The final week of PLP being separate cohorts just finished. I am so relieved to be back in class everyday as I find it much easier to stay on task, not procrastinate and be a good learner. With this week coming to an end it has left me with a question, why do people procrastinate and what can we do about it. 

Let’s start with the reasons why we might be procrastinating. There are many to pick from but I’ll go over the ones that most apply to myself. The first is low energy levels. If I know I have to do an assignment today and have nothing else I’m doing that day, I can do it right away when my energy’s high. But on a school day there are other things I have to do. In the morning I have a 2 hour thirty minute math class, then sometimes I have a PLP class, after which I might have climbing or be going to the gym (staying fit is important). If I didn’t have a good sleep or if I didn’t eat well all these other things in my day lower my energy levels, so Instead of doing homework I just want to lie down or do something that doesn’t take much brain power.

My to-do list.

Another thing is lack of organization skills. Although I am trying to get better at being organized it is still a big weakness I have. When I am disorganized and have different things I need to do running through my head, instead of starting and facing the work I have to do. I try to push it away and do something not necessary, like making tons of food. This is a problem for many people as well. Feeling overwhelmed is not a good way to do work.

So what are the main solution for these 2 problems. Well for the first it is pretty easy, in theory. Eating well and sleeping well will both increase your energy levels so that you feel like you can get some work done. This includes being hydrated. The second problem of being organized is harder. For some people making a list helps. This works for me a lot of the time, but sometimes I loose track of my list and even that gets messy. I find that the easiest way for me to get back on track and to be organized is to just decide on one thing I have to do and do that. Forget the list and other tasks I have. This helps me focus and not be distracted or anxious.

Here is a great Ted talk about procrastination!

Overall not procrastinating is a problem that everyone faces in their lives, but some handle better than others. I hope that if your experiencing and of the same problems as I do that this list has helped you in some way.