Should you schedule your life in terms of time or events
Situation
If you have a big assignment due tomorrow and you are procrastinating to complete it. Tell yourself that when you finish a TV show episode or after 30 minutes has elapsed. You will start working on your assignment.
This sounds like a great strategy, however, myself and most people who have a habit of procrastinating, tend to tell ourselves after finish that one episode of “Lupin, the 3rd”. Oh just one episode, then I will start my assignment.
Yet… that one episode becomes 6 episodes and its 2am and you haven’t started your assignment yet.
Fixing Procrastination
If this assignment is truely important to complete for the deadline, you either need an external or internal force to build a displine to start the assignment.
External force is a parent watching over you and telling you to do your assignment “NOW, or else”.
Internal force is yourself self-convincing yourself that after a certain amount of time has elapsed or a certain event has passed, you will start your assignment.
Should you set goals based on time or event?
Both!
On a calendar, write down the top 6 items you would like to complete today, write down every hour down from 8am-8pm, where in 30 minute timeblocks, you write down what activities you will be doing (include your breaks and TV time). Now, do your best to follow that schedule.
Note: It is not important that you follow the schedule to the minute, but, have an internal sensation of, “Oh, its 2:30pm, I was supposed to finish preparing my meal preps by 2pm. Let me spend another 5 more minutes, finish up, and come back to it at 5pm. “
By setting this type of schedule, you will have events schedule in a time basis. There will be no mom barking at you, but you will develop a sense of natural discipline by following through on the self-schedule you developed.
Conclusion
Best of luck with your productive studying and work!
Comment down below to tell me what productivity method you use to stop yourself from procrastinating.
