You look at your to-do list. 5 items. Not bad. I can probably get it done after lunch.
Lunch rolls around and you haven't done anything yet. Eh, I need a nap - I’ll just start working afterwards.
You wake up and find that you need to go to class. By the time dinner rolls around, you haven’t even touched your computer. Now it’s 9pm and you still have those 5 things left to do.
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Does this sound like you? If so, you’re definitely not alone. This is what used to happen to me on a daily basis during the summer. It’s easy to procrastinate when it feels like you have all the time in the world to get things done. However, the reality is that we don’t. Time will slip away naturally and it’s up to us to figure out the best way to utilize it.
So how do you fix this issue? Let me introduce to you my good friend time blocking. Time blocking is essentially assigning a period of time to an allotted task to ensure that you know exactly what you are doing and when. It’s basically making a schedule with time deadlines. There are 5 different steps to start time blocking effectively:
1. Write out your tasks: Having everything you need to complete in one place can be useful as it allows you to understand how big your workload is for the day. You don’t necessarily have to write it down but having it in one place, like a google doc or notes app, can help you visualize how busy you may be.
2. Assign priority: Not every task you’ve written out has the same level of urgency that other ones might have. It’s important to assign them either urgent, important, or moderate. For instance, if you have a test tomorrow in math, you would probably assign studying for it as urgent. Writing your paper due next week, however, could be important as it needs to be done but not right away.
- Urgent: Needs to be done now.
- Important: Needs to be done but not right away.
- Moderate: Needs to be done at some point.
3. Assign timing: Some tasks naturally take up more time than others. Studying may take hours while vacuuming your room may only take 15 minutes. Assigning the amount of time each task takes can allow for you to get a grasp of how much time you will really need.
4. View your schedule: Checking your schedule is a simple but crucial part of this task - you wouldn’t want to plan out a whole routine just to remember that you have work for 4 hours today now would you?
5. Time block: This is the main part of time blocking. Start assigning your tasks based on your schedule, ensuring that you give each task enough time to be completed.
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Still lost? Here’s an example of a model schedule using time blocking!
8:00 am – Wake up and get ready
9:00 am – Workout and shower
10:30 am – Eat breakfast
11:00 am – Study for AP Biology test
1:00 pm – Lunch
1:30 pm – Tutoring for SAT
3:00 pm – Practice programming
4:00 pm – Go to the mall with friends
7:00 pm – Dinner
7:30 pm – Vacuum and clean room
8:15 pm – Watch tv and read
9:00 pm – Sleep
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Got the idea down? Great – here are some other tips to ensure your time blocking schedule goes smoothly!
- Use your favorite platform: If you tend to use physical calendars or use a planner, make sure to time block on that so you check your schedule often. If you tend to be online more, use a digital platform like Google Schedules or Notion!
- Add 5-10 more minutes: We can never plan for every little thing in our life (like going to the bathroom, grabbing a snack, texting, ect.) so adding 5-10 minutes during each shift can allow us to have some wiggle room. Your math homework might only take 30 minutes, but assigning it from 9:00 to 9:40 would allow some small activity.
- Alternate: Make sure you’re combining things you enjoy with your tasks! You wouldn’t want to be studying for 5 hours straight – add something fun and relaxing to motivate you!
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Hopefully you can use these tools to build a strong habit against procrastination! And remember, this is a skill – the more you do it, the better you’ll be at it!
Thank you to Maya B for editing this article!