We have all been there. There is a deadline looming over your head, but instead you spend time flicking through the television, surfing the Internet, online shopping, scrolling through your newsfeed or stalking yourself. Be it to avoid writing an essay, completing a worksheet, doing your college applications, or fulfilling any other responsibility, we all know what it is like to spend an ungodly number of hours being anything, but productive. It becomes an endless cycle. You receive an assignment, consider completing it early, procrastinate it till the last minute and then, when it is absolutely unavoidable, you decide to at least make an attempt to finish it.

There are many different reasons why people procrastinate. Often, it is because human beings are wired to avoid negative emotions and seek pleasure, and the tasks that are being put off are not usually the jolliest of chores.

It is difficult, especially for high school students reaching the middle of the year, to keep focused and motivated, as work piles up and stress levels increase at a constant level, but there are various outlets available to help us.

The same suggestions do not work for everyone, so here are a few different ways to try and avoid procrastination. Test them out and see which suits you best.

A great way to get things done is to set a schedule. Write out what you need to get done and set deadlines for when something needs to be completed so you know how to spread out your time and get cracking. With a clear and concise list or checklist, you will be conscious of what is being asked of you.

Similarly, an application that many high schoolers use to get organized is iProcrastinate. iProcrastinate was created to help organize homework and other future assignments that are due. Although this may not help motivation levels, this will definitely keep you aware of and thinking about all upcoming tasks requiring completion. At the end of each task, you can put a little check next to it create a feeling of accomplishment and self-satisfaction.

Often, we are likelier to procrastinate when the task seems overly difficult. Perhaps, one of the best things to do at this point would be to distribute the work over periods of time so it is not constantly gnawing at us. By distributing a task, it may seem easier to complete and like less of a heavy load. For example, if you have an essay due soon and you know the deadline, set specific dates to complete different parts of the essay, such as the introduction or first body paragraph. This way, when the deadline is near, you are not up the night before trying to gather information and putting everything together to create a coherent draft.

Another great application that many students, especially those addicted to social networking, is SelfControl. SelfControl enables us to “blacklist” certain websites and then select a time period during which those websites will not be accessible on that particular device. During the set time, you cannot override the system and delete the application, so you are completely submitted to SelfControl on that device.

Feedback from the more experienced student body gave us some insight into ways the seniors avoid procrastination, which can come in handy for underclassman and perhaps, other seniors. Other unique methods recommended by seniors are, putting your phone away or hiding it while you work, setting time goals or creating a reward system, such as giving yourself some food after each accomplishment.

Obviously, there are many methods that can be used by different types of people in order to avoid procrastination. Often, we fall into a pattern of ignoring or delaying work that seems impossible to come out off, but do not worry. Try out the different methods mentioned to explore ways that suit you best. Together, we can beat procrastination.

Arya Bhai