Written by:
James Robertson, Year 12
When was the
last time you had a sleepless night working on homework due the following day,
or rather later in the day, and couldn’t stop panicking about your upcoming
funeral? If the answer was ‘recently’, you better read on. Over the years, I
have had my own fair share of close calls where I had managed to truly put the
‘pro’ in procrastination only to remind myself after ‘never again’ will I be so
foolish. However, up to this day, to no astounding surprise, I still manage to
leave work occasionally unfinished right up to the day before it is to be
handed in. In my defense, I procrastinate far less than I used to because of
these few tips I have learned from my own experiences.
Stop binge watching
There have been
days where I have done nothing but catch up with my favourite television shows
from sunrise to sunset, sometimes even beyond that. To which afterwards, I
immediately think to myself how did time pass so fast? I now realize it’s
better to spread out watching the episodes of a television show over weeks or
months rather than spending a whole day vegetating and leaving no time for
anything productive. It is almost an addiction to the point where you may even
take more days off to slack by satisfying your cravings for the television show
you are obsessed over. Entertaining yourself with a television show as a reward
for hard work will help you immensely when it comes to getting work done. I try
to remind myself if I finish my work for the day then I can watch the next
episode of ‘Breaking Bad’ or ‘The Walking Dead’ while feeling good that I have
deserved the right to watch just one more episode.
Don’t sleep in
on weekends
Ever wondered
why people hate Mondays? Well, I think it’s because people do the majority of
their sleeping for the week during the weekends; this is a horrible idea.
Speaking from experience, sleeping during the afternoon on a weekend can
severely impact your body clock. I can’t sleep normally on a Sunday night which
leaves me to ponder on my life in the early hours of Monday. Following a
regular sleeping pattern will give you more time to work and to enjoy yourself.
My friends who do manage to wake up early on weekends (shocking, I know) have
told me that they feel like they are able to do so much more with their time
whether it is work or play. People have a tendency to switch off when it comes
to the evening so it is best to do work during daylight hours when your body is
most active.
Slack
productively
If all else
fails and you succumb to procrastinating, then at least do something
productive. There may be times when you cannot help yourself but waste some
time to blow off some steam when perhaps you shouldn’t, but who am I to judge?
Doing things like playing a musical instrument or reading a book is a lot more
productive than say, playing video games. At least by doing these sorts of
activities you are able to develop your skills and not completely waste your
time. Who knows, maybe you could become the next Jimi Hendrix by a rather
ironic lack of dedication.
Timetable your
time
Doesn’t it sound
insane to create more work by making a timetable for yourself when you’re a
committed slacker? Well, by timetabling your time, you will be able to get far
more work done and enjoy your time off even more than you do now. Without some
sort of structure to guide you through the day, you will be more likely to
leave work for another day when you are in the mood to do it. However, the
obvious plot twist to this story is that you never actually get around to doing
the work you were meant to do. By creating and following a timetable, you allow
yourself to use your time efficiently by putting your head down for an hour or
so while knowing that afterwards you can have a well deserved break to relax.
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