How The Internet Has Made Us Lazier

Procrastination: A Deadly Disease for College Students Aiming for 1.00

Do you find yourself procrastinating? Are you doing unnecessary things such as checking Facebook occasionally for new notifications, messages, or friend requests? On the other hand, are you reading articles or books not related to what you should be doing?

"Another five minutes then I'll do my homework." This is probably the most used line of procrastinating students today. *Five minutes later. "Another five minutes." Well, the 'golden' time you should be spending wisely has been put to waste. Are you aware of that?

Many of us find procrastinating – doing others things instead of what you should be doing – irresistible, to the point that it could hinder our should-be-productive lifestyles.

For students who aim to ace exams and achieve outstanding 1.00s or UNOs, procrastinating is the deadliest disease they might ever have contact with during their years in university.

So, how do we stop procrastinating and start doing what we should be doing? Well, it seems like reading this article is a form of procrastination as well because it delays your precious and important task, may it be writing a paper, studying for an exam, and answering your homework.

To put it simply, you find excuses like reading an article about avoiding procrastination to avoid procrastination.

Anyway, here are six tips to avoid procrastinating and start doing the task you've been wanting to do but simply cannot:

1. Be serious with the task you have to do. Condition your mindset into doing and accomplishing it.

To be successful in defeating that "inner procrastinator" of yours, you need to tell yourself to do it.

2. Set a schedule or a list of things to do.

Write a list of tasks you have to do. To further organize your workload, you can also write corresponding timeslots for each task. It may be in a sticky note or a notebook; anything will do as long as it serves its purpose of reminding you.

3. Be strict and disciplined to follow your task list.

A task list is nothing but a reminder. The changing attitude is yours. You have to discipline yourself to finish what you have started.

4. Stop unnecessary usage of gadgets and devices that can access the internet.

The internet is an excellent source of knowledge that can be valuable during your college years. However, it may also be a key for you to slip into procrastination.
If you have to research, open only those tabs you need. Do not open another tab for Facebook or any other social media site that could waste your time.

5. Keep in mind the grades you aspire.

Let's face it. Grades are an important part of academic life because it reflects the hard work you put into studying. However, you must also remember that grades are not the only important aspect in the university. Do not do deeds that may destroy your integrity and credibility as a student, such as cheating on exams.

6. See the difference between the prepared and unprepared.
"Class, your exam will be two weeks from now. Study diligently." Your professor announced the exam dates. And then there you are, "Hmph, two weeks? It's still a long time. I can review for the exams on the weekends."

First warning: This is a sign of false confidence.

Two weeks is a short time, especially if you have tons of schoolwork aside from preparing for your exams. You cannot just push it aside and do what you want. Be responsible.

Let's see the difference between Student 1 and Student 2:

Student 1 has spent two weeks studying for the exams; while Student 2 has spent his two weeks while playing video games and sharing irrelevant posts on Facebook.

The night before the exam came. Student 1 relaxed and slept early for the early exam the next day. Unfortunately, Student 2 was still up until 3 am, cramming for the exam.

*Exam day

Student 1 enters the exam room confidently, knowing that he has prepared for the exam and that he could answer all the questions. He quickly finishes the exam and still has more time left to review his answers.

Student 2 comes in late because he overslept and crammed the whole night to study for the exam. However, he panics during the exam because he had forgotten all the large chunks of information he forced to put into his tired mind – which was actually meant to be studied for a period of two weeks.

In addition to his misfortune, he keeps dozing off and can hardly concentrate in answering because he lacks sleep, or worse did not sleep at all.

After a few days, the results are out; Student 1 has aced the exam while Student 2 has failed.

The thought of this situation could awaken your mind from procrastinating. This technique alone has worked for me for years.

Studying is not an easy thing, because if it were, then we would all be topnotch students who get a GWA (General Weighted Average) of 1.00.

It takes time to absorb all the information you need for an exam and whether you like it or not, you cannot just pull an all-nighter before that dreadful day of exam.

Always remember that procrastination leads to cramming, not just in exams but in projects as well. You might now want spending an entire night stuck in your study table trying to multitask and finish all the tasks you have to do in a few hours.

Spend your time wisely.