Away With Procrastination: How to Get Things Done

Beginning in 2019, I reflected on my past and recognized a pattern of anxieties that prevented my happiness and success; a majority of these concerns stemmed from a lack of time to finish my responsibilities, whether that be for school, home, or my social life. I began to look for ways through which I could maximize my day to the fullest. Rather than researching online, however, I found that it was through living my day to day life that I discovered the strategies that fit me and my lifestyle best. First, I recognized my responsibilities won’t get done until I personally did them; I can’t rely on one of my friends to write my essay, or my little sister to put away my clothes. With only 24 hours in a day, and spending 9 hours at school 5 days a week, I needed to keep a schedule to get things done and take initiative. Within this sphere, I also began to do “small things” immediately, rather than waiting until another time to get them done. For example, it was easy for me to get home after a long day at school and just throw my jackets and bags on the floor haphazardly, only to be picking them up the next morning to wear and take to school. Now, however, I’ve found myself hanging up my jackets and organizing my bags in a particular order when I get home; it makes me feel like I accomplished something, even if it was small. This gives me a push to want to get more done, thus being more productive!Next, after I finally took a breath and told myself to “stop being lazy”, I then delineated my time for each day. Knowing I have to get to the train at 7 to make it to the 7:09 train, I have to backtrack and see how long it takes to get fully ready for school in the morning. I realized that I only take around 5 minutes in the bathroom, and if I make my lunch the night before it’ll only take 5 minutes to pack, that just leaves me with determining when to wake up. I believe that the easiest and best way to make a schedule for yourself is back tracking, and recognizing how much time it takes for you to do certain tasks. After I got into the flow of these schedules and became consistent with my plans, it’s important to keep in consideration that not every day is going to be like the last. Sometimes I just need those extra 10 minutes in bed, or making lunch the night before is too much of a hassle, thus lengthening my morning routine. In these cases, I don’t like to get too hard on myself: we’re only human after all! In the end, it’s all about keeping in moderation and knowing that there’s always a next time to get back on track. With all this being said, the only person who can help you manage your time is YOURSELF; taking responsibility is one of the major key steps in life that never goes away, and practicing now can only help you for the future.  Good luck!