How can you put a stop to procrastination? It sounds like an impossible task, and yet this is probably the most common question that you will hear from students, desperate for an answer.
People, whether they are writing a thesis, finishing an article, or are just beginning to learn, all have to fight against procrastination. We find it so difficult to see the long term goal that we have a great deal of trouble fighting our way through short term discomfort, but that is just the beginning.
Having the Wrong Attitude
If you are a procrastinator, chances are you have the incorrect approach to your work. Perhaps your belief system is hindering your path, or perhaps you have learned negative behavior. The majority of the academics adhere to the conviction that they must reserve a huge amount of time, create long preparations, and be in the appropriate mind set in order to write.
This indicates a pre-conceived idea that when you sit yourself down to write, it will be an unpleasant marathon to get something, anything, written down. You put such significance on this writing affair that you become too anxious about it potentially not reaching your expectations. Also, you are aware that it is going to be difficult, particularly with academic papers. There also may be issues that you have not dealt with yet, articles that you have not read or re-familiarized yourself with, and an absence of consistency to your thoughts.
This is not a desirable mindset to find yourself in. Negativity breeds negativity and soon you will find yourself being more and more unproductive. So what is the alternative? The Research by Robert Boyce reveals that first and second year professors, who contributed to research regarding writing efficiency, were able to generate more publishable pages within a year through doing the following:
- Writing 30 minutes daily
- Writing solely during weekdays
- Writing whenever they could, even in short gaps during their hectic schedules
The Results
As a result, the hardest part was encouraging these professors to attempt the long-haul method in the first place. Ironically, all of them insisted that their sole method to get the work done was to perform it in a marathon technique.
The second interesting discovery was that, as Boyce gauged the quantity that they were producing weekly prior to the intervention, their input to their projects was below 30 minutes a week, with no loss of output. Fascinatingly, even though these professors all regarded writing as private doings, they preformed much better when they were responsible to somebody else, in this case Boyce for the sake of the experiment, to sustain their 30-minute writing practice.
Do Something About It
Chances are, you’ve heard of writing for thirty minutes every day in terms of productivity, and yet each of us thinks that we ourselves have a reason not to. We all make excuses, and here are the common alibis:
- You are creating insignificant work if you write in short quantities.
- You feel like you are not accomplishing anything.
- You are thinking about bigger problems that you should take care of.
- It will take you too long to complete.
- You feel guilty if you have not accomplished more every time.
- You feel like you will never finish your thesis/research/paper work at the speed you are working at.
- You have lingered until the moment that it is late and you cannot afford the luxury of that small quantity of time each day.
- Your time should be used for appropriate matters.
- It is too overwhelming and you are unsure on where to begin, and by the moment you realize, your 30 minutes are already over.
Apart from the emergency deadline, there is no reason to not try this method. Allow some time to observe if it is proper for you. If you are like any other people who are in academia, you will potentially refuse to accept the concept. But the reality is that little and often really does assist in learning more than bulk-cramming.
Strategy to Overcome Procrastination
Apply the strategy within a week and choose the ideal time of the day, preferably during night-time. Do your work for 30 solid minutes, with no email, distractions or reading other materials. Do not pay attention to the voices in your mind telling you that you should be accomplishing more or you should be writing more than you are. You will be amazed that by the end of the week you have a greater output than what you have previously produced, while being satisfied with the enhancement in the quantity of your writing.
You will begin to notice progress on your paper work or articles and probably come to consider that you really can get everything finished in time. In addition, keep in mind about being responsible to somebody else. Let someone know that you are going to have a regular writing task, and keep them updated with it.
Failing that, keep a journal recording your time spent learning. Maybe you can look for a co-writer or somebody in your dissertation group. You can also participate in coaching groups wherein you will be able to look for writing buddies. Start preparing for success today!