How To Stop Procrastinating and Distracting Yourself

Although I just finished taking my finals, I know a lot of you are still dealing with them. I have some room to breathe so I thought I would come clean on one of my biggest secrets in hopes that it might help or inspire you. So here goes:

Self motivation and willpower are my greatest weaknesses. I procrastinate and put things off because I don’t have the motivation, willpower, or self discipline to do it. This terrible habit of procrastination and stalling cripples me. I put off studying because I just don’t want to, I refuse to do laundry until I’m out of underwear, and I hide from responsibilities and commitments because I don’t have the strength to get out of bed at 7 am. If you’re like me, which many people are, I may have some tips for you. These are the things I have learned to do and use to overcome my procrastination. They might work, or not, but I’d give them a shot if you need as much help as I do.  

The Pomodoro Method

The Pomodoro Method is something you may have heard of before. Essentially, what you do is you do something productive for 25 minutes, and then after those 25 minutes you get a short 5 min break. After your fourth 25 minute period, you get a long break of 20 minutes. This can be really helpful to me sometimes when I’m trying to crack down on something like folding or writing a paper. Write for 25 minutes, and rest your brain for 5. It’s pretty simple, but has done wonders for people. It is especially helpful for studying for specific increments of time. If you want to try this, there are many pomodoro method apps on itunes. I, personally, use the focus timer free version. Its sleek and has an awesome widget to help you keep track, and the notification number on the app tells you how many minutes is left in that session.

Use the Forest App

If you get sucked into your phone and instagram when your trying to do something that requires focus, the forest app will keep you off your phone. The forest app allows you to grow trees and bushes for certain increments of time. If you leave the app, the tree dies, and you have to start over. It’s very satisfying to see your focus forest grow.

Drink Tea

This might be a me thing, but it always helps. Having a warm drink always calms me down and centers me, along with maybe some aroma therapy (like an essential oils diffuser or a candle). Feeling calm and relaxed always gets me in the vibe for focusing and being productive and getting stuff done. I do this with warm cozy clothes, tea, and a candle.

Make a Productivity/ Focus Playlist or find a Station

Oh-my-god. This is my favorite and most helpful tip of this list. Find a variety of music you can focus with, and use it all the time. You can make a playlist, or find a station. What typically helps is if the music has no words and if you haven’t heard it before. For me, I listen to Lofi Hip Hop when I study, and since I always listen to the same type of music when I study, my brain associates the music with focus, and my life is so. much. easier.

10/10 recommend.

Ask your Parents, Friends, or Roommates for Help

If you really can’t stay off Breath of the Wild or netflix, and you really need that push to be productive, ask someone you trust to force you to focus. It works when you really need it. I always do this during major tests and exams, or when I need to do my laundry with my mom. Sometimes, you can also ask someone to be productive with you. For example, group study, house cleaning with friends, or going to the library to research that one project with a friend is a lot easier than being alone, at times. Recruiting good friendly help is never a crime, and it can really help people who are extroverts.

Make a Routine or Schedule

If your body becomes accustomed to doing certain things at certain times of the day, like always studying at 3pm or waking up at 7 everyday and falling asleep at 9 every night, it will become easier for you to do these things when it’s necessary. You’ll always be able to study at 3pm, and you won’t hit snooze 888 times when you wake up for school. The only caveat to this solution is that it is really hard to get on board with. It takes a lot of motivation and self discipline to do in the first place. However, the hard work pays off.