Today’s post is simple, but something that can IMMEDIATELY reduce your tendency to procrastinate therefore reducing the stress and pressure you feel about studying or NOT studying when you know you should be. We all procrastinate, but straight A students do it less and therefore get better grades, yes with less effort.

I explain the underlying strategies this post is based on in my book “Get The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort“. If you haven’t yet purchased it, you really should. The title says it all and it’s a real bargain.

A Tip To Overcome Procrastination

Overcoming procrastination requires that you KNOW WHY you’re procrastinating. One of the top reasons is that you MAGNIFY a problem or TO DO item on your list automatically, without knowing it. You make it bigger than it actually is.

I’ll prove it to you.

• Make a list of 10 things you need to do this/next week for school.
• Make a SECOND list of 10 things you DID last week studying.

Compare the two lists. I guarantee you that your TO DO list for this/next week looks like MORE, HARDER, LONGER TO DO than your previous week’s list even though it is similar.

Am I right?

Just like a side rear view mirror on a car, your problems and to do list items appear bigger than they really are.

How do you get around this?

Simple.

Chunk down your to dos into EASY, DIGESTIBLE PIECES… You know the joke “How do you eat an elephant? … One bite at a time”. I explain this in more detail in my book, but for right now, make a list like the one below and see how it feels to chunk it down.

• Study for Physics, can be broken down to
  • Rearrange my lab reports, class notes and other documents so they are all in one place
  • Read Chapters 16, 17 and 18
  • Highlight the chapters or extract the key points
  • Research last week’s lab subject to better understand it for the exam
  • Review last year’s midterm exam question on this content so I don’t pile it up before the midterm
  • Re-write my notes and or add to my MindMap
  • Keep my physical desktop clean with ONLY what I am studying
  • Remove unnecessary trinkets and paperweights on my desk
  • Straighten out my books so the bookshelf looks neat
  • Dust, clean or wash my desk/table
    • [Note: Having a clutter-free study space is VERY IMPORTANT! Plan to clean and keep it clean. Want some useful tips, go to www.HomeDeclutterAndFun.com!]

You get the picture. The thing is UNLESS you deal with this magnification problem, you’ll keep hesitating and procrastinating about things you really to study. You can’t get top grades unless you do what needs to be done. By making things look SMALLER, EASIER, QUICKER to do, you’ll get MORE done, yes, with LESS effort, but more importantly you’ll get more confidence and your stress levels will go down – WAY DOWN.

Just remember you are the one HOLDING the magnifying glass!