Procrastination

"I'll finish it... later." I used to say this phrase countless times a day. If you work better under pressure, might as well wait until there's pressure, right? Wrong! Procrastination is something a lot of people struggle with daily. The lack of motivation to do something can quickly lead to your own detriment. When I realized that the only thing standing between me and my goals, was literally myself, I knew something had to change. The word determination wasn't even in my vocabulary, I had an excuse for not finishing anything and everything. Suddenly I was spending the night before school cramming all the work I procrastinated on throughout the week. My sleep schedule was non-existent. I spent my days procrastinating, and nights cramming everything I should have done during the day.

I want to share with you how to go from procrastinating to productivity. Firstly, prioritize what's important. During the school year, I prioritize school, work, and the violin. School is most important, so I have timers set on my phone for one hour for each subject and I take a five to fifteen-minute break after I finish two subjects, and then move on to the next thing. Every day is different however, so sometimes this schedule doesn't work, and that's okay. On days I know that my schedule will not work, I have an alternate schedule. I like to have my weekends free, but sometimes I have to work on the weekends. I love to use my planner or bullet journal to keep everything in order. I set one day aside each week to work on planning out my next week.

The second part of this process is the hardest for me, staying focused. I don't procrastinate as much as I used to, however, I am VERY easily distracted. A single notification from my computer or phone could set me back ten or fifteen minutes. This is when I stopped turning my notifications on my phone during school and stopped having my phone on my desk during school hours. It's the little things that can distract you, and set you behind. My friends got accustomed to me not responding when I was doing school, and they knew the hours of my homework helpline.

The third and final part is to follow through. It may take a while for you to get accustomed to this new way of doing things, but the most important thing is to stay persistent and continue despite hardships that you will inevitably face. Once you can do what you say you'll do, when you said you were going to do it, that's when you can easily start getting things done, quickly and efficiently. So what are you waiting for?

I'll write again soon, Nia