What's the best and the worst thing about being able to do your work at home? Well, of course it's the fact that you don't have anyone watching over you, seeing how you are spending your time and generally making sure you're doing what you're supposed to be doing!
When you have deadlines and due dates approaching you there is a good chance that you are a figure of hard work and determination (and quite possibly panic and regret!) But when due dates are far off into the distance there is also a good chance that you are now a figure of total laziness!
If you're the only one currently holding yourself accountable then unfortunately there's a good chance you'll be happy to let yourself off the hook! You don't want to be mean to yourself after all. Life is short. You want to spend your time having fun. Watch television, jump on the internet, go shopping for new clothes, play computer games and generally do whatever you like! Well, that's what you're thinking anyway (we know this because that's what we're thinking too!)
The difficulty that arises with this approach is that a little voice in our head starts saying, "Don't forget about that thing that's due soon" or "You're really going to get it if you don't do that thing" and it really seems to start hounding us louder and more often if we don't do something about it (like drown it out with music!) So we always suggest that you get the work done first and then you can have as much free time as you want later. In order to do that you need to know how to stop procrastinating and start taking action. Here are five tips that will make procrastination a thing of the past for you:
Tip number one. Nothing in life is perfect and neither are you. Sorry if that hit you between the eyes but seriously, you are not perfect! So stop trying to be. Many people procrastinate because they would rather not do anything out of fear that it won't be perfect. Well guess what, it won't be! So get over it and get on with it.
Tip number two. Tasks always appear huge at first and that's why you break them up into smaller tasks. You would really think this one would be self-explanatory! Nobody says "I am going to build a house" and then starts hammering a nail into some wood and then all of a sudden the house is built. There is so much more involved than that. You need to look at the big task as a series of much smaller tasks and then start working on those. Soon you will find you are half way done and that big task is now much smaller than it first seemed! But the most important thing is to make a start.
Tip number three. Find an accountability buddy. This is actually really powerful if you can manage it. When there is someone else keeping you accountable you are far more likely to follow through on your promises. You both agree on what you will each be doing and it's the job of the other person to hold you accountable. So you both hold each other accountable. Bonus tip: if you put something on the line (like if you agreed "If I don't complete this promise you get my iPad" and vice versa) it will make it even harder to not do what you promised and you will be super motivated.
Tip number four. Spend as much time as possible with people who want to do something special with their life. When you spend time with drop-kicks you also become a drop-kick. It's just human nature. Find people who have already achieved what you want to achieve (many of them can be found online these days!) and start listening to them and learning from them. You deserve to give yourself an opportunity to do something awesome with your life so don't mix with the wrong crowd.
Tip number five. Become a distraction eliminator. Distractions are everywhere - there is no doubt about that. But your brain is very good at shutting out all distractions if you tell it to. The easy option is to think that you can have your phone buzzing, your music blaring, your television on and your Facebook page up while you try to complete that paper that's due tomorrow. The reality is that if you do that you'll get the results that you deserve. The reality is that if you shut it all off for 10 minutes the world won't end (even though it really seems like it just might!) Start small and shut them off for 15 minutes, then over time increase that to 30 minutes, then to an hour, and so on and so forth. Before you know it you will be surprised at how easy it is to shut everything off for an hour or two so you can complete your work. Then once that's done you can get straight back to wasting your time again! Good deal.
In the end only you can decide what is important to you. Life is long when you spend your time doing things you hate. So don't make a career out of it! Make the choice today to make your life something special. Good luck!
When you have deadlines and due dates approaching you there is a good chance that you are a figure of hard work and determination (and quite possibly panic and regret!) But when due dates are far off into the distance there is also a good chance that you are now a figure of total laziness!
If you're the only one currently holding yourself accountable then unfortunately there's a good chance you'll be happy to let yourself off the hook! You don't want to be mean to yourself after all. Life is short. You want to spend your time having fun. Watch television, jump on the internet, go shopping for new clothes, play computer games and generally do whatever you like! Well, that's what you're thinking anyway (we know this because that's what we're thinking too!)
The difficulty that arises with this approach is that a little voice in our head starts saying, "Don't forget about that thing that's due soon" or "You're really going to get it if you don't do that thing" and it really seems to start hounding us louder and more often if we don't do something about it (like drown it out with music!) So we always suggest that you get the work done first and then you can have as much free time as you want later. In order to do that you need to know how to stop procrastinating and start taking action. Here are five tips that will make procrastination a thing of the past for you:
Tip number one. Nothing in life is perfect and neither are you. Sorry if that hit you between the eyes but seriously, you are not perfect! So stop trying to be. Many people procrastinate because they would rather not do anything out of fear that it won't be perfect. Well guess what, it won't be! So get over it and get on with it.
Tip number two. Tasks always appear huge at first and that's why you break them up into smaller tasks. You would really think this one would be self-explanatory! Nobody says "I am going to build a house" and then starts hammering a nail into some wood and then all of a sudden the house is built. There is so much more involved than that. You need to look at the big task as a series of much smaller tasks and then start working on those. Soon you will find you are half way done and that big task is now much smaller than it first seemed! But the most important thing is to make a start.
Tip number three. Find an accountability buddy. This is actually really powerful if you can manage it. When there is someone else keeping you accountable you are far more likely to follow through on your promises. You both agree on what you will each be doing and it's the job of the other person to hold you accountable. So you both hold each other accountable. Bonus tip: if you put something on the line (like if you agreed "If I don't complete this promise you get my iPad" and vice versa) it will make it even harder to not do what you promised and you will be super motivated.
Tip number four. Spend as much time as possible with people who want to do something special with their life. When you spend time with drop-kicks you also become a drop-kick. It's just human nature. Find people who have already achieved what you want to achieve (many of them can be found online these days!) and start listening to them and learning from them. You deserve to give yourself an opportunity to do something awesome with your life so don't mix with the wrong crowd.
Tip number five. Become a distraction eliminator. Distractions are everywhere - there is no doubt about that. But your brain is very good at shutting out all distractions if you tell it to. The easy option is to think that you can have your phone buzzing, your music blaring, your television on and your Facebook page up while you try to complete that paper that's due tomorrow. The reality is that if you do that you'll get the results that you deserve. The reality is that if you shut it all off for 10 minutes the world won't end (even though it really seems like it just might!) Start small and shut them off for 15 minutes, then over time increase that to 30 minutes, then to an hour, and so on and so forth. Before you know it you will be surprised at how easy it is to shut everything off for an hour or two so you can complete your work. Then once that's done you can get straight back to wasting your time again! Good deal.
In the end only you can decide what is important to you. Life is long when you spend your time doing things you hate. So don't make a career out of it! Make the choice today to make your life something special. Good luck!
About the Author:
HelpMeToStudy.org is the best online resource for learning new study skills, changing your study habits and discovering the best study tips available. We will help change the way you think about study - and even better - we will show you how to study effectively: How To Stop Procrastinating | Studying Tips
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