It's Friday evening and the clock is ticking.

You're working furiously to complete a task

before the tomorrow deadline, while silently cursing yourself for not starting it sooner.

How did this happen? What went wrong? Why did you lose your focus?

Well, there were the hours that you spent checking social media, chatting with your friends,
watching the new episode of your favorite film, and doing other tasks that you could have
safely left for next week.

Sound familiar? If so, you're not alone!

This phenomenon is called procrastination. It is defined by Cambridge Dictionary as the act

of delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring. We all
procrastinate at some time or another, and researchers suggest that the problem can be
particularly pronounced among students. A 2014 survey by StudyMode showed that 87% of
high school and college students procrastinated on a regular basis, particularly when it came
to completing assignments and coursework.While it may be comforting to know that you're
not alone, it can be sobering to realize just how much it can hold you back.

I believe this story is no stranger to most of us as students. In the beginning of each semester,
you were the coolest guy on the planet. Chilling, relaxing, going out, enjoying yourself. Big
time. You experienced no stress whatsoever. However, about three days before your exams,
you would freak out. “Dude, why didn’t you begin earlier?” You would tell yourself. And
here came the days when you studied like crazy and pulled one to another all nighter.

An online survey by The Procrastination Research Group posed the question, “To what extent
is procrastination having a negative impact on your happiness?”. Of the 2,700 responses:
46% said “quite a bit” or “very much” and 18% claimed “extreme negative effect”. Once you
procrastinate, gradually, your work will pile up. One assignment becomes five. Only when
you finally get round to work will you realize that you have very little time left. And
obviously, the less time you have to finish your work, the less time you have to do it
efficiently or correctly. Good work requires time and effort. Therefore, this may eventually
reduce the quality of your work and even make you fail to meet the deadline. If
procrastination occurs repeatedly, your health will also be impaired as you become stressed
and suffer from sleep deprivation.

If procrastination is such a negative habit, why do people still stick to it? There are three main
reasons underlying this problem.

The first one is failing to sort out priorities. We are easily confused about what is a priority,
what is essential and what is not. For example, the Future Self wants to be slim and fit, but
the Present Self wants fried chicken and chips. Sure, everyone knows you should eat
healthy today to avoid being overweight in 10 years. But “nah, who cares about 10 years
later? Let’s just go on a diet tomorrow!” You keep procrastinating and that tomorrow never
comes.
The second one is ignoring the value of time. People who procrastinate have a faulty sense of
time — that they think they will have more time to get something done than they actually do.
It always starts with just one thing. You think: I’m gonna start soon, I just need to check my
Instagram a little bit. Then, you think: Hang on a sec, someone just inboxed me. Then,
Oh!What’s this?! A video of babies eating lemons. And then another YouTube video. Then, a
little bit of Facebook. And so forth. It ends with a bang: “This is the last time I’ll waste my
time!” Yeah, right.

The third one is lack of motivation and self-discipline. No one wants to do things that they
are not interested in. No one wants to do things that they find meaningless. Even if they
acknowledge the goal and its benefits, they will still feel reluctant and unhappy to do it.
Consequently, they will find ways to avoid doing it or at least try to postpone, and this is
when procrastination steals the show.

The first step to overcoming procrastination is to recognize that you're doing it. Then,
identify the reasons behind your behavior and use appropriate strategies to manage and
overcome it. There are a variety of strategies we can employ to stop procrastinating. I will
suggest you some of them.

Option 1: Keep a To-Do List. It help you get the most important and urgent tasks done every
day, while also helping you prioritize the work on your schedule and limit new tasks building
up. With its help, you will be able to manage much more in a day, with less stress and
tiredness.

Option 2: Promise yourself a reward. If you complete a difficult task on time, reward yourself
with a treat, such as a slice of cake or a cup of bubble tea. And make sure you notice how
good it feels to finish things!

Option 3: Minimize distractions. Turn off your email and social media, and avoid sitting
anywhere near a television while you work! The most prevalent thing that distracts us from
focusing on our work is our smartphone. Try to put it out of your sight until you finish your
work.

Option 4: Make the Task More Achievable by breaking them down. The famous writer
Anthony Trollope is a famous example of this strategy. Instead of measuring his progress
based on the completion of chapters or books, Trollope set a goal of 250 words every 15
minutes and he continued this pattern for three hours each day. This approach allowed him to
enjoy feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment every 15 minutes while continuing to work
on the large task of writing a book.

Every single second you waste can never be taken back, while our time is only limited.
Someday we will die. If you continue to procrastinate, you may miss the opportunity forever.
Recent studies have shown that people regret more the things they haven't done than the
things they have done. So, as the saying goes, “don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do
today”. Make “some day” today! Follow these steps to get started on your project, and be
proud of every bit of progress you make!