According to the Cambridge Dictionary, to procrastinate means to keep delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring. Leaving something important to do last minute is a classic example of this. It could be for any reason; but what matters is knowing why you do it, and most importantly, how to end this cycle of bad habits. Naturally as humans we have the tendency to prioritize doing things that we consider more pleasant, and just like that, we leave all the remaining things languishing in last position on our list.

Learning to learn

Before coming to Hult I found myself with a lot of free time, and by avoiding procrastination I used that time wisely to do things I never had time to do while working. Defining a routine, waking up early, working out four times a week, doing a volunteer job at a nursing home, and studying Spanish are some examples of how I kept myself productive, thereby escaping the cycle of procrastination.

Finding myself once more in a study environment at Hult, I rediscovered that managing my many tasks is important in getting my desired results and achieving what is expected. Here, students have multiple weekly deliverables, and if we don’t use our time wisely, procrastination can be a huge trap. Here are a few of the things that help me organize and get better results:

Write down everything you have to deliver: This could be a To Do list on your phone, a note on your fridge, or written daily in a paper planner – the important thing is to have a visual, organized overview of what needs to be done and by what deadline.

Start early: Doing something earlier than the deadline gives us the possibility to make changes when necessary, to take time to review, and ultimately produce better work at the end.

Every minute counts: If you are finding yourself without a lot of time to work, that’s not a problem! You can read articles while you are going to your place of work or study, on the bus or metro, or even while you are walking on the treadmill in the gym. The important point is taking advantage of free time and seeing it as an opportunity to not fall behind.

Don’t forget to have fun: Separating free time and study/work time is crucial. Balance is super important: doing something in excess is not good for our health, so keeping free time aside not only makes us relaxed but is beneficial for our bodies.

Know your priorities: Prioritizing tasks help us keep control of what should be done, and when and how long we should spend on each activity.

Ready resources

Help is always at hand! A few phone apps that keep me productive:

Reminders: This app works only on Apple devices. The name says it all, this is a To Do list that helps you prioritize tasks and gives reminders whenever you want.

Forest: This app works on any iOS device. The main objective is to keep your focus while working and avoid using your phone. The concept is very simple: you choose for how long you want to stay away from your phone, and for that you plant a virtual tree. If you succeed, you start your own forest of virtual trees; if you don’t, the tree dies.

Headspace: For when you need to be productive but are stressed and in need of some mind relaxation. Using this meditation app you can choose from multiple categories such as waking up, resetting, and finding focus and productivity. You will be able to “turn your mind off” for around 15 minutes, so you can get back to being productive and avoid losing time.

It doesn’t matter if you are a student, a working professional, or just have some free time and want to use it more wisely – procrastination is a trap that all of us feel at least once. Acknowledgment is the first step. There is a tendency nowadays for people to have more and more things to do, making time management crucial. Mastering it could give us not only better results in our work, but ultimately more free time to do what we love.