How To Stop Procrastinating (As Told By A Master Procrastinator)

The ugly P word… procrastination. Something that causes all students stress, yet they continue to perpetuate the cycle.

You know the cycle I’m talking about. You get an assignment that stresses you out or you don’t know where to start, you put it off because it’s stressing you out, putting it off starts stressing you out, and eventually you have created a monster that you have to face in an all-night caffeine fueled battle. Take it from me, the person who didn’t sleep for four days straight and wrote her senior thesis the day it was due, procrastination will ruin your life if you let it.

The struggle is real my friends! But why keep letting responsibilities turn into an unavoidable all-night crisis? It’s time to take your procrastination issue a little more seriously. Which is why I’m here to give you strategies that actually work!

 

Treat Yo Self!

This has proven to be my most effective strategy by far. Need to get something done? Make yourself an offer you can’t refuse. If you finish that paper you get to order take out. If you start your assignment due Monday you can go out this weekend.

Giving yourself an award will give you a light at the end of the tunnel and help you power through. Plus, it lets you indulge yourself a little which is never a bad thing.

Five More Minutes

Anytime that you are completing an assignment or responsibility and you feel like calling it a night just get yourself to do five more minutes of work. More times than not you will hit a second wave and get 10-20 more minutes of work done. This tip is especially helpful when you are at the end of a project and are loosing steam.

Chop It Up!

Divide and conquer really applies here! Force yourself to divide up projects and do one part a day for three or four days. You will find that projects feel like they get done a lot faster and with more ease. When I write papers I spend one day on the intro, one day on each supporting paragraph and one day on the conclusion. Bonus! Once you start it can be hard to stop and you can surprise yourself by finishing an entire project in one sitting.

Make It The First Thing On Your To-Do List

If there is an important task or assignment you have been putting off you have to make it a priority! Put it in your calendar, set reminders, list it as #1 on your to-do list! Force yourself to do it!

Extreme procrastination is rooted in fear. You are afraid of failing, afraid of committing to something big, afraid of loosing the time it will take to complete the task, ect. Whatever it is you’re putting off it is causing you anxiety and putting it off longer will only make it worse.

Get Help

I get by with a little help from my friends. Find something that helps you be more productive. It could be a friend who helps give you reminders, a wall calendar or an app that helps you stay organized. Personally, I like the app myHomework.

“myHomework is a time-management app designed specifically for students, from high school to graduate. On the surface, it seems like a scheduling app, but it’s much more. myHomeworkintegrates homework, classes, and personal calendar information, but it also helps work out timelines for projects, gives reminders and warnings, and integrates teacher information (through Teachers.io). The app helps students with not only time management but also stress management. The app has a lot of directly relevant features and hardly any irrelevant or unnecessary features.” -Pablo N.

Do Something To Make You Feel Accomplished

Set a “low ball” goal that is easy and fast to complete. Once you get this out of the way you will start to feel more productive and that “I don’t feel like it” or “I can’t” feeling will dwindle.

Now get to work! Because chances are you were reading this to procrastinate.

 

 

 

 

How To Prevent Burnout

Burnout: Noun. physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.

Burnout symptoms include: chronic stress, physical and emotional exhaustion, dissociation, detachment, feeling ineffective, feeling unaccomplished, and physical illness.

People who are burned out or on the edge of a burnout usually skip meals, don’t sleep for days at a time, neglect family and friendships, and stop taking care of the physical space that surrounds them. Sounds like every college and graduate student I know!

These dangerous and unhealthy habits can be detrimental to your health, relationships, and school experience. Avoiding a burnout while still staying on top of everything can be hard, but it isn’t impossible.

 

Practice saying no

Boundaries are essential to maintaining a balanced life. Learn to say no to plans or additional work. Even if you really want to go out this weekend, but you haven’t slept for more than 5 hours this past week you should probably say no. You can’t have fun if you’re falling apart.

Decide where your boundaries are and start drawing them right now. You don’t have to say no to everything or forever, but do so until you feel re-energized.

Make A Schedule

Plan your week out every Sunday. Include time for school, work, studying, fun, and self care!

Prioritize your tasks accordingly and don’t plan more than you can do in one week. While I was in college I was guilty of scheduling overlapping events for myself, DON’T DO THIS! Less is more. Give yourself time to rest and recover after every activity.

Make Time For Yourself

Set aside one day a week for yourself. You can do anything you want with this day as long as it does not stress you out. If you can’t afford to take a full day take at least a half day, the evenings after work are not enough.

Change It Up

Changing your work environment can dramatically change how you feel. Sitting at the same desk, staring at the same screen all day can become boring and burn you out faster.  A simple change of scenery can increase your productivity and decrease your risk of burning out.

Practice Self Care

I know, I know, its hard. Taking care of yourself doesn’t always fit into your busy schedule but it will come back to bite you fast! You absolutely have to make self care a part of your daily life.

Make sure you are getting 7-8 hours of sleep, eating 3 meals (and two snacks) a day, moving, reading material that does not relate to school, and watching your favorite shows for fun, not to put off doing your assignments.

Focus On The Big Picture

Obsessing about the little things (like every little paper you ever get assigned) will make you crazy! Looking at where you want to go and focusing more on the big picture can help you gain some perspective and help you take things a little less seriously.

Letting go a little is good for you.

Know Yourself

It is absolutely vital that you know where your breaking point is. The worst thing you can do is detach yourself and enter into scary mental health territory without realizing it. It’s much easier to stop while you’re ahead than it is to pull yourself back.

Night Owl or Early Bird?

Figure out what times are best for you to get the most done. If you work on your assignments late at night do you start to fall asleep? You should probably start getting up early and writing your papers then.

I personally know that I get more done between four and six AM. Yes this means I have to get up earlier, but I get my work done faster and I don’t have to walk around during the day with the weight of my assignments haunting me.

 

Now get out there and kick some a$$!

 

How To Save Money In College & Grad School

As a guilty shopaholic, foodie and social butterfly I know saving money while in school can be tough. Temptations wrestle with responsibilities and you find yourself asking how your entire paycheck disappeared in less than a week. Work on developing these helpful habits and you will be pleased to find a little bump in your bank account.

Student Discount!

If you’ve got it, flaunt it! The few months between college and grad school when I didn’t have a student discount were dark times my friends, dark times! Your student discount is your golden ticket to savings. Many popular retail stores, service providers and even some restaurants offer student discounts. The one catch, you have to ask. Most places won’t tell you upfront that they offer a discount, but if you ask, nine times out of ten you will find that they do. Here is a great list of places that offer student discounts.

Free Trials

Take advantage of the free trials that are only offered to students! Amazon offers a six-month free trial of prime to students. Kindle Unlimited offers a 30-day free trial. Absolutely take advantage of these, just be sure to cancel these before the trial is over to avoid being charged.

Use Coupons and Rewards

Seriously, these will save you hundreds of dollars if you do it right! I recommend using both paper and virtual coupons. I use Ibotta to find coupons at the stores I frequent.

Do you go to the same coffee shop every week? Buy all your groceries at Target? Sign up for the rewards program! My personal favorite is the Target Red Card, 5% on every purchase really adds up, plus! You can get the Red Card as a debit card so you don’t have to worry about your credit.

Thrifting

Yes, this does require a little extra work when it comes to digging through the bins, but you can score some majorly awesome stuff at places like Goodwill or ARC. Last week I found a $400 Adrianna Papell gown for just $10 at my local Goodwill! It is also a great place to find homeware, furniture (just stay away from the mattresses), and general supplies.

Second Hand & Consignment

So you’re not down to do the Goodwill dig? Thats fine! Use app’s like Poshmark, Threadup, and Vinted to buy and sell gently used second hand clothes. These sites are great because you can find high-end clothing and jewelry for a fraction of the retail cost. Clean out your closet once and month and list everything you’re getting rid of on one of those sites to earn some extra cash.

Online Surveys

There are tons of sites out there that are willing to pay you just to take surveys for them! It only takes about 5-10 minutes and voila! You have some extra weekly cash. Check this out for some ideas.

Free Events 

Every school has tons of events going on every day. Swing by, stay a little while and then steal some food! When I was in college I started carrying an empty mason jar so that when I stumbled upon those events I could fully optimize the free food situation.

Don’t Go Out

So you want to hang out with your friends? How about you make dinner at home instead of going out. You can feed up to four people with box of pasta and a can of sauce for $5, so why go out and spend $30 on dinner and drinks?

Happy Hour

So you absolutely have to go out? At least make plans to meet up during happy hour so you can be a little nicer to your wallet.

Shop Smarter, Not Harder

Think ahead. Have a friends birthday or the holidays coming up? Buy a gift a month or more in advance so you have time to look for the lowest price.

Use sites like dhgate, AliExpress or other wholesale sites to get great deals!

 

Happy Savings!

7 Wardrobe Staples Every Grad Girl Needs

Being in grad school is the real-world equivalent to living in limbo. You’re stuck in that stage between “I’m still in college” and “oh Sh!t, I’m a real adult with a career”. This limbo period can be hard for so many reasons, including knowing what to wear. You want to present yourself as an up and coming professional, but you don’t want to slip on the power suit and pumps everyday. Nailing the academically chic look can feel daunting, but it’s actually quite easy if you have a couple wardrobe essentials.

Knowing where to start can be a challenge, but thats why I’m here! With these seven basic grad-school fashion staples you are guaranteed to be off to the right start!

1. Casual Blazer

 

Source: theaugustdiaries.com

Every grad girl needs a blazer! I dug my heels in when it came to growing up and buying a blazer thinking it would make me look old and un-styled, but if you find the right casual blazer its the perfect piece for presentations and interviews.

2. Cardigans

Source: anthropology.com

These babies are magical! They can take any casual look to a professional and polished level. Pair them with dress pants for a business casual look, or jeans for a put together everyday outfit. Plus! They are great for those over air-conditioned lecture halls!

3. LBD

Source: legosinmylouis.com

Oh the classic LBD, how we adore you! Every grad girl, nay! Every woman, needs a great LBD that can effortlessly transform from a classic professional staple to a happy hour/ date night outfit.

4. Black Flats

Source: therollinj.com

A pair of comfortable black flats are an absolute must. They can be dressed up or dressed down and are great for long distance walking (or rather cross-campus sprinting).

5. A strand of pearls

Source: kieljamespatrick.tumblr.com

I know what you’re thinking, pearls? This is supposed to be a blog for people on a shoestring budget! Fret not, an inexpensive faux pearl necklace is easy to find. Like this one here. Pearls are great for taking any outfit from drab to fab! A simple strand can dress up any blouse, dress, or even T-shirt!

6. High Waisted Skirt

Source: fenzyme.com

Whether flare, pencil or midi a high wasted skirt always looks professional, but can still be fun. But be advised to be careful experimenting with short hemlines in interviews and work settings, don’t get me wrong I’m all about the short skater skirt look, just know your audience.

7. A Collared Shirt

Source: glamradar.com

Collared shirts are my favorite staple. They can be worn on their own with a pencil skirt to an interview, or tucked under a cozy sweater on those brutal winter days when you have to run across campus and brave the snow.

 

Bonus!

8. Confidence!!!

The key to really really looking like you’ve got your sh!t together; fake it ’til you make it! If you believe in yourself and show this to your peers and instructors it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, only what you’re thinking!

And remember,

“you can never be overdressed or overeducated.”

-Oscar Wilde