Do you sometimes feel as though you spend time working on a piece of work but after a couple of hours you still haven’t managed to type more than a few lines?  Is your mind drifting onto other things you haven’t finished yet or deadlines on other subjects you need to meet?

Unfortunately, most people will experience procrastination at one time or another in their life and it can be for a number of reasons –

• Too many things to do and unable to decide which is the most important
• Several urgent deadlines happening around the same time
• Fear and anxiety of not doing a piece of work to a high enough standard so you keep putting it off 
• Not understanding a piece of work well enough so you avoid it or keep pushing it down your to do list 

There is lots of detailed information and studies about this subject but the following tips may help you to cope with it before it becomes a larger problem:

• Time yourself to do some work in 10-15 minute sessions and then have a break for 10 minutes in between to build up a sense of achievement of the small tasks you have managed
• Keep a written list of all the work you have completed and how long each took you to do so you can look back at this to gain a sense of achievement
• Work with another student to motivate each other to complete a set of questions and take turns to do each one
• Set yourself some earlier deadlines before your lesson deadlines for homework etc so you are not panicking at the last minute!
• Vary work activities to help keep yourself on task and prevent boredom!  eg make notes, watch a podcast, ask someone to test you, draft an essay, listen to a talk online 
• Sometimes the opposite strategy can work too depending on how you are feeling – focus on one area of work from start to finish until you have completed it but resist the urge to check it over too many times! – ask someone else to have a look at it for you and then make any final amendments
• Go and do something practical that is easily achieved to give yourself a mental boost to then come back and approach your work with a fresh mindset
• Do some exercise to release some endorphins to help you feel energised and ready to get to work again
• Listen to music – maybe without words if you can concentrate better to help you get into your work and even if you are no longer listening to it, that is your objective because they you are focused and working again!
• Try to switch to a different task or have a break when you realise your mind is no longer focused on the work you are doing
• Sleeping well and eating healthily can also support being able to work to your best ability
• Reducing time on gaming and social media can also help with better sleep and focus
• Being persistent but also asking for help when needed can also help with pushing yourself when you feel stuck on an assignment.

So when you are struggling to work – 

• Be pleased with any work you can achieve as a starting point and build on this gradually
• Write a list of work to do and cross each one off as you complete it
• Explore websites on procrastination eg Young Minds to remind yourself you are not alone 
• Talk to teachers/others about any reasons that may be affecting your ability to work eg problems at home, learning difficulties, issues in school with students/staff, illness etc
• Remember it is not a permanent situation – you will be able to achieve more again in the future!