Five Ways To Procratinate Your Procrastination

We all know how much harder the workload appears to get in second semester. It feels as though we've stepped through a portal into a hell with every new step leading to a deadline. This is understandable considering the lengthy and relaxing vac we return from in which, due to the wintry season, many of us spent indoors binge watching series and sleeping- hibernating actually.

And so that laid back sense follows us back into the buzz of semester coursework and assignments, we become lazy and feel overwhelmed. I'm definitely a chronic procrastinator, and this is heightened in second semester for some unknown reason. So how does one procrastinate the urge to procrastinate and get the work done? Here are five top tips that I know help me stay motivated even when the tempting procrastination station comes whispering in my ear:

1- Don't think of your assignments as work, make it a challenge, a game. Try giving yourself pop quizzes on the work to test how much you can remember. Or make key notes that are colorful and emphasize the important facts.

2- If you need to take a five minute break because your brain needs to refresh, take it. Don't deprive yourself of taking a study break, they're important so that your mind can refresh and store more knowledge. There is a specific time frame in which your mind can absorb knowledge, but without a break you could do more harm than good.

3- Sometimes you have to train your mind as you would a pet. Bribe yourself with a treat, whether it's edible or not. Motivate yourself to work by giving yourself a treat after studying for an hour or writing another 200 words on an essay. This will give you a reason to want to work and the motivation to earn it. The treat is your choice, whether it's a snack or 10-20 mins internet time, it will challenge you to work and work well to get to the treat.

4- As our previous article mentioned, we often remember song lyrics better than we can remember other things, our brains thrive on patterns and can recognize them. Turn your work into a song (whether it rhymes or not) give it a beat and let the work soak right into your memory.

5- Last, but not least, read aloud to yourself. There are so many different readings for every course that skimming our eyes over them get tiresome and monotonous. Have fun with them. Make them entertaining. Or act it out as if it were a Shakespeare play, it will definitely help your memory of you make it entertaining with the various voices or accents.

I hope these five points help you procrastinate procrastination. Together we can beat procrastination with a song, a hymn or a key card.