Simple Ways to Beat Procrastination

As a student myself, I have definitely noticed that I am probably the Queen of Procrastinating. I just cannot seem to do coursework at home! You could argue it's because I have the attention span on a goldfish (seriously, I'm not joking) so I find the internet and home comforts (TV, food, my phone, etc.) extremely distracting. If you're just like me, you could try some of these suggestions to help get that work done.

1. Get off the internet!

One reason I much prefer to do my work in college is because the library workers have the ability to block certain websites (Twitter, Tumblr, Online Shops) from being opened on the college computers, meaning even if I wanted a quick peek at my timeline, I couldn't. However, if you have work to do overnight or over the weekend, meaning you aren't able to use college facilities, then I suggest maybe disconnecting yourself from your home internet. If you don't need the aid of Google or any online web page then simply turn your laptop/computers ability to join Wi-Fi off until you've finished your work. That way you can still be on your laptop, typing in a Word Document, but if you try to cheekily open Google for a second it wont load.

Alternatively. if you aren't able to resist the temptation to type in your Wi-Fi password and sneak onto the internet for a second, consider hand writing your essay/work (with your laptop turned off) and then quickly typing it up once you've finished. That way, even if you use social networks alongside typing the work up, you have already completed the work in a hand-written form and do ot have to stress about it not being done at all.

2. Your friends can wait!

I'm not sure about Androids and other brands of mobile phone, but I know for certain that iPhones, iPod's and iPad's have a "Do Not Disturb" mode. This will be your best friend whilst doing work! You wont miss out on a million arrangements or gossip for half an hour whilst you're doing some work, and your friends wont mind that your reply to their text may take a little while. Once you've done the work, take your phone off Do Not Disturb and pick up where you left off.

3. Have your comforts prepared.

If you know half way through your work you're going to get a little peckish, then prepare a snack to keep with you as you go. This means you can avoid going to the kitchen to prepare/decide what you will eat, or using being hungry as an excuse to procrastinate a little more. Before you begin your work, grab a drink and a snack (it could be a packet of crisps, a bowl of fruit, whatever you fancy) and keep it beside you as you go.

4. Don't overwork yourself, time setting is key.

An important thing to keep in mind is that you do not have to do all the work you have at once. The last thing really you want to be doing is sitting at a desk for a solid 2 hours plus, completing an entire essay or every piece of work you've been set. It is more than OK to take breaks. Have you done 40 minutes of work and want to watch a 30 minute TV show? Do it! Save your work and come back to it. Just make sure that you are strict with your breaks and you do come back to your work, don't get carried away.