On procrastination and other definitively human habits

​Procrastination is vilified endlessly in the media. It’s generalised to be a character trait to overcome - something which holds you back from success. I, however, don’t believe so. Sometimes procrastination has more root in an underlying fear than of simple laziness. Exam season is almost upon us and, as students, the thing we are most guilty of avoiding is revision... so I thought I would share a few tips!
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1. If you really want to procrastinate, without feeling the attached guilt, try to organise your time while you procrastinate. Plan out your tasks hour to hour. If you’re feeling too overwhelmed to face the day ahead, then plan out your revision subsequent to these exams - you’ll find that you will be much more grounded and realistic about the time some tasks take, and will be sure to add in more breaks (due to it being a long term plan). It gives you a study schedule to look forward to.
   
   
2. Be honest with yourself - dig deeper into why you are procrastinating. Are you afraid of facing the outcome? Is the task too tedious? Break it up into small pieces. Re-read chapters you already know. Any knowledge that doesn’t come with you into the exam room should be firmly left behind outside - there is no point dwelling on it. Absorb as much as you can and reaffirm the rest.
   
   
3. If it’s something to do with admin, perhaps you could place another non-time bound task before. More often than not, you’ll choose to do the admin anyways as a form of procrastination - especially if your door is open.
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4. If it’s something you do for fun, my advice would be not to push too hard. If you’re finding it hard to finish a painting, for example, perhaps you are afraid of negatively impacting your masterpiece? That’s okay. Just start something new. When you’re more comfortable with yourself you can always come back. Or you may decide that it’s perfect the way it is.

Ultimately, everyone procrastinates. Guilt and anxiety will only make things worse. Instead, try and procrastinate by doing other kinda-sorta useful tasks that you need to do anyways. You’ll get through them quicker and will manage to tick a lot off of your to do list which is often all you need for a flurry of motivation. I promise you’re not alone - we’ll get through it together!

Keerthi