Procrastination!

Lately I've been procrastinating a lot and it really sucks. I've been procrastinating my life and things I want to do.

It's like when I'm just sitting and watching a random YouTube video. I just think in the back of my mind 'I have this free time now, maybe I could do something productive like my assignments or maybe I should finally read the book I've been forgetting about for a while or maybe I should go shopping. Then I think of the words 'I'll do it later or I'll do it in an hour' and when the time comes, I'm still watching videos and I do eventually realise that I am wasting time and by the time I've realised this it's almost time to go to bed.

This is a problem which I do have and I wish it would go away because I want to be so productive this year and make it the best year I possibly can for myself. Which is why I need to push myself a bit more and instead of saying 'I'll do it later' I will just go and do what I need to do right then and there.

I've even been procrastinating this blog a little. I was good at the start of the month but towards the end I've sort of not wrote anything. I do find it hard sometimes to write a post because sometimes I know what I want a post to be about but I don't have the right words to produce them then I just forget about the post and it's left in my drafts for a while.

I really do love blogging and as you know my goal is to create 200 blog posts in 2017 and I have done well by creating 6 posts so far in January (including this one) but don't worry I do have more plans for posts in February.

I thought I'd share with you some tips on how to create procrastination.

1. Bargain with yourself
Sometimes it can help to bargain with yourself and give yourself a reason to do something productive. Say to yourself if I do two hours of work now, I can spend the rest of day watching Netflix or something that you like to do. Just give yourself little rewards for doing the things you need to do.

2. Make To Do Lists
I love making to do lists and crossing off all the things on the list. It also gives me an idea of what to get done during the day. I also put the most difficult task to begin with so it's over and done with and everything else will seem easier. Also you don't have to put like ten billion things on the list (if you do then that's impossible) Just put as little as three things you need to do. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to get a lot of things done because then you'll get stressed and probably not want to do any of the things.

3. Change Your Environment
Honestly, if you need to do some work or an assignment and you're sitting at home then you'll probably procrastinate more and get distracted easily. I suggest, taking everything you need and going to the library because in the library you are less likely to get distracted and you will be surrounded by other people who are also working so hopefully that will motivate you to do work. I plan on making a library study session essentials post soon which should be able to help you if you are planning on going to have study session in the library to study for exams or work on assignments.

4. Do It For An Hour
Instead of just saying 'I'll do it later' why not just do the task for an hour and see how you feel. Sometimes when I start working on an assignment and an hour is up, I still want to continue working for another hour. At least if you've done it for an hour then you've been a little bit productive for the day. Plus if it's working on assignment for an hour then you're basically one step closer to completing.

5. Ask for help
Sometimes you procrastinate because you have no idea what to do or how to do it. This is normally the case for assignments because you don't how to do it and you procrastinate it because you are worried about asking the lecturer for help. However, if you do not know what your assignment is about then you are allowed to go and ask them. They will not judge you. In fact I'm sure they'll be grateful you've asked them because to them that means you really care about your work. Plus they will help you to understand and give you advice on how to do it and they will also give you recommended books to look at which you should be able to borrow from your library.

Anyway, those are all my tips to hopefully help you beat procrastination. I'll be back with another post soon. Stay tuned for a Library Study Session Essentials post for those of you who need to work on assignments or study for exams. I also have a previous post on being productive which you can read by clicking this link: http://megantime.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/being-productive-for-new-year.html

See you soon.

Megan x