Like any other IB student, I can say that procrastination is a huge part of my life. The phrase, “I’ll do it in 10 minutes,” is endlessly repeated until the very night before an assignment is due. As an IB student who has been quite well organised throughout this year, I can give you a few ways to manage deadlines and avoid procrastination.
1. Make To-do lists
Making to-do lists always helps when it comes to deciding what to do and minimising procrastination. Listing all the work given by your teachers in the week allows you to see what needs to be done. Once you have done this without missing out any bits of work, move onto thinking about the importance of each piece of work.
2. Prioritise, Prioritise, PRIORITISE.
You have a Maths test next week but an English Essay due in 3 days? DO THE ENGLISH ESSAY FIRST. Spend as much time needed and prioritize work that is due sooner. Worrying about a test happening next week or an IA you need to hand in a month later does not help get this essay done. This was just an example, but in general, always finish the piece of work with the fastest approaching deadline. This will not only help you to complete the task well but it will also help you manage your time as well, reducing stress levels and allowing you to concentrate fully.
3. Break down your tasks by creating schedules
Finished prioritising? Move on to creating schedules. If you have a deadline for a big project such as the TOK presentation in 5 days and you have a lousy partner who does little to no work, break down the parts of the work into little, doable bits (after asking your partner to do some work, of course). For example, think about the beginning of your presentation. What do you need to include first? What are the easy parts of the presentation that you can finish first? Do part by part every day until at least two days before the deadline so that you can use the last day to look over your work before submitting it. I would recommend starting ON THE DAY the work was set if it is a big assignment, in order to break it down and do it day by day.
4. Estimate how much time and effort it takes to do tasks
After prioritising according to the importance and deadline dates, if you feel there are tasks that you can finish quickly, do them first! Did you get assigned an essay due in 5 days but a small piece of math work due next week? Do you think your math will take 15 minutes to finish? Then go ahead and do it! If you can do it in a short amount of time without distractions and to your best effort, then get it out of the way before you spend hours on your essay or other pieces of work. You will be able to go back to your essay more focused and less distracted than before. If you don’t know how much time you will spend on a task, just go with your best estimate. If you are still unsure about it, work on your other tasks that are more urgent!
5. Motivate yourself!
During this time when a lot of deadlines are coming in, please remember to take breaks between tasks. Wearing out your brain by working for long hours tires you out. Also, reward yourself after finishing a job! These rewards can be as small as watching a few episodes of your favourite show on Netflix or they can be as big as buying yourself that limited edition hoodie. Those who reward themselves have more motivation to finish their work. Another way to motivate yourself is through someone else. Telling others about your goals allows you to reach it easier as someone is holding you responsible for your goals, meaning you cannot back out.
Hopefully this advice helps! Setting goals and knowing how you are going to go about with them is a very important skill needed when it comes to working and in life in general. These steps should help you feel less stressed out and make your teachers proud of you for producing quality work on time, helping you achieve your goals for the IB and in general!
Good luck and happy studying!
Comments