Happy Sunday ladies!
I decided to make this Sunday Six have a little more substance than usual. If you're a typical human, I bet your New Years Resolution list had something along the lines of "Stop Procrastinating" on it. There's a problem with this, though. Every year we make a list of resolutions but don't really attempt to change anything or think of how we can accomplish it! I am definitely one of the worst procrastinators out there. Direct quote from a teacher email: "You are one of the smartest kids in this school but let procrastination get in between you and excellence." If you got this email, you would want to change too, right? So last semester I started my journey to get better. I have made SO much progress but I have a loooong way to go! Hopefully, sharing these tips will help you conquer procrastination, too!
1// Keep a to-do list
I know that at least a lot of MY procrastination stems from simply being overwhelmed. This is where making lists comes in handy! I keep a running to-do list in my planner for things that don't have any specific timeframe, but still need to get finished. This has helped so much with reminding me of the little things! Every Sunday I force myself to just get all of the little leftovers on the list done before making a new one for next week. My favorite to-do list pad is this one from Office Depot's See Jane Work line. It's super cute! My favorite part is that it's sticky so I can put a list in my planner and not have to worry about losing it!
2// Break big tasks up into small tasks
Another way to conquer being overwhelmed is to start breaking up big tasks into small ones. I love this printable for that! Breaking up things makes impossible tasks seem realistic! It also takes a lot of the stress out of having to do it all at once. You can do a few small tasks every day and before you know it, you've finished the big task without staying up until 3am the night before it's due... I know you've been there.
3// Get an inspirational desktop wallpaper
Call me silly all you want... It works. Seeing this when I turn on my computer is sometimes the little extra push I need to get things done. I downloaded my current one here.
4// Tweak some of your bad habits a little
This post on PopSugar delves into the habits of punctual people. I am guilty of some of these, I'm just doing them wrong! Every morning when I wake up, I plan out exactly how many minutes it will take me to do everything so that I can sleep as much as possible without being late. What happens when my car won't start or I can't find my favorite shirt? I'm late. Even when there isn't an unexpected mishap, I am usually racing to my first period door before the bell rings. I've started to just make myself get up. It gives me some time to wake up before I have to go to school and I don't have to worry about being late!
5// Get a planner that suits you and USE IT
This one seems obvious, but it wasn't to me. Planners are not one size fits all. If you find yourself slacking on using your planner, you probably don't have the right one for you! I love all of the cute Lilly planners, but I've come to find that they're too cluttered and bulky for my liking. I'm currently using the Sugar Paper for Target planner I bought last month. I can't seem to find it online but it's the size of a one subject notebook and I LOVE IT. It has so much space to write everything and barely takes up any space in my backpack!
6// This blog... That is all.
This week while laying on my bed for hours on end and not being able to do anything, I found THIS lovely blog. Organized Charm is a productivity blog with endless resources to help you organize your life! I spent hours on it reading (kind of defeating the purpose... but I was dying... it's acceptable.) I found so many tips that I'm going to utilize in school this year and especially next year in college! She has tips on taking better notes, making the most of your planner, and so much more. My favorite post that will be SO useful in college is How to Create a Semester Assignment Spreadsheet. For an organization/school supply geek like me, this blog makes me like a kid in a candy store.
Hope you guys have a great Monday tomorrow and use some of these tips!
Comment telling me how YOU are beating procrastination!
One thing that I've done at work is use an hourly planner to keep up with how I'm using my time! It has really helped me see the times I start to lose motivation or the projects that I get stuck on. Eventually, I will be able to use it to better plan my days :)
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