How to Overcome Procrastination as a High School Student

By Jordan Taylor

Procrastination is something almost everyone has dealt with in their life—whether it comes to getting an assignment done or just chores around the house. Most people can struggle from time to time with staying on top of all of their tasks while trying to stay motivated. Here are some tips and tricks to accomplish all your tasks while keeping focus and motivation.

A lot of times, high school students will get a big project or assignment and become instantly stressed about it, which leads to putting it off instead of just getting it done. But instead of just looking at a big project and just instantly getting stressed, try breaking it down into smaller steps. Breaking a big task down into smaller parts can relieve stress and make the task much easier and maybe even faster to accomplish. An example of this is if you’re assigned a research project, you can just start out with researching your topic and writing down what you think is important.

A study done by Piers Steel in 2007 “The Nature of Procrastination,” found that breaking down large tasks into smaller ones makes it much more manageable and reduces a lot of stress. In the study, there was an increase in completion of tasks. Steel showed that procrastination can come from people viewing certain tasks at their value which if they weren’t at high enough values for people to complete they wouldn’t. 

Another easy way to keep your focus while trying to accomplish something is setting goals. These need to be very realistic and clear goals for yourself though so you’re not overwhelming yourself. By being specific I mean instead of just saying you’re going to study for a test, set the goal of saying you’re going to study a specific topic on your test and using your resources to help you understand what you’re actually studying. When having a clear set goal it’s easier to maintain focus and not get overwhelmed by what you’re doing or trying to get done.

Something else that can be super helpful is having a good work environment you can create for yourself. This can have a big effect on how focused and motivated you are while completing any tasks you have. Finding a quiet place with limited distractions is a good work environment to help you maintain focus on the assignments you are trying to complete. Try to also keep off your phone because that is one of the biggest distractions. 

To stay organized with all the work or assignments you have, keep some sort of planner. Some people have actual planners they carry around with them keeping track of everything. An actual planner can be fun because you can decorate it with pens and highlighters, which may help you feel more motivated. 

Procrastination can sometimes be deeper than just being overwhelmed by an assignment. It can be because you may be a perfectionist or may have a lack of interest in the work you’re doing. Maybe figuring out the root of why you’re procrastinating can be the most helpful thing, so you can be self aware of why you procrastinate. You could always also ask teachers and bosses for help if what you’re working on is confusing or something you may not understand. All these different ways of keeping your focus and motivation while working might be worth a try if you struggle with staying on top of all of your tasks.

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