Ten Ways to Avoid Procrastination
For many students, our worst nightmare is a bunch of overdue and upcoming assignments. That one late submission leads to a penalty, resulting in average academic performance. Pulling a stress-induced all-nighter before your proctored exam is not the key to scoring good grades. If you are tired of procrastination and have the mindset to fight against it, here are ten ways you can avoid procrastination in your studies.
1. Prioritize
At the beginning of each term, go through the course material, grading scale and due dates. Make a list of assignments or tests that hold the most percentage of your grade.
2. Set goals
It is crucial to set goals at the beginning of the term and work towards them for a few hours every day instead of grinding one week before the exam. An excellent way to set goals is to break the tasks down into smaller portions.
3. Set deadlines
Before writing your next
proctored exam, go through the syllabus and make an excel sheet with set deadlines for every topic you plan to cover.
4. Use time management techniques
An effective way to beat procrastination while studying is using time management techniques. There are a lot of time management study techniques available online, but one of our personal favourites is the Pomodoro technique.
5. Eliminate distractions
Eliminating distractions is another way to avoid procrastination. Keep your phone on do not disturb or airplane mode, wear noise-cancelling headphones or listen to classical music and avoid sitting in your gaming room.
6. Optimize your study environment
Some ways to create a positive study environment are cleaning your desk, having good lighting, regulating room temperature, having a clock near your desk, and keeping snacks available. It is also a good idea to go out to study at your nearest coffee shop, public library or park, if you have some light reading to do.
7. Sip coffee or tea
Drinking a cup of coffee or tea can help to reduce tiredness and increase mental alertness while studying.
8. Drink more water
The human body is comprised, on average, of sixty percent of water. It is essential to drink around six to eight glasses to stay fresh and elevate your mood.
9. Focus on accountability
Accountability is one of the most important factors to beat procrastination. After prioritizing your tasks and making deadlines, you should be honest with yourself and avoid anything that will interfere with your goal.
10. Stay motivated
Sometimes it can be hard to remain focused in class and while studying, find the things you like within the course material, do self-talk, and try to understand the application of the concepts in the real world.
To learn more tips on how to improve your exam success, check out our previous blog featuring
twenty-five ways to improve your test scores. You can also learn more about our
proctoring services on the
ATS website.
Written by Nav Sharma
