It’s hard to do hours of work in one sitting. Not only that, but as the quarter progresses, it can be easy to let other responsibilities slip (even more during Finals Week). No one needs help procrastinating; we all do it, whether we like it or not. Instagram and Netflix are popular go-to’s, and they can feel like refreshing study breaks, but they don’t exactly help you get your life together. Here are 5 tips for productive procrastination.
Laundry
It’s so easy to fall behind on laundry when classes get hard, but it only takes about 10 minutes to put your clothes in the washer. You can use the time it takes for your clothes to wash and dry as study time, or as an excuse to do some non-productive procrastination (I mean, you ARE busy doing laundry).
Making your bed
A simple act that makes your room look nicer, and can make you feel a little more put together. Stopping to make your bed is a nice chance to focus on something else besides schoolwork for a minute, and once it’s made, you’re much less likely to get in it and take a nap when you know you have more studying to do.
Food Break
Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself while studying is to take a break to grab some food. For some, it’s easy when feeling overwhelmed by work and stress to not eat. Regular meals need to be a priority. It’s also not a bad idea to stock up on some healthy foods to keep in your room sometime before finals week, if you know you’re one of those people.
Room Maintenance
It gets harder to keep up with things like room maintenance as you get busier, but some things just need to be done. Taking out the trash, dusting, straightening up your desk, and lots of other small jobs only take about a minute or two, and it can be a nice chance to clear your head and walk around a little bit. It’ll also probably make your roommate(s) happy, which is a plus.
Organizing Desk Drawers
Taking a quick break to do something simple like organizing a drawer can be really cathartic when you’ve been studying for a while. It’s something simple that doesn’t require a lot of brain power, and many people find simple organizational tasks to be relaxing and grounding.
