Tomorrow, tomorrow, it is only a day away! During school, we are used to seeing teachers every day and being reminded constantly to do our work. Yet we all still procrastinate, but now we are online school are we more prone to push work off? Even though it is invadable that we will procrastinate, there are ways to be more organized and get work done.   

People procrastinate in all diverse ways, some of us wait to write an essay until the morning it is due, while others push off all our homework until the end of the quarter. But most of us just wait until the due date to do work. Talking to students I realized that we are not purposely pushing work off but we are too overwhelmed and do not have a good system for getting work done. According to author Mary Burns, we procrastinate when we think assignments are too difficult, having to start something new, or being stressed over a big project. One of the best ways that we can get work done is to use time management techniques, such as the Pomodoro. The Pomodoro is a method in which you set a timer for 30 minutes, during that time you do work for one class without looking at your phone or being distracted. After 30 minutes you take a break. You repeat this circuit until you finish all your work. Techniques such as this keeps you on top of your work and off of our phones.  

In our online classroom setting it is much easier to not participate in group conversations and discussions. In an article from Psychology Today, Dr. Timothy Pychyl states “In other words, procrastination is seen to result in fewer discussion board postings (indicating lower engagement) which results in lower course grades.” In other words, not participating in class leads to not fully comprehending work, then when we open our homework, we are bombarded with questions that we don’t understand, so we put it off. Procrastinating in such ways leads to us not doing well in classes and feeling self-conscious about our learning capabilities. 

These “cases” of procrastination are not the end of the world, just a simple change in study habits has a major impact on getting your work done. According to author Erin Riskey, asking parents for help is one of the most important things. Asking for help makes you explain what you are working on and lets you hear ideas from people who might know more. Study buddies are also a way to have support. Find a friend that has the same class as you and work together. This provides motivation to get work done as well as ask questions.  

When you choose a working environment, it is important to be aware of distractions. If you work in your living room the TV and your family might distract you from your work. It is essential to have a spot in your house where it is quiet and is clean. Having a clean working area makes you calmer and helps you focus. One of the concepts that we all struggle with is not looking at our phones when we are working. When using a technique such as the Pomodoro, set your phone aside for 30 min, then during your break you can look at it.  

Before you can work though it is important to have a plan. Make a list of all the work that you have, figure out what you want to do first, and break it up into smaller tasks. That means that if you have 20 problems of math you might do 10 before dinner and 10 after, or take a break after 10. Having a plan and schedule makes it easier to see how much work you have and puts you in control. With plans, you will not be as stressed and overwhelmed. Finally, the most important is to be proud of yourself. When you finish a project or homework be proud and take a break!  

Even though procrastination is something that we all struggle with it is important to know that there are ways to get your work done so we are not overwhelmed and stressed out all high school.