Always leaving assignments to last minute? Here’s how to be on time and make it your best one yet
Problem #1: Procrastination
You’ve got a project due, okay, let’s do some research… you open Google, type your key words and before you know it you have five tabs with Facebook, Instagram, and a hilarious cat video open. Two hours pass and all you’ve written is the heading.
Sound familiar? Say hello to procrastination.
We all do it in one way or another. It’s basically avoiding things that need to be done – putting off important tasks (like schoolwork) in favour for those less important (aka watching cat videos).
It’s when you have homework due and suddenly it feels like a good time to clean your room.
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How to deal?
Don’t be in denial: you need to acknowledge procrastination for what it is, and think about why you’re doing it.
Are you dreading the task? Just think, the sooner you get it over with, the sooner you can do something you actually enjoy. Maybe it’s too overwhelming? Find a starting point, do some research and dot point your ideas – it may not be done, but it’s definitely progress.
Problem #2: Organisation
Prone to pulling all-nighters? Get a head start on your assignments and avoid the stress. Here’s how:
- Read through your assignment thoroughly as soon as you received it and highlight important parts – know exactly what the assignment is asking you to do; the marking criteria will usually tell you.
- Put deadlines in your calendar – break your assignment into mini achievable sections, that way, you are working on it constantly and can see instant progress.
- Get references ahead of time – research can take the longest. Once you’ve done it, your ideas will flow. References are the worst thing to leave to the last minute as they need to be credible. If you have good sources it is easier to write the text to go around it.
- Collate – meet up with friends and talk about your assignment. You can share resources, ideas, and make sure you’re all on the right track.
Problem #3: Priorities
Let’s face it, you’re a busy bee, but maybe you’re priorities aren’t on the right track. Here’s how to get things done.
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- Write a to do list with everything that needs to get done that day.
- Categorise all your tasks under ‘important’ vs ‘urgent’ so you know which ones need to do first.
- Only put a maximum of five per category, you don’t want to overwhelm yourself.
- Feel good as you cross each task of your list – talk about productivity!
Problem #4: Distractions
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This one’s simple:
- Turn off your emails, all your notifications – basically put your phone on airplane mode. The easiest way to deal with distractions is making sure they’re not there in the first place.
- Set a timer and allow yourself to work solidly (with no distraction in sight). Sometimes it’s about how well you study, rather than how long.
- Allow regular breaks – because if you work for too long, any distraction will become an excuse to give up.
Happy studying, and share your favourite study tips below!
