Mayflower Team | Wednesday, May 18, 2016
STOP PROCRASTINATING!
According to an English proverb, procrastination is the thief of time, and as time lost cannot be regained, we say NO to procrastinating!
Routine and commitment are the features that chatacterize a good language learner, however, the research shows (more here and here) that majority of students leave their assignments to the last minute. Fortunately, there are many techniques that one can use to beat procratination, below we present the methods that have worked for us. As procrastination is often connected with inefficient time management, we focus on this issue in the second part of our blog.
How to start?
- 1 -
Think about your project, activity, homework because thinking is doing.
- 2 -
Decide what you are aiming at and what you want the outcome to be like: set realistic goals and focus on the end goal.
- 3 -
Follow the SMART criteria to guide you in the setting of objectives:
Specific
Measurable
Achivable
Realistic
Time-bound.
More detailed information about the criteria can be found here.
- 4 -
Make things simple: if you are working on a big project, try breaking it into smaller sections which are much easier to manage.
- 5 -
Tell those whose opinion is important to you about your goals: there is a chance it will motivate you to complete the task.
How to manage your time?
- 1 -
Prepare a To-Do list of things that must be done and start with the most important task.
- 2 -
Use time wisely: plan and think how much time you need to complete your goals; try to establish some sort of routine by working at regular times.
- 3 -
Avoid distractions such as phones or computers. If necessary, use the internet restriction apps or apps that control usage of electronic devices.
- 4 -
Try the Pomodoro Technique (it takes its name from the tomato-shaped timer which you can see in the photo above) developed by Francesco Cirillo, it helps organize time better, improves productivity, and is easy and fun to use. This is basically how it works:
- Decide what you want to do.
- Set the timer to 25 minutes (that is one 'pomodoro').
- Work on the task.
- After the timer rings, put a checkout on a piece of paper.
- Take a short break (5 minutes), and then start with step 1 again.
More detailed information about the method can be found here.
Remember!
Reward yourself after completing each task.
Do not get easily discouraged. Procrastination is a habit and like all habits, it takes time and commitment to beat it.
We keep our fingers crossed for you!