With the start of a new semester comes an opportunity for a fresh start for students. If you felt like you were struggling last semester to balance your work, extra curriculars, and social life, you are not the only one! Brescia’s Student Life Centre wants to make sure you feel prepared to make changes to your bad habits from last semester, and make sure you are ready for success this term! We want to share with you some tips to help you avoid procrastination this term, and help ease your stress so you can enjoy and maximize your free time.
Do It First Thing In The Morning: Without delay is the easiest way! If you’re dreading doing something, you will be able to think of excuses during the day to talk yourself out of doing a task. Make sure you start your day off on a productive note- it will not only make you feel better that you are getting something done, but it can also be encouragement to continue the productivity during the day.
Have Somebody Keep You Company: Studies show that we enjoy activities more when we are with somebody else. Dreading that after dinner workout you promised yourself you would go to? Take a friend to keep you accountable. Get nothing done in your room alone? Try to work in common areas where there are more people around.
Tackle Your Big Tasks FIRST: This seems intimidating, but we often do little tasks to put off bigger tasks that we have to do. Even though the small tasks are important, don’t use them as an excuse. Plus, think about how good you will feel once you complete your biggest task of the day first!
Commit: Have a plan for what you want to accomplish that day, and make sure you write it down. Checking things off of a list is satisfying and makes you feel positive about the work that you have done. Your list can even include things that you may not be able to get done that day, but will help you get prepared for when you decide to tackle it, such as emailing a professor a question about your project, or doing some research for a paper.
Enjoy That Feeling!: Studies show that attaining goals releases feel good chemicals in the brain, so use that to fuel your work ethic. As soon as you feel good, it will encourage you to keep setting goals and reaching them, and will keep you proactive!
Avoiding procrastination can be easy by using just small steps to change your habits, but sometimes we need a reminder of this. We all have moments where we can’t get to our list of daily tasks, but we need to remember that this happens and it is OKAY and completely normal! If you are feeling overwhelmed and need some help putting these tips into practice, the Student Life Centre is here to help you. Come into our office to chat, or visit this link for resources and information about your mental health: http://brescia.uwo.ca/life/student-life/mental-health-and-wellness/.