How to ENJOY Studying and avoid Procrastination

getttt stuffffff doneeee!

Hey friends, welcome back to another blog! Today's blog is a continuation of the previous, which was on ‘Why We Procrastinate.’  This blog is going to be on how we can avoid procrastination and enjoy working! Let's get into it!

I'll be talking about three main techniques that are quite effective and efficient; I’ve chosen them because they work for me. On days that I don’t feel like doing work and turn into a slacker, these techniques play a huge role in making me productive (enjoy what I'm doing). Before we look at these techniques, I just want to let you know that if you feel exhausted on some days, it’s fine to indulge in instant gratification activities (if they are kept under control obviously)

The 3 techniques:

Gamify the Process – make work more fun by looking at it in a different way, where it's more like a game rather than a task. This consists of making an action plan, working with friends, and rewarding yourself.

a.     Making an Action Plan - the role of an action plan is to break down a long task into parts. The plan for a 1000-word essay that's due in a week can be writing 200 words every day. If I'm disciplined and follow this, I will achieve my goal with ease. This is so much better than letting the task linger on your mind and starting to write it 2 days before the deadline. This will not just affect the quality of work but also your mood. The side benefit of this is feeling satisfied and getting a good night's sleep!

b.     Group Studies - I absolutely love studying in groups, it helps me enjoy and get work done at the same time. When your whole gang is focused on something, that study vibe is created. I usually study with my friends on discord/ zoom calls with cameras on and we study for 25 minutes with focus after which, we reward ourselves with a 5-minute break where we chill/ vibe on songs. Choosing the right friends for this is crucial because you don’t wanna work with someone who is distracted/ distracts others.

c.      Rewarding yourself – it's as easy as it sounds! The way you get rewarded in a video game when you achieve a certain level or complete a certain task, the same can be applied to studying as well. For instance, I reward myself every time I write 200 words of a 1000 words essay! The rewards can be allowing yourself 10 minutes of Instagram, making a cup of coffee, playing COD, and even 10 minutes of shower vibing!!

The “Mindset Shift” - change your mindset and only you can do it because you have 100% control over what you think/ feel. This includes convincing yourself to achieve something, getting motivated/ hyped, changing places, and creating the aesthetic atmosphere!

a.     Convincing yourself - every time you feel like indulging in instant gratification, SAY IT OUT LOUD “LONG-TERM PLEASURE OVER SHORT-TERM PLEASURE”. FORCE YOURSELF, imagine the long-term benefits and your goals!! Another way to enjoy work is SAYING OUT LOUD “THIS IS GOING TO BE FUNNNNNN”, in fact, I have a sticky note that's always there on my monitor and it says the same. I haven’t studied psychology, but these tricks WORK!

b.     Getting hyped/ motivated – I think that listening to hype songs is the best way to get hyped. Make a “hype-playlist” and listen to it every time you feel unmotivated or just before you sit to study. This doesn’t always work but 8/10 times it does and when it does, trust me you’ll get that urge from inside to achieve your goals and work!!

c.      Create an atmosphere – by this, I mean getting yourself a drink, organizing your study table, and setting up everything. When I do all this, it excites me and makes me feel “WOW. I'm so productive” Not only does it excite you, it gives you a sense of satisfaction; ‘Oh I’ve got my shit together this is going to work!’

d.     Change in places – If you don’t feel like working, try doing it in a different environment, say a cafe/ library. This is because you are less likely to avoid work when not at home simply because you’ve traveled a long distance with a target and leaving it unaccomplished is not a satisfactory choice. You also can’t avoid doing work and staring at people, because that’s just weird, lol.

The OG techniques – these are the most common techniques that people follow to enjoy work and avoid procrastination. This includes the 5-minute rule and the Pomodoro technique.

a.     The 5-minute rule – it's as simple as it sounds. You basically tell yourself that you're going to do the activity for just five minutes! You trick your brain into thinking, “I’m going to do this for only 5 minutes”. This solves the problem of getting started!!

b.     Pomodoro technique – this, to date, is my favorite technique; I’m often surprised because SO MANY people haven’t even heard of this incredible thing before!! Here, you set a 25-minute timer, work for 25 minutes and then reward yourself with a 5-minute break. You can do anything in those five minutes, and I usually prefer playing basketball while I vibe to songs. So, this is 1 Pomodoro and after every three Pomodoro's you get a 15-minute break!! This is also a way of gamifying studying and battling distractions. It is the most effective when you avoid screens during breaks and when you’re 100% focused while working for 25 mins.

That's it for today's blog guys. I know this was a long one, but I appreciate you reading it till the end and I hope you'll find this helpful. Special credits to my editor. See ya next week!!