We all share that feeling. Staring blankly into the vacant Microsoft Word document, desperately wishing you were somewhere else, but no, until the word count hits 3,000 you’ve got nowhere to go… Just need to make a quick healthy snack before any work though. Before you know it, this healthy snack has transformed into a Keeping Up with the Kardashians marathon, and the word count hardly moves past zero. Procrastination is the infection destroying student efficiency; with more than half the school year to go, we’re presented with a persistent pest that has yet to be exterminated.

So how is procrastination supposed to be beaten then? Well, the tips below are achievable ways in which you can stop yourself from procrastinating.

• Realization – What is causing you to procrastinate? What leads you to check your phone as you are working and is there anything you can do to avoid this? Well of course there are, there are several ways but it’s become apart of us, our sole enjoyment and amusement now derives from electronics and without it we are lifeless. If you do recognize that your phone is the problem, turn it off and either hide it or hand it to your parents before you begin working.

• Environment – As you open your school tablet or your English notebook, ensure that you are alone and in a quiet area (unless your work requires a group), that you’re sitting at a desk that is organized and that ALL unnecessary electronics are hidden away. Electronics are often times not even the cause of some procrastination so be certain that you have nothing but school related things in front of you when you decide it’s time to sit down and get down to the hard work.

• Being Realistic – If you are a regular procrastinator like many, breaking out of this habit will not exactly be easy. It will take several baby steps to finally be able to run through a work-load without any distractions. Be realistic with your advancements in eliminating procrastination from your system.

• Setting Goals – Similar to being realistic, setting goals will allow you to reach a measure a step at a time. Whilst doing this, you are able to achieve small accomplishments as oppose to a large jump which rarely works. Setting goals such as “I will stay focused on my task for at least 15 minutes” and gradually increasing the time. These are very reasonable goals you can set.

• Organization – Organizing your schedule will benefit you profoundly. While saying that it is a schedule, it doesn’t have to be anything that is down to the exact second, but having a general schedule for a time that you can normally work in can happen. Having a schedule to base yourself around will aid you in developing a habit and getting into a strict routine so that you can stick to your task. While also speaking of organization, breaking up your large task into several smaller parts will greatly benefit you. Breaking it into small parts will reduce your stress and frustration from having to do it once and your end product will be so much better than it would have in one go.

• Reflection/Committing – Pinning it down to the final detail. Now this option is what will most likely show you the cause of your demise because it is you yourself who knows what’s preventing you from working to the best of your ability. Self-assessing what is the cause and finding (easy or difficult) solutions can get you right back on track. However, to really achieve these goals you have to commit to what you want to do. If you have no inspiration to want to do any work or get anything done then none of these tips will be helpful because you will head right back into the problem.

I can confidently say that over 50% of the MSHS students regularly procrastinate and it’s for you to decide if you do as well. If you know what is causing you to procrastinate, find a solution that can benefit you in every single way by evaluating your study habits, (such as disabling all notifications on your phone or shutting down your computer). Procrastination has unfortunately become so large in the lives of teenagers because of the necessity of electronics in every students waking moments. With these beneficial devices comes a great burden and you and only you are able to avoid procrastination…