Procrastination: How to avoid it.

Procrastination is something that most of us are familiar with. Whether it be with homework, cleaning your room, or responding to that email you’ve been avoiding for a week, some things are easier to just put off. While it may be okay to procrastinate on some issues, you have to be careful and strategic so you don’t go past the point of no return. As Mr. Konshak puts it, “You need to put out your fires.”

That feeling of having everything on your list finished and having that weight taken off your shoulders is one that can’t be beaten. So, knowing this feeling, why do we still procrastinate?

It’s simple: often, we would rather watch that new YouTube video or scroll through the Instagram explore page for hours instead of doing our math assignment. We promise ourselves that we will start “right after this video” or “in 30 minutes.” Then, time goes by and we tell ourselves “one more video, then I’ll start my homework.” Next thing you know, it’s 11 p.m. and you haven’t even opened your backpack, let alone done anything productive. I’m guilty of this, as I’m sure most people are.

The worst is, however, when you’ve reached the point where you’re so behind in everything that it’s nearly impossible to catch up in those few free hours given to you each night. That’s when you start to prioritize, doing only the assignments that are either already late or due the next day. In a lot of cases, due the next day before your study hall period.

So now everything is on fire. You’re behind on homework, have an entire book to read, have two essays due tomorrow, and have multiple journalism articles to write. You’ve dug yourself into a deep fiery pit and can’t escape. This is a nightmare that too many of us high school students have lived.

The goal of this article is to help you avoid falling into that pit and possibly motivate you to cross at least one thing off of your immediate to-do list.

The first step is to recognize that you’ve been procrastinating. If there is something, anything that you’ve been putting off doing or avoiding altogether, I’m talking to you. This step is pretty simple, but the next may be a bit more difficult.

Now, it’s time to figure out why you’ve been procrastinating. Why are you putting this task off? Will it get any easier over time? Will it in fact worsen over time? What’s preventing you from getting it done? While these questions may seem simple on the surface, they need to be fully reflected upon in order to avoiding repeating these mistakes in the future.

The next task is to confront the challenge head on and develop new anti-procrastination strategies. Below I’ve included a list of some great tips I found online.

1. Minimize distractions. Turn off your phone and television, leave your room and only keep music on if it still allows you to focus. All of these will still be there when you’re finished with your work.
2. Make a to-do list. If you haven’t already made one, lists are wonderful. It’s a great feeling to check something off a list, and they also help you to stay organized and remember what needs to be done.
3. Commit to the task. If something needs to be done, get it done as soon as possible. Chances are, the longer you wait, the less likely you’ll have the motivation to do it.
4. Reward yourself. After completing a task, reward yourself with a few minutes on social media or a short YouTube video. When you’re done with everything, maybe even reward yourself with a Baja Blast Freeze. The possibilities are endless.

So now, it’s time to click off of this Tritonian article and do the task you’ve been avoiding. Yes, I’m talking to you. You can’t avoid it forever, so let today be the day you can finally check it off your list. Trust me, it’ll feel so good.