9 Tips to Overcome Procrastination This Back To School Season

Hi. My name is Lisa and I am a procrastinator. I am also anxious and stressed when I don’t get things done. As back to school approaches, I am in serious denial and procrastination mode. All those things I said I’d do over the summer but haven’t. All the prep I know I should be doing, but am not. With three weeks until students walk in my door, it’s time to get over procrastination and get to work. Here are 9 tips on how to avoid procrastination or at least attempt to out smart it.

Make a list

I am a list maker and there is something so satisfying about crossing something off a to do list. I’ve been known to add things to a list just so I can cross them off! A list also gives me a visual of what I need to tackle and often makes it seems less overwhelming. Standing in an empty classroom, wondering where to start? Start at the door. Walk around the room and note what needs to be done. Then sit and imagine that first day. What will it be like and what needs to happen to make that a reality? Got a list? Start doing things and crossing them off!

Break it Down and Spread It Out

Once you have that list made, add a schedule to it. Know that if that list is long, you don’t need to cross everything off today! Look it over and prioritize what needs to be done first before other items can be accomplished. Choose one big thing each day or week and sprinkle the smaller tasks around it.

Do the Worst First

Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.

Mark Twain

I love my slow cooker. I LOATHE cleaning a slow cooker (I’m not a liner gal, something about plastic being heated up all around my food all day doesn’t feel right to me). That sucker would sit in my sink getting grosser and stinkier, taunting me every time I saw it. Then one day I decided I’d just get it over with and clean it first. You know what? The rest of the dishes didn’t seem so bad after I finished that task and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment.
The same goes for back to school (or anytime really). Dreading all that back to school paperwork? Do it first. Digging in to curriculum maps to design a new course seem daunting? Take it head on. Arranging desks, tables, bookshelves in your room your least favorite thing? Get it done and then admire your work from your desk as you finish other tasks knowing that one is done!

Set a Timer

I first started doing this when I didn’t want to clean my kitchen (do you see a theme developing here? Slow cookers, kitchens…). I decided I’d set a timer for ten minutes and what ever I got done in ten minutes was enough. I set the timer, focused, and got to work. You know what? I got way more done in that ten minutes than I thought I would. It was a pleasant surprise to realize that the tasks I had dreaded, unloading the dishwasher, mopping the floor, didn’t take nearly as a long they seemed. The key is to set the timer, commit, and not get distracted.

Schedule the Time (and Place)

Along with setting a timer, it helps me to schedule a time to do tasks. I am teaching two new classes this coming year and I have A LOT to do before day 1 of class. I know that Tuesday I am going to go to my classroom, sort through the materials I inherited from my predecessor and start laying out the semester plan. It still all seems a bit overwhelming but knowing exactly when and where I am going to tackle it helps to pen it all in and gives me some power over it.

Remove Distractions

I can’t work at home. I just can’t. I will look up and see that the dishes need to go in the washer, or that the living room needs to be picked up. I’ll remember the overflowing clothes hamper or be tempted to watch just one more episode on Netflix. There are too many things that I can use as an excuse not to accomplish the task at hand.
I need to go to my classroom or a coffee shop to focus. Even then, I forbid myself from getting on social media and falling down that rabbit hole. If I’m at school, I shut myself in my room and try not to talk to anyone. I put my phone on Do Not Disturb. No excuses. I’m here to work!

Find Someone to Hold You Accountable

My college roommate and I used to go to the gym together in the mornings. We’d walk over together, part ways, and meet up in an hour to head home. We didn’t work out together but knowing that she would be disappointed if I didn’t go with her in the morning got me out of bed those mornings I didn’t want to work out. We discovered there were several mornings that the only reason we both got up and went was because we thought the other person would be let down if we didn’t go.
Find someone you trust and tell them what you’re going to do today. Then, ask them to call or text and check up on you at the end of the day. Knowing you’re going to have to check in with someone can help push you forward. It doesn’t need to be another teacher, it can be a friend or neighbor. It doesn’t even need to be someone you see often. Reach out on social media or to a friend out of state. Both have helped me overcome procrastination in several areas of my life!

Reward Yourself

Set goals. Once you finish up XYZ, you’ll grab your favorite iced coffee, drink it in peace and then get back to the next task. If you dislike filing papers, get some cute folders to make the task more enjoyable. Rewards don’t need to be big or cost money. When I finish this blog post, I’m going to watch the next chapter of my favorite series!

Give Yourself Grace

There is a lot to get done. As teachers, the list is never finished. There is always something to do. It’s OK if you don’t get it all done today, or this week, or this summer. You are human. You are a person. It’s important to take care of yourself too. You might not finish that back to school handout tonight but you’ll be no good tomorrow if you stay up until 2 a.m. today. This doesn’t mean you get to slough off all responsibility and let everything slide, it means you recognize that you’re human.

Break is ending, whether we want it to or not. The days to get all those, “I’ll do it this summer” tasks done are winding down. You will be ready for day one. You can do this. You just have to start.