Step 1: Eat an Elephant
You need time to digest, or you’re going to make yourself sick. Organise your project into manageable segments and reward yourself for each small achievement. This will motivate you to keep going. Think about what needs to be done and make a detailed to-do list with the things you will do hour by hour – and make it specific. By breaking down the big project into smaller tasks, the elephant will become a lot less daunting.
Step 2: Pick off the Goblins
The hardest part of any project is always the start. A good way to get around this is to start the project with the easiest task. When you do something that you like doing, your brain releases dopamine which makes you happy. That’s why it’s good to start with the most enjoyable task, so you get inspired and keep up the tempo for the harder ones.
Step 3: Ignore the Siren’s Song
This step is similar to the concept of the famous epic poem The Odyssey. In the book, the protagonist Ulysses is trying to get home, but this requires navigating a strait where sailors are often lured onto the rocks by creatures called sirens. Ulysses doesn’t give up, but instead instructs his crew to tie him to the mast of a ship and to plug their ears. So, no matter how much he screams to them to head towards the beautiful sirens, they keep on track. Well, it’s not necessary for you to tie yourself to anything, but you should definitely clear away any distractions that could encourage procrastination. For instance, if you tend to go on Facebook a lot, tell your parents or roommates to change your internet password. The fewer temptations you are faced with, the better you’ll be at acing your exam.
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