Coming from a former procrastinator, I understand. When the work piles up and deadlines are on the distant horizon, it’s easy to let stress take you over and freeze. Putting things off is easy to do, but it has major consequences. We have all had that one week where suddenly every deadline aligns to form what I call “hell week”. A time of zero sleep, endless cups of coffee, and hour after hour of papers, studying and rushing to finish projects. It doesn’t feel good. So, if you are looking to break the cycle, stop procrastinating, and get shit done, try out these tricks that have helped me learn how to become a productive person.
Seriously, it’s simple but it helps. If you don’t make a comprehensive list of ALL the items you need to get done, your mind will trick you into thinking there is less work to do than there actually is. This is the first step in learning how to become a productive person.
This was my saving grace senior year of college. After you make of list of all the major assignments or work that needs to get done, put every item on a calendar according to its deadline. This will give you an idea of what weeks are packed full of things coming due, and also which weeks have open spaces.
If you have put everything on your calendar, had a panic attack, and realized you have 5 projects due within 10 days of each other, simply move some of the work to an earlier deadline. In college, I wrote 2 papers in the first week of the semester to avoid having them pile up later. It’s not fun, but this step will save you so much stress.
Once you are ready to actually start your work, you need to figure out if you are an A.M. or P.M. person. For me, as much as I love to sleep in when I can, I am an A.M. person. My productivity is at its highest from 7:30 in morning until about 1 in the afternoon, and it’s all downhill after that. So I’m never going to rely on getting work done in the evenings, because I know I won’t do it for some reason or another. So, find out when you are at your most productive and try to crush your work during those hours.
None of us wants to write a 10-page paper, finish a powerpoint project, and study for this exam or that presentation. We all need good motivation. Mine is usually food or an activity. Set a goal, like writing 2 pages, and pick a reward that you can have when you are done. It can be going for a walk, or watching ONE episode of a show, or having pizza, whatever gets you motivated to get the work done.
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