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How to beat procrastination and find your motivation
Struggling with your motivation or procrastination? Try our tips to help keep you productive.
Feeling unmotivated
It’s natural to have times when you’re feeling unmotivated or it’s hard to get started. Sometimes it can feel like you’re stuck in a cycle where the less you do, the more unmotivated you feel.
Whatever’s making you feel this way, there are things you can do to help. Even taking small steps can help and the more you start to do, the easier it can be to keep going.
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is when you keep putting something off, you avoid making decisions about things, or when you just keep doing something else instead. It could be a piece of work, a conversation, or even a decision.
It might be because you’re scared about what it might be like, or you’re worried about whether you’ll be able to do it. Sometimes the more you delay things, the harder it can feel to start.
Procrastinating doesn’t mean you’re lazy and it isn’t about self-control. For lots of people, once they can start getting past their procrastination it can be easier to keep going.
5 things you can try right now
- Set 1 to 2 small and achievable goals
- Break things down into smaller tasks
- Write down what you’ve already achieved, however small
- Talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling
- Choose one tip on this page, and try it straight away
Tips to keep motivated
Whether it’s for homework, revision, or achieving any goal, motivation is key. It’s the force that can help you keep going even when things are difficult.
Sometimes we can get motivation from ourselves, sometimes we need it from other people.
Try these tips to keep your motivation up:
Create a realistic schedule
Having a regular schedule can help you feel more in control of when you’re working and when you’re not. This can help you feel more motivated in the future.
Making a realistic schedule includes making sure you’re trying to work at times when you’re feeling alert and relaxing at times when you don’t. More of a morning person? Try to plan in your revision for after you’ve woken up.
Remember, your schedule doesn’t have to be fixed, and it’s okay to change it when you need to.
Your schedule could include:
- Clear tasks or things you need to do, even if they’re not work
- Regular breaks, and times to do things like eat or take care of yourself
- Enough time to rest.
If you finish something on your schedule, remember to congratulate yourself.
Celebrate your accomplishments
If something takes effort, then it’s good to recognise when you’ve managed to do it.
Whether it’s finishing a piece of work, reading a page, or getting yourself out of bed, try to write down anything you achieve in a day, and then before bed take some time to reflect on what you’ve done.
Focusing on what you’ve managed to do can help you feel more motivated to keep doing it in the future.
Get enough rest
Rest is essential for you to be able to concentrate. If you’re not getting enough breaks, sleep, or you’re pushing yourself to your limits then you won’t be able to keep motivated.
Rest includes:
- Taking regular breaks to do something new or that you enjoy
- Making time to talk to people you care about
- Getting enough sleep, including having time to wind down before bed.
Resting isn't lazy
Making time to rest and relax isn’t lazy, in fact it can help you to be more productive overall. Building breaks and time to relax into your routine helps people to feel more able to keep going.
Sometimes it might feel hard to start working or doing something after a break. If you’re starting to feel like you’re avoiding doing things, you can try our tips.
Find the right space
If you’re trying to do homework or revision, it can be good to find a space where you feel comfortable working. Try to think about:
- The noise level, and whether you’d want something in the background like music or white noise
- Whether you can take away any distractions or things that might take your mind off what you’re doing
- Having somewhere you can sit comfortably, and a surface to work on like a table or desk
- Whether it’s separate from where you relax or take breaks.
What if I don’t have an ideal place to work?
You won’t always have a perfect place to work. If you’re able to, it can help to speak to people at home about things that might help, or whether you could work in school, the library, or somewhere else you feel safe and comfortable. Sometimes it can be as simple as making sure a table is clear, or everyone knows when you’ll need it.
Feeling so
overwhelmed
Battling procrastination
There are loads of reasons you might keep putting something off. You could be scared of starting or making the wrong decision, or be worried about feeling overwhelmed by it.
For lots of people, once they can start getting past their procrastination it can be easier to keep going. Remember, even doing something small can be an achievement. Try getting past your procrastination with these tips:
Set a timer for 5 minutes
You don’t need to finish everything in one go. Sometimes starting something can be as simple as just trying it for a few minutes.
Think about something you need to do, it could be some homework, tidying up, or even just having a shower. Then set yourself a timer for 5 minutes, and start doing that job.
After the timer goes off, you can set another timer. During that timer, you could either stop and take a break, try a new task, or keep going.
Break a task down
When something feels too big, it can make it hard to start at all. Try breaking what you need to do into smaller and smaller tasks until it feels manageable.
For example, if your maths revision feels too much, you could break it down into smaller topics. If that feels too much, you could break that down into just a page of revision, or even just a paragraph. The more you break down each piece of a task, the easier it is to start.
Share what you’re planning to do
Tell someone you trust and care about what you’re planning on working on, then ask them to check on whether you’ve done it at the end of the day or week.
It might feel like an extra pressure, but knowing that someone will ask whether you’ve done something can make you more likely to do it. It can help you push yourself when something’s important to you.
Spend time with people who motivate you
It’s natural for the people around us to change how we feel about things. If you’re only speaking to people who aren’t feeling motivated or who aren’t doing anything, it can make it harder for you to feel able to.
Spending time with people who are working hard or who want to push themselves can help inspire you as well. You could speak to people in your life who you look up too.
Keep it positive
Avoid blaming yourself for procrastinating in the past. Focusing on what you haven’t done can leave you feeling down and can affect your self-esteem. Just because you haven’t started something, it doesn’t mean you can’t start right now.
Make time every day to focus on the big and small things you’ve achieved, and be kind to yourself about the things you want to do in the future.
Dealing with setbacks
Things go wrong, and that can feel hard to cope with. Something might be harder than you thought, or you might not be able to do what you planned.
When you’ve had a setback:
- be kind to yourself, remember that it’s okay to feel upset or frustrated
- take some time to do something else productive, whether it’s tidying up, doing a different piece of work, or making a healthy meal
- talk to someone you trust about what you could do next.
Remember, if you’re struggling then Childline is always here to support you.
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