’t find any investment in what you need to do. It can be a way to cope with stress by not having to worry about what would drain the life out of you. It can be focusing on something more engaging instead. There are also distractions and even perfectionism at play. In my case, I struggle with all of the above.
Depending on the task, I have a hard time finding the right motivation. As an example, I have a writing assignment that I get writer’s block over. Days pass, and I hope to get an idea eventually. During that time, I get distracted by other activities. The due date creeps up even faster, and the procrastination gets worse from all of the stress. I rush things together, micromanaging every detail to make it as polished as possible. Not helping things is trying to meet the criteria of what the paper should be in a minuscule amount of time, all to get a better grade.
As a suggestion to look for motivation, think of how you can be invested in the task at hand. Maybe if you need to get dishes done, set a goal for how many you can get clean in under 30 minutes. In the case of a writing assignment, set small goals throughout the week that are easily achievable. One day, write one paragraph. The next day, write another paragraph and so on. To help matters, take breaks in between to give you time to think and regroup. This is the Pomodoro method, where you spend 25 minutes working before taking a 5-minute break. When it comes to making things polished, remember that nothing has to be perfect. You can do better the next time around. The more motivation you find, the more digestible the work becomes.
If that doesn’t help, schedule and plan a time to work on something. Work on that thing before losing focus. After that, take the day off before trying again the next day. This is called a flowtime method. Again, things work differently for everyone.
In my case, I use both the Pomodoro and flowtime methods, and they work well for me when getting specific schoolwork done and on time. It is not a walk in the park for sure. It all just takes time, good discipline, and trying out new things. If you continue to procrastinate without looking into the root of the issue, you repeat a cycle of insanity hoping for a different outcome.
