Teens Meet Outreach

​Shola went home after the school break with the intention of completing the Chapter Two of her school project. Getting home on a Friday, she decided to rest for the weekend and start working on it on Monday. Monday came and she had to do certain chores in the house after which power came on and she decided to watch the seasonal movie her sister just brought home the previous day. Watching the movie till 4pm that day, she decided to delay her project until the following day. The following day came and her old friends from secondary school visited and she gisted all day long. The following week, she had to visit her Granny, and a week after that, she had to make preparations for her birthday party. However she tried getting the work done, she kept postponing starting it until two days to resuming for the next semester when she started fidgeting and running helter-skelter to construct a framework for the project even if it means starting the real work when she goes back to school.

Getting to school, she got busy with other things and not until she was told of the deadline for submission did she become serious and began work.

Does the story sound familiar? 

Procrastinating can seem enjoyable but its effects are often adverse and unfavorable. You were given an assignment in school on Monday to be submitted the following Monday however, you plan to write the assignment on Sunday afternoon after church. You forgot that mummy would want you to do some chores after church and you would be expected to be at the church fellowship meeting in the evening. When then would you do your assignment? On Monday morning? Sunday night when you are already exhausted?

Why not do the assignment today and stop putting off what is important for less important things? Why don’t you set your priorities right?

So many of us enjoy putting things off until it gets up to our neck and then we start running helter-skelter. But the bitter thing about that is that the time we avoid doing the important things on our schedule is usually wasted doing nonproductive things.

However, as adverse as the effects may be, it is saddening to realize that so many people especially teenagers procrastinate.

Here are some tips to help you overcome procrastination:

1. Start now

As simple as this may sound, it is very key in overcoming procrastination. Starting a task often seem hard, especially when you feel like you still have time, however just start NOW. You have an essay to write, write now; a book to finish, read now; an assignment to complete, complete now; a cap to knit, knit now. Just start now.

2. Set your priorities right

Don’t put off washing your school uniform to watch a movie. Don’t get carried away with chatting on WhatsApp that you forget to write the essay you were asked to submit on Friday. Prioritize and put the most important tasks on the upper scale of your priorities.

3. Ignore deadlines

This is in two ways; you either ignore deadlines and do your work on time or fail to complete your task within the given time. However, I am referring to the first part. “Ignore given deadlines by completing your tasks as soon as you are given”. This would help you not to procrastinate and be more productive. Also, set your own short deadlines to get the work done on time.

4. Have someone check up on you

Have an accountability partner who urges you on and rings it into your ear that you have some things to do, this will help you hasten up your work rather than procrastinating.

5. Get into the right environment

You can’t expect to sit near the T.V while writing your essay and not expect to dump it for a while in order to follow the program on air. Get rid of distractions and do your work.

6. Weigh the consequences and benefits

If I finish knitting that cap today, I would be able to sell it and buy that bag I saw at the market on Saturday and carry it to church on Sunday. If not, I would have to wait till next week and I may not find that exact one again. Weigh your losses and gains before you procrastinate.

7. Have a schedule

Have a SPECIFIC schedule, not just a vague one that may never be followed. Write down your tasks for the day, assign to each task a time to complete them and work along this.

8. Reward yourself

After completing your tasks for each day, buy yourself a cold drink and chillax…

Avoid procrastination in any way you can. Don’t just settle and make it seem like there’s nothing to be done about it.

---

---

After reading this, how do you intend to handle procrastination from today? Do share in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to this blog to not miss a post.