Written By: Tim Johnson
ESL + Business Instructor | Aston American University
Often times, students are left scrambling at the end of their course to finish with a good enough grade to complete their course and move up to the next level. Teachers are left pushing and pushing their students to finish on time. However, this can all be avoided if the student does not procrastinate. Many students pay quite a bit of money for their courses and risk having to repeat the course due to procrastination. Of course, it is natural for everyone to procrastinate at some time in their lives.
So, what can you do to avoid the last minute rush at the end of your course? Here are a few tips:
1. Be realistic about your time.
A good thing to do is try to make a realistic schedule. Once you see how many tasks you can manage in your schedule, you will have a better feel for what you can manage in a day. Don’t try to do too many tasks at one time as well.
2. Get rid of distractions!
This is one of the hardest things to do for many people. Social media is a true time killer and definitely pulls many people away from what is most important: studying! It’s possible that you may need to look into changing your environment (where you study).
3. Try starting with the hardest tasks.
I’ve always liked to knock off the worst parts of the assignments first so at the end, you are less stressed. If you save the hard parts for later and find yourself struggling for time, you may end up panicking or giving up.
4. Pace yourself.
Set aside time to make a little progress every day. It is a fact that university students who completed small amounts of work before they were able to go to the next level, did better on tests than students who were given all the study materials at once, as a 2011 University of Kansas study found.
5. Find a good study buddy.
I only recommend this if you can find a serious study buddy. Many study buddies end up being distractions. But if you have a friend who will push you constantly, you can invite them over for study/homework sessions.
6. Make yourself some rewards.
I always like to treat myself to something special, like a bottle of French champagne when I have a major success or taking myself out for a nice dinner to celebrate with my family. But don’t treat yourself if you did not complete your tasks! Set and complete your goal before rewarding yourself.
If you want to have a good chance of conquering your procrastination, you need to see it right away and admit it to yourself that you are doing it, which is half the battle. The next step is identifying why you're procrastinating then take the appropriate steps to overcome it.
