I procrastinate so so much, it’s not even funny. I’ll sit down to do a specific thing that I really, truly have to do and then I’ll be like “oh I haven’t checked tumblr today!” or “I wonder if there are new buzzfeed posts!” After that, forget about finishing that super important thing I had to do earlier.

I’m not a lazy person but sometimes my mind wanders and I end up on youtube for like 5 hours instead of finishing my history homework.

I wanted to make a little list of things that I do to try to help myself focus. For my future self and for anyone else who finds themselves getting distracted.

• Post It Notes: I have a selection of Post-It notes on my desk so one day I grabbed one and wrote down what I needed to accomplish that evening (evening because I procrastinated the entire day, as I usually do, especially over vacation). I make either a bulleted or numbered list, each item followed by a little box to check off once I’m done. Sometimes I’ll write “work on math until whatever o’clock” which helps because it gives me a specific amount of time I’ll be working on a specific subject, then I’ll move on. These have really helped me because it’s kind of like setting up a timeline for yourself and it helps you see what you’ve done and what you still need to do.
• Don’t Move: The concept of this is simple: I tell myself I’m not allowed to move to do anything until I’m done with whatever it is I’m working on. I’ll get that familiar chocolate craving but then I’ll say to myself “finish your dang math stuff first and then go” (works for basically anything to be honest).
• Music: Music makes a lot of things less painful. Homework is not an exception. Some days I’ll put on some jams I can hum or songs that play on the radio (I’ll usually end up singing or dancing or something so I can’t play these all the time), other days I need some Chopin or Brahms to focus. Spotify and 8tracks have some awesome playlists for studying.
• Put the Phone Away: This is also quite simple: my desk is not directly next to my bed, so if I really need to focus on something I’ll put my phone on my bed and start working on my homework. Usually, I can’t be bothered to get up and get my phone so I just leave it there. Then when I’m done with whatever I’m doing, I’ll allow myself to check my notifications (not that I have many; tears). If I want to listen to music, I’ll use my computer; I usually need my laptop for homework anyway.

Okay, now both you and I don’t have any excuses for procrastinating.

Hope you liked this post! Are there any particular strategies you use when trying to fight off procrastination?? Let me know 🙂

Thanks for reading! I’ll see you soon and I hope you have a nice day.

Anna xx