As the countdown for the holiday break begins, the hope of a good night’s sleep and a merry good feast steadily approaches. During these times, it may be primetime to procrastinate for the hope of doing schoolwork during the holidays. This, however, is overall detrimental and only kills the holiday spirit—homework is not for the holidays. Nothing steals Christmas better than procrastination.
Nothing screams ‘teenage dirtbag’ better than a high school student days before a holiday break. Although procrastination may be a gateway drug away from your problems now, it sows the seeds of stress for problems later into the break. No one should be cramming their mountain of homework days before the end of the break. In these tempting times to focus on the holidays, organization becomes a crucial weapon to beating the temptation. Work now and enjoy later.
Organization comes in a plethora of shapes and sizes, from planning your calendars and planners to productivity goals and rewards system, organization is fun. As many as the forms there are, there are many unique methods. To plan ahead and visualize your schedule, planners and calendars will be your best friend! These give you a physical visualization of what to expect in the following timeline: helps you avoid schedule conflicts with other priorities and activities. Don’t forget the deadline of that biology worksheet! Additionally, to better keep track of your schoolwork, keep a daily to-do list with every single requirement needed––digital or physical copy. This allows you to remember tasks required for your academics and serves as your progress tracker to help you visualize what has been and is to be completed. Never again will you forget to start your art project!
It is easy to plan, but impossible to act on. Somedays, that exhaustion sets in to weigh you down. Productivity becomes impossible due to how big the task ahead may seem. In these trying times, consider the Pomodoro method. Essentially, it is working for 25-minutes and taking a 4-minute break between each working period. After finishing 60 minutes of worktime, increase your break time to 15-30 minutes. Through this way, you prevent burning out by allowing your mind to believe the work ahead isn’t as stressful as you may think. The first step is always the hardest, everything else can only follow along when you choose to begin.
However, even with all these tips and tricks, productivity is a challenge mentally and physically. Escaping work is far too delectable to turn down. Although the benefits of choosing to pursue schoolwork/passion are worthwhile, the successful ending after the process may be undermined. To overcome this and keep your motivation, consider implementing a reward system. For example, give yourself a tasty treat after every test or project finished; positive affirmations after every page of homework; kitty snuggles after every day of attending school. Because everything you do matters in the grand scheme of things.
Procrastination is the temptress to a deceitful escape from responsibility, one that is always blindly chosen. Though, it may be yearlong, pre-holiday season is primetime for such behaviors to ensue. Choose to take control of your life and holidays by sowing the seeds of organization to prevent procrastination. Plan ahead, track your progress, and acknowledge your success in productivity. Procrastination may be a mean one, but a true holiday break can only be bought with organization.