Beating Procrastination
My name is Melanie Carson, I have Attention Deficit Disorder, and I am a chronic procrastinator. I am in college and I have failed out of classes because I procrastinated the work and even going to class. I've gotten into the habit of asking my professors for extensions because I hadn't even started the assignments by the due date. There are so many other ways I could tell you that I have procrastinated my entire life, but the list would be too long. I even procrastinated writing this article. Anyway, hopefully I can help you (and myself) in stopping this detrimental cycle.
Think about why you are procrastinating, then think about the effects of the procrastination. Is it really a good idea to be putting it off? The answer is almost always no.
Make time. If you procrastinate because you think you have no time for what you need to do, you have to make time. Fit it into your schedule so that you can work on it. A lot of people set certain chunks of time aside and label them in their planners or calendars in order to get their work done, maybe this could work for you.
Make sure there no distractions. Go to a calm quiet place, turn off any sort of notifications on your devices that could lead you away from your work, listen to some calming instrumental music at a low volume, and have all your materials out in front of you.
Don't try to do all the work in one sitting. For example, if you're writing a paper, set reasonable goals to write perhaps one page per session. This is easier said than done, but it can be done and it's a lot easier than writing the whole paper the night before it's due.
Encourage yourself. Have a positive attitude toward the work instead of a negative one. Tell yourself that you'll get this done and that you'll be so relieved afterwards because you don't have to worry about it anymore.
Take breaks, but limit them. Since you made a plan to set reasonable goals when working, take perhaps three five-minute breaks in between. Of course the amount of breaks you take will vary depending on how much time you set aside to work, but remember to keep the number of breaks you take at a reasonable number.
Get your peers in on your new anti-procrastination attitude. Tell them that if they notice you are procrastinating, you would like them to encourage you to get back to work.
Go easy on yourself. If you're a procrastinator like me, it won't be easy to get into this new habit. If you do slip up, acknowledge that you slipped up and get back to work. Do not get down on yourself, you're doing just fine.
These are the things that I feel have helped me in the past and I hope they help you as well! Thanks for reading!