Hi everyone my name is Jamie and I’m a second year emergency medicine resident.
Today I want to talk to you guys about something we all suffer from: procrastination.
Have you guys ever been in a situation where you’re about to start an important task
(like studying for an exam.)
And right when you start you start the task at hand, you start thinking about all the
other things you would rather do, like vacuuming, cleaning the kitchen, organizing your apartment.
I remember in undergrad and in high school, my place would be the cleanest right before
the exam season.
Procrastination is just running away from our responsibilities.
And I would argue that it’s a perfectly normal response.
Under stressful situations we are hardwired to either fight or flight.
Unfortunately, no matter how much we run, we eventually have to face the work that we’re
running away from.
So let’s talk about some tips on how we can fight procrastination and be as productive
as we can be.
Tip 1: Figuring out why you’re procrastinating.
Maybe you have too many things to do?
Sometimes we run away from our responsibilities because there are just too many things to
do.
Somehow deadlines are bunched together, all the exams and essays we have to write are
due around the same time.
So in the end we just end up feeling overwhelmed.
And we get stuck at feeling overwhelmed without properly dealing with all the stuff we have
to do.
My advice is: BREATHE and just start.
Acknowledge that you have to do a lot of stuff and come up with a plan of attack.
We can either start with what’s due first, or what’s worth the most.
That’s my first tip--breathe and just start.
Tip 2: Figuring out why you’re procrastinating part 2.
Maybe you don’t know how to start?
Sometimes we run away because the task is YUGE and we don’t know how to start.
For example, maybe you want to learn a new language or start preparing for entrance exams
like the MCAT or SATs but you don’t know how to start.
One way to get around this is breaking big goals into smaller manageable tasks.
For example, you guys know I’m currently preparing for my board exam (Step 3).
Studying for a big test like that can be overwhelming.
I try to choose a small number of resources-- question set like UWorld and a reference like
a text book or a set of study material.
I then decide how many questions I want to do each week and how much of the reference
material I want to cover each week.
That way I know exactly what I have to do each day and I don’t waste time trying to
figure out what to do.
One of the benefits of having smaller tasks is it’s quantifiable.
As you check them off it feels good and you get a sense of accomplishment.
And on the flip side, If you don’t have a list of smaller tasks, it feels like you’re
just wandering around aimlessly and as a result it is easier to get distracted.
If you’re working on a passion project, like learning a new language, launching a
YT channel or starting a blog setting a deadline can you help you with consistency.
For example, for this YouTube channel, I upload every weekend at noon and I have been doing
so for 3 years now.
Having a deadline gives me a time limit on how much I can spend per video.
More often than not, it’s better to be done than perfect.
Tip 3: Prevent your mind from wandering.
Phones are incredibly useful.
If I get lost, I can get directions in an instant.
If I get hungry, I can order food right away.
I can shop, read, stay in touch with friends easily.
If I’m curious about something, I can look up the answers quickly.
If you’re bored, you can endless scroll through Instagram or Twitter.
You see where I’m going with this--while they are useful, phones can be really distracting.
My tip is for when you’re finally sitting down to do work is to turn off notifications
and alerts.
You can turn on do not disturb on your phone.
Or even better, you can leave your phone in a different room or at home for when you’re
at the library.
If you can’t leave your phone because of your job or personal reasons, you can set
it so only certain people can reach you while you’re on do not disturb mode.
Keeping my phone far away from me is something I did for STEP 1 and STEP 2 studying and it
really helped a lot.
You’d be surprised at how many times you instinctively look for your phone to distract
yourself from what you’re doing.
If you have an iPhone you can check how many times you pick up your phone under Screen
Time
Another way you can prevent your mind from wandering is getting in the right mindset.
Something that works for me is having a consistent study/work space.
For example, I do most of my studying on this desk and when I study at the library, I usually
have a favorite desk or area I like to study in.
By minimizing having to adjust to new environment each time I can focus better and get more
work done.
Tip 4: One thing at a time.
My last tip is to focus on one task at a time.
It’s okay to have different projects going on at the same time but while you’re working,
you should focus on a single task.
It’s easy to lose interest halfway through a task and jump into another one but you end
up with tasks that are not finished.
Something that helps me with this is using the pomodoro technique.
The idea is simple--the pomodoro technique introduces a sense of urgency.
Rather than feeling like you have unlimited time, you’re given 25 minutes to make as
much progress on a task as possible.
I have a study with me channel that revolves around the pomodoro technique so if you’re
looking for someone to work with to help you get started you can click here to check it
out.
So those are the tips I have for dealing with procrastination.
Let me know what you guys think and let me know in the comment section what other ways
you guys deal with procrastination!
Thanks for watching.
You can follow me on other social media like Instagram and Twitter @TheStriveToFit.
And If you want to watch more videos you can click here and if you want to support the
channel, you can do so by going to THESTRIVETOFIT.COM to buy some merchandise.