How to: Perfect procrastination

Picture this: you just got home from school and are settled in your room, about to open your chemistry book to immerse yourself in some hardcore studying for finals, when you hear your brother turn on the TV. Slowly, you peak your head by your door and scan the living room — and there he is! You see him flop down on the oh-so-comfortable couch and pull out the remote, and you can only watch as he turns on Netflix and resumes your absolute favourite show (The Walking Dead, Doctor Who, New Girl, whatever your interests may be). Now you are faced with the ultimate decision, and this time it won’t be so simple as whether or not to board the Titanic. On one hand, you could go back into your room and forget that you ever saw your brother, and continue reading 100 straight pages about where the electrons are in an atom, which may or may not leave you in tears. Whereas on the other hand, you could drop onto the couch as well, cuddled up with your favourite Pillow Pet, trying to forget about the sleepless night to come.

Don’t try and deny that you haven’t, at least once, procastinated in your life. Everyone does it, and most of the time it does leave you up until the wee hours of the morning trying to finish that one English project that was due last week. In the big picture, if you’re gonna procrastinate, then you may as well do it productively. Psychologists and professors such as Piers Steel, Tim Pychyl, and John Perry have all written books explaining the art of productive procrastination. Here, we’ve made a list of our 10 tips to make the most of your procrastination.

• Structure your approach of procrastination

Some may think that if you have less tasks on your to-do list, then it will be easier to focus. “Structured procrastination” tests the opposite, believing that by having many tasks on your list and starting with the ones at the bottom, you are able to avoid the ones farther up while still getting stuff done. Additionally, you may try to block your time, setting one hour for an immediate task and the next hour for something less pressing but still necessary to get done eventually.

• Set links for later procrastination

Interested about something? You could try starting a collection of links about each subject that you’d be interested learning more about, so that you’ll have a plan for your later procrastination time. For example, if you are stressed about college because you don’t know what to study, productively procrastinate by researching majors and careers.

• Physically procrastinate

As a high school student, most of us know it’s a struggle to find time to workout or keep in shape when you have piles of homework each night. Take a moment out of your busy schedule and go for a run! Maybe do some sit-ups or push-ups to help relieve any mind-boggling issues you’re going through. Keeping productive with your health is a great way to stay healthy and live longer.

• Strengthen your relationships

Keeping friendships and relationships can be very difficult in high school, especially if you’re always busy with school or extracurricular activities. Take a weekend off, finish your homework early, and spend time with friends. Keeping your relationships strong with people is important because everyone needs a friend to talk to.

• Clean Space = Clean Mind

You’re staring blank faced at your bedroom wall realizing you cannot focus with a dirty mess distracting you in your surroundings. Take a breath and start with cleaning the clothes off your bedroom floor, making some leeway into your room. This helps with the stress you might be concealing within, and blasting your favorite artists keeps you focused on the task at hand. With a clean room, you can stay focused and calm.

• Find life patterns

Start by making a list of your successes — this can mean writing anything that you’ve ever succeeded in, from winning the fifth-grade spelling bee to beating your friend in Trivia Crack. Try to make it chronological. After you’ve finished, look over the list and try to see if there have been any patterns in your successes. There usually are, and if you find them, try to incorporate them more into your daily life. You can also do the same thing with your failures.

• Cooking/baking meals

Focusing without food in the system is physically and mentally impossible. As humans, we need food to maintain a clear and steady mind to get stuff done. Making a meal or baking some sugary goods is productive because when you move out of the house, you will need to know the essentials in making a decent meal. Even if it’s something delicious like chocolate chip cookies.

• Start a journal

Journaling is a great way to spend your time, even when you’re not procrastinating. You can learn a lot about yourself from what and how you write, and you can reflect on how to make changes to your voice if need be. Also, pulling out a piece of paper and writing about the work you’re avoiding can be a good way of thinking it through and pushing past a mental block.

• Volunteering

Helping your community is not only a selfless deed but a way to put off homework that you can feel good about. Homeless shelters, churches, and nursing homes all appreciate the time people put in to help those in need. By giving back, you strengthen the community, gain connections and experiences, and feel proud about the difference you made.

• Read a book

If you enjoy reading and find that your busy schedule makes it downright impossible to make time for it, make your procrastination educational by picking up that book you’ve been wanting to read. Especially if you’re needing a break from all of that homework your teacher piled onto your to-do list, make your time productive by reading any book that fits your desire. You’re not wasting actually time but enjoying a book you’ve been dying to read for so long.