4 ways to prevent procrastination from ruining summer

4 ways to prevent procrastination from ruining summer

Illustration of girl daydreaming in front of pile of tasks

Vivian Du/Staff

Although summer is relaxing and a time to reward ourselves, most people still have classes, internships or goals. It’s easier to procrastinate with three months of free time because if something isn’t finished today, there’s always tomorrow and even the day after that. This mindset will only leave us feeling guilty when summer suddenly ends. Here are the Clog’s ways to deal with procrastination during summer. 

Set a routine

Just like during the school year, a routine is absolutely necessary. This routine has to be strict, including set times to wake up, work, eat and go to bed. Consider aspects of your existing schedule, like your classes, to make sure nothing overlaps. Although this type of schedule may sound constricting, you can always integrate a few hours to relax or hang out with friends. Write your routine down on a piece of paper for reference. It’ll help you stick to it.

Set deadlines

Weekly and long-term deadlines are essential for reminding yourself of what you need to accomplish, and they’ll help you spread out your work. Instead of finishing everything the night before, when you realize that something is due tomorrow because your friend asks you if you finished yet, you can tackle each thing over time. Allow yourself a little wiggle room or extra time in case emergencies or conflicts come up. 

Write things down

A trick is to write down what needs to be accomplished. We suggest doing this on the Notes app, taking a screenshot and making that screenshot your phone’s lock screen and wallpaper. This way, you’ll always be reminded of the things you need to do whenever you use your phone. Eventually, the guilt builds up, and you’ll feel guilty enough to actually do it. 

Reward yourself

If you actually finish by the deadline, reward yourself! If you don’t know how to reward yourself, don’t worry, because you can always read the Clog for the best kind of reward. You can also give yourself smaller rewards each day, like watching an episode of your favorite show. This reward will keep you motivated throughout the process. 

There you have it — the ways to deal with procrastination. Now, stop looking at the internet and get to work. Today is the day you start whatever you need to finish, not tomorrow. 

Contact Vicky Bai at vbai@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

Read more here: https://www.dailycal.org/2019/07/02/4-ways-to-prevent-procrastination-from-ruining-summer/
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