Top Ten Procrastination Tips

Exam season is in full swing and as we all know, procrastination is an integral and fundamental part of the revision process. Being cooped up in your room for days on end, you might have run out of things to do to avoid doing work. Have no fear, the procrastination queen is here....

1. Tidy your desk

You can't work if your desk isn't tidy. Declutter, organise your papers, put your highlighters and felt tip pens into a rainbow formation, stack your books in height order and you'll be good to go. In fact, while your at it, organise your wardrobe, try on some potential post-exam night out outfits, vacuum, dust the skirting boards......

2. Get yourself a drink

Revision is thirsty work, so make sure you have a drink with you AT ALL TIMES, otherwise you might dehydrate and die. What you drink is up to you, tea, coffee, juice...strawberry daiquiri anyone?

3. Get some snacks

Seeing as you're already in the kitchen, you might as well get some more provisions. Your brain uses a disproportionate amount of energy to its size, and most of that energy comes from glucose. If you don't eat constantly throughout the day, your brain will run out of energy and you will convert to a vegetative state. To prevent this, you must eat food high in glucose such as sweets, chocolate and fruit. Neuropsychologists claim that this 'Grazing Method' optimises brain function, especially the consolidation of long-term memories (citation needed). I personally recommend pomegranates, I ate one the other day, and I wasted two hours of what could have been valuable revision time.

4. Check your email

Now you have food and drink to keep you going, you can settle at your immaculately tidy desk and get to work.

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE

You've forgotten one crucial part of the revision process. Check your email! One of your professors might have emailed you important information for your exam! Maybe Topshop has a 20% off student discount for today only?! What if exams have been cancelled, but you didn't know because you didn't check your email and you wasted all of that time revising??

5. Check social networking

A good morale boost is to see everyone else whinging about how shit exam revision is, or how many words of their dissertation they haven't written. Make sure you're thorough with it too; Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest.....

6. Instagram your revision progress

I feel like a really great way to see how you're getting on is to do a sort of 'photographic essay' while you're revising. This could include some revision selfies, complete with a grumpy face and pineapple hair, or simply just pictures of your revision, with captions such as 'I hate revision' or 'why did I pick Psychology?'

7. Pick the perfect revision soundtrack

Music is a great way to keep you motivated. What you choose is up to you, some people like to listen to classical music- apparently music without words really helps you concentrate. But me? I like a bit of nineties pop to take me back to my youth. Nostalgia really helps everything sink in.

8. Do some yoga

Healthy body, healthy mind as they say. Yoga is a really great way to strengthen your body, stretch your muscles and soothe the soul. The best thing about it? You don't even have to leave your room. All you have to do is find a yoga lesson on youtube. If that sounds like a bit much, you don't even have to do the yoga, you can just watch the video.

9. Have a nap

All of this hard work is really tiring, just shut your eyes for half an hour. You deserve it ;)

10. Just think....

Now you've tidied up, eaten enough junk to give you diabetes and checked all of the valuable information the internet has to offer, it's time to sit at your desk and just think. Think about starting your work. Imagine you're opening up your notes, imagine picking up your pen and sitting with it poised as you read all about how to form the subjunctive tense, or how the retina works. Imagine walking down to your exam fully prepared, and confident that you've done everything you can to ensure a top grade. Imagine graduating with First Class honours, imagine how proud everyone will be. 

Take a deep breath.....now you're ready to begin.