How Students Beat Procrastination: Set Tiny Goals
This is part of my How to Stop Procrastinating series.
Hey, friends!
My favorite way to overcome procrastination is to create tiny goals. I make them so small that it feels trivial to complete them. But completing them ensures I don’t procrastinate for days (or weeks).
Here's my favorite tiny goal: Do a 5-minute sprint every day. (We eliminate distractions and study for just 5 minutes.)
5 minutes isn’t much, I know. But the real obstacle to studying is the Resistance. If we can get started, we’ll build momentum and keep going.
Let’s look at two concrete examples.
Examples
Have an upcoming exam? Study for 5 minutes every day. Once we do a 5-minute sprint, we build momentum, and it’s easy to start a second sprint. And a third. (Our thought patterns have inertia. Once we focus on schoolwork, staying on that track is easier.)
Have an essay due next week? Write for 5 minutes every day. This gives our brain’s subconscious crew something to mull over. Invisibly, and in the background, the crew works on our essay, and tomorrow we wake with fresh ideas. Tomorrow, it’s easier to get started.
Take action: Set Tiny Goals
Create a goal to complete a 5-minute sprint every day.
With tiny goals, you’ll find it easier to get started on assignments, and you’ll be way more productive.
With tiny goals, you’ll lower stress and anxiety. You’ll avoid that long stretch of days where you don’t study and feel super guilty.
With tiny goals, you’ll beat procrastination and feel better about yourself.
Read more on How to Stop Procrastinating.
Thanks to Brynn Stewart for reading a draft of this!