5 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Start Focusing on Your Studies

How often do you tell yourself that you’re going to spend only five more minutes on the phone, after which you’ll get started with the chemistry lesson you have to tackle?

You’re not alone. Approximately 80 to 95 per cent of college students questioned in various surveys have confessed procrastinating on a regular basis, especially at the time of approaching deadlines for course work and assignments.

The reasons for study procrastination have been identified as primarily three. A first ground-breaking study on the topic suggests that indecision is one of the biggest culprits, especially when students feel overwhelmed. If you spend too much time worrying if you’re doing an assignment correctly, you’re likely to postpone until the last minute.

Psychology studies have identified the other two common causes of procrastination as fear of criticism and surprisingly – the thrill that some get when trying to beat the clock.

Now that you are in JC and studying H2 chemistry, you know how quickly new material can accumulate.

Regular reviews of the material after a session with your chemistry tutor help with internalising information. The sooner you do that after every lesson, the easier it will be to remember and retain key points. If you have missed that opportunity with your school tutor, that is what our chemistry tuition centre is for, text us straight away for consultaions.

Everyone is guilty of procrastination once in a while. If the problem has become chronic, however, you’ll have to come up with a motivational strategy to engage with lessons on time.

Some of the following pointers could come in handy.

Get Rid of Distractions

Are your phone and tablet always by your side? If so, you’ll easily find something more interesting to do than focus on your lessons.

The number one rule of beating procrastination is getting rid of distractions.

Planning to attend a study group with your friends? You may want to reconsider. Giggling and laughing about the day isn’t going to help you make any progress.

The same applies to TikTok and Instagram. Leave your phone, computer and tablet behind. Give yourself several hours of distraction-free time to fully commit yourself to the lesson.

It’s also a good idea to let family members know that you’re studying. This way, they will keep the house silent and refrain from bothering you.

Try the Pomodoro Technique

If you want to test out an effective time management strategy, try the Pomodoro technique.

Here’s how it works:

• Choose just one task you need to handle (otherwise, you will get overwhelmed and it’s a well-known fact that multi-tasking doesn’t work)
• Set a timer for 25 minutes
• Give your undivided attention to that learning task over that time period
• When the 25 minutes are over, give yourself a break
• Do four sessions of 25 minutes with a break between them, after which you should give yourself a longer break

The idea here is to study intensively for a short period of time. This way, you can focus better without having your mind wondering. Short bursts of intense learning are considered by many a much more efficient learning approach than spending hours on a task without being fully committed to it.

Just Do It

Waiting until you feel that you want to study is not going to work.

Whether you have to deal with A level chemistry tuition lesson or another subject, chances are that you wouldn’t feel in the mood for that specific type of activity.

The best strategy in that case would be to attack the learning task head-on.

Just go for it, even if you don’t feel fully-prepared.

Forming habits takes time. In order to get to your lessons every single day after coming back home, you’ll need to push yourself in the beginning.

Some says that it takes 21 to 66 days for a habit to form. In order for your brain to establish such a shortcut and get you in the mood for learning on a regular basis, you’ll have to commit. Just go for the lesson first thing and once you’re done, you can confidently enjoy other favourite activities.

Study When You Are Most Productive

Are you a morning person? When do you feel your sharpest?

Learning lessons without procrastinating can be easier if you get to the task at a time when you feel productive. If you’re not a morning person, reviewing a lesson before heading to school for the day is not going to work.

You need to be alert and efficient for the learning experience to deliver a positive outcome.

Your biological clock will let you know when the optimal period for learning is.

And again – set time-frames for the learning experience. Give yourself an hour to tackle homework, after which you should have a short break. Prolonged study sessions do not work because your mind will eventually start wondering away.

Break Big Tasks into Small Tasks (and Forget about Perfectionism)

Having a lot to study will get you overwhelmed and you’ll push back getting started with it.

To make homework and assignments manageable, break them down into smaller tasks.

Set very specific milestones and assign a timeframe for the completion of each one. When you’re done, you can move on to the next task.

It’s also vital to banish perfectionism from your learning process.

When you’re facing a new concept or task, chances are that you will not be immediately excellent at it. That’s ok – learning is a process.

Draft messy notes, attempt solving problems in multiple ways. Allowing your brain to explore and employ various different techniques will eventually give you a correct outcome that will help you complete the entire assignment.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask your teacher or tutor for assistance if some concept is vague or too difficult.

At Julian Chemistry, we work really hard to make challenging topics approachable. The success of every single student is important and a personal mission. Contact us today to find out more and to start acing your chemistry.