We’ve all suffered from procrastination at one point or another. Sometimes it’s the sudden need to walk your dog. Other times, you just sit scrolling through your Facebook news feed, even though there have been no new developments in the past fifteen minutes. Current student Eilidh Stewart, the voice of experience, offers five ways to try and break your habits and get through that workload that’s nagging in the back of your head…
5. Tea, tea, tea
“D’you want a cup of tea?”
“I’m going to make some tea.”
“Want another one?”
“I might make a pot this time.”
“Oh, we’re out of milk? I’ll just go out and get some more.”
Whenever my friends and I are revising or trying to get work done, these are the most heard phrases, since all of us are trying to find a way to get out of what we have to do. While a good cuppa is a great way to relax with friends, it shouldn’t really take precedence over deadlines. Plus, there are plenty of healthier things to have that will probably make studying a bit easier, like good old fashioned water or fruit juice. Give the kettle a rest!
4. Don’t be a fair-weather health nut
I have to be honest and say that I never do more exercise than when I have a deadline approaching and I set myself a healthy eating plan that I have to follow – mostly because it’s a great distraction. The best way to stop these sudden bursts of exercise-related procrastination is to exercise and eat healthily all the time instead. Caring about yourself and your health all the time aids your studying better than putting yourself under pressure for a little while. Keep hydrated, eat well, just don’t worry about getting the perfect six-pack right this second.
3. Being Gordon Ramsay can wait
Ever found yourself with a deadline approaching but instead of an increasing word count, you have an increasingly large pile of cookies or increasingly fancy meals in your kitchen? Do you really need to attempt making that extravagant roast that you’ve been able to put off until now? While I cannot recommend cooking enough as an important life skill, I have to say that only doing it when you need a distraction isn’t the best way to go about it. Practising during the holidays or even weekends when nothing is due is great, but being Betty Crocker isn’t going to get that report handed in. Get out of the kitchen!
2. Step away from the Netflix
I love Netflix. For the first time, you can get really into a TV show and not have to empty your pockets to pay for the box set. However, it does come with a bad side. Even as I write this, I’ve had to stop myself from getting absorbed in an episode of The Vampire Diaries. Then another. And another one. The problem with Netflix is it’s too easy to get sucked in. Deadlines come and go, but the things available on Netflix last forever. While studying is most effective when you have regular breaks, do the work first then treat yourself.
1. Ah, the Internet…
The internet is both a vile being and an all-knowing machine when it comes to all things study-related. Just think of all the cat pictures! While the internet has completely changed how we work, it is also the biggest distraction device ever created. If you don’t really need it while you work, then just turn it off. If you can’t bring yourself to do that, then get an add-on for your web browser (there’s a good one for Google Chrome) that restricts your access to certain sites. Perfect for limiting your Facebook stalking – don’t try to deny it…
Image: iStock/marekuliasz
