I still remember it like yesterday,
When I always plan to do something in motivation, and thought to myself, “yeah! I’ll do it when the time comes,” and the time never really came,
Because I procrastinate so much when the time actually comes, and my laziness takes control of me.
But not anymore,
After I got into self-improvement, I discovered so many new techniques that all the most successful and most productive people use in their day-to-day life.
All that knowledge changed my life,
And in this blog, I’ll share with you exactly what helped me overcome my procrastination, and I am sure it will help you as well!
Procrastination vs Laziness
The first and most important thing that you need to understand is what exactly procrastination and laziness are.
In simple words,
- Procrastination is delaying the work that you care about because it is hard, difficult, and uncomfortable to actually do it.
- Laziness is not doing work because you don’t care much about whether it gets done or not.
The main thing is that most people think they are lazy, but they are not lazy; they only procrastinate.
Is It Good To Be Lazy?
You won’t believe it, but being lazy is not a bad thing; in fact, it is a good thing when you use it smartly.
When you are lazy, you don’t want to do work all day long; you instead want to complete it as fast as possible within a short amount of time. And that is what we need!
So instead of avoiding the work completely, try to take advantage of your laziness to complete any task at hand as soon as possible.
And below, I’ve mentioned exactly how you can use laziness for your own advantage!
Why Students Procrastinate While Studying
It is equally important to understand the reason for your procrastination, because if you want to defeat your enemy, you must know it fully first.
- Having no pre-defined structure, which tells you when to study, results in brain fog, and this causes procrastination.
- Not eliminating distractions while studying, which makes it very difficult for your mind to focus on studying.
- Trying to cover a vast amount of syllabus in one go, which obviously will make anyone want to procrastinate.
- Attempting to study for many hours in a single day which causes burnout.
Method 1: Parkinson’s Law (Less Time = More Focus)
Parkinson’s law states that “the time taken to complete any task is directly proportional to the amount of time we have set to complete that task”.
For example, if you set a deadline of one week to complete a 4-hour task, then the task will automatically become more complex and take a full week to complete, and vice versa.
So, if you set shorter deadlines for the completion of any task, then you’ll be more focused on completing that task, because of the sense of urgency of time. This is how you do more work in less time.
How you can use it
- Set your study goals (Check method 4 for more clarity).
- Think of the average time it’ll normally take you to finish that task.
- Now reduce that time to a near impossible deadline (for ex, if it took you 4 hours to complete any task, then set your deadline to 3 hours for the same task).
- Set a timer, maybe in your browser tab, or in a digital table clock, but the point is that the timer must be visible to you at all times.
- Start doing your work, and sincerely stop when the deadline expires.
Note: Apply Parkinson’s law at both micro (hours) and macro level (days & weeks). Don’t work after 4:00 Pm and work only 4 days a week for maximum effects.
Method 2: Make Your Environment Distraction-Free Before Studying
Most people never clean the distractions from their room while studying, which always ends up distracting them, and it is tough to get back into a studying mood after scrolling through social media platforms.
It is scientifically proven that some mere seconds of interruption can make your brain take an average of 23 minutes to return to focus again.
How you can use it
- Phone, tablet, and any other disturbance outside your room.
- Switch your mobile phone to airplane mode.
- Ask your roommates or family members for privacy during your working hours.
- Only open one or a few tabs that are related to your work.
- Clean & organize your desk accordingly.
Method 3: Study at the Same Time Every Day
Studying at the same time slot, each and every single day, builds self-discipline, and discipline is what separates the winners from the losers.
Plus, having a fixed time for studying reduces the mental strain of when to study or at what time, and this alone can help you not procrastinate.
How you can use it
- Pick a realistic time at which you can study and focus with the least disturbance every single day (if possible, avoid evenings and get work done before 4:00 Pm).
- Pick a default place as well, in which you’ll study daily at the same time.
- Respect your timing, start when it’s time to start, and end the study session when it ends.
Method 4: Set Achievable Goals
If you set unrealistic goals, then you won’t be able to complete them before your deadline, which can lower your self-confidence.
Our goal here is to increase your self-confidence, so that it’ll be much easier for you to be present tomorrow as well, and hitting your goals daily can be very effective for that.
How you can use it
- Take a piece of paper, and write at most 2 goals that you need to complete today or tomorrow.
- Focus on setting goals that have the most weightage.
- Ask yourself this question before writing down your goal: “If this is the only thing I achieved today, will I be satisfied with my day?”
Note: If you have multiple important goals, and you can’t decide which one to write, then ask the same question for both of them, and write the one having more importance.
Method 5: Take Breaks
Your brain can’t focus for more than 1 hour and 30 minutes at a time, and it needs a break of 15–20 minutes after a deep study session.
Taking breaks after a deep study session can prevent mental fatigue, enhance memory retention, and increase your overall productivity.
Not taking breaks at regular intervals can result in faster burnout, shallow focus, and meaningless study.
How you can use it
- Study for a maximum at a chunk of 1 hour and 30 minutes, and take a 15-20 minute break afterward.
- You can also take a quick power nap of 20–25 minutes.
- A quick walk can also be very effective, especially if it’s in nature.
When I Still Feel Lazy
There are days when I feel a lot more lazier than usual days, because of physical and mental exhaustion, but even in those days, I don’t quit studying entirely, I still do it, Yes I don’t do it fully, but I make sure to be present that day.
Our main goal here is not to complete our daily goals fully, but to build consistency by avoiding procrastination and laziness.
Consistency plays a very important role here; it guarantees you long-term gratification, and by being consistent, we are building self-discipline, which will make it easier for us to make ourselves study even if we do not feel motivated.
Conclusion
- Use laziness to get more work done in less time (Method 1).
- Make your studying environment distraction-free (Method 2).
- Build self-discipline by studying at the same time every day (Method 3).
- Set achievable goals to build confidence and consistency (Method 4).
- Avoid burnout and shallow study by taking breaks at regular intervals (Method 5).