Procrastination

How to put an end to those hours you spend procrastinating

By Hana C.

Many people, (teens especially) fall into the trap of procrastination. The definition is, Pro⋅cras⋅ti⋅na⋅tion: the act of delaying or postponing something. This sounds familiar, wouldn’t it? That time when you went on your phone instead of doing homework, started organizing your whole room when you’re supposed to work on that essay due tomorrow, or read a book instead of studying for that test. These are all acts of procrastination, and it's often hard to do the work you are told to do.

So how do you avoid procrastinating?

The truth is, it's very hard to stop procrastinating (unless you naturally don’t) but self control is key. Learn to control yourself, and your hours wasted away to procrastinating at your work space are over. But laziness and tiredness do make it hard to control what you do, which leads to procrastination. So what can you do to end procrastination? The answer may sound simple, but it will take hard work (and self control) to end those times. “ I try to stop procrastinating sometimes, but I always end up on my phone.” says Chloe C. on an interview with Hana.

Steps to take

Let's start with steps towards ending wasting your time. First, get all those distractions (phones, devices, books, newspapers etc.) out of your reach. This way, you can’t just grab your phone and spend an hour on it when it's right next to you. If you need to, you can hand your distractions to another person if it becomes necessary to do so. Another important step to take is stay organized. By staying organized, you can focus on your work instead of looking at a messy desk and not being able to find the work quickly. Also, keep in mind that it is ok to take breaks while doing your work. If you do so, you can stay concentrated on the work instead of having low concentration and trying to get done with bad work. But, taking hour long breaks will NOT help you with your concentration. Doing so will result in the start of procrastination, and your work has been avoided for an hour, resulting in more of the day spent on that work. “I definitely fall as a victim to procrastination many times, but the times that I've been able to stay focused on my work was when I did keep my phone out of my reach.” -Alaina F. The most important fact that you do need to know is that procrastination is a habit. This is why procrastinating is hard to end.

Procrastination takes hard work and dedication to end. Even with the many barriers, people can overcome their procrastinating habits that waste away minutes, hours, and in some cases, even days. But it's always good to keep in mind the steps and the motivation to end procrastination, so you can succeed at the work you do.