My Fight with Procrastination
Tags: beginners, productivity
Published: 2021-01-11 02:04:18

After the beginning of my Phase 1 Project week I was so excited to start coding. I was full of motivation and energy. But as soon as I hit the first serious bug that I couldn’t fix my desire to code started to fade away…and soon enough I’ve started to procrastinate. 

In this post I will share the **tricks I used to make myself work on the project and code**.

First of all, **procrastination**, in psychology, means a person's tendency to constantly put things off for later. In a mild form, it does not harm and is even considered normal, but as soon as procrastination worsens, it begins to harm (which was my case).

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/mt7usocmcc32qwtutp4r.jpg)

Most important part was to realize that I’ve actually started to procrastinate. I tried to avoid my laptop, Slack app, and even felt like avoiding my instructors. But when I understood that the deadline is close and I haven’t achieved anything, I started to move. Thus, I highly recommend **paying attention to what you do when you have a problem with code**.

After starting to code, I still couldn’t make myself to concentrate and actually code the project. It is then I started to think about motivation. I remembered all the reasons why this project is important for me and where it will take me. **If work for you is a tool to achieve your goal, remember this more often**.

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/mkcpb57oubojr6rctqin.jpg)

My motivation gave me a kick start, but it didn’t last for long because the bugs were all over me. I’ve started to self-deprecate and scold. And my mom, who knows nothing about coding asked me to show her what I had done. After I’ve done so, she started to praise what I’ve done already. It is then, I realized that even though I have gaps, there is still a lot of “gain”.  So, I felt superior. It is very important to **never scold yourself, but rather praise yourself for what you’ve already done**. You may even get yourself a gift or something.

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/kx7c04xwl9u4lm9vaykp.gif)

While coding, I noticed that large amount of my time is consumed by social media. I love Instagram and funny memes, but they distracted me so much. So, I’ve turned off everything. **IT DIDN’T WORK!** I became obsessed with feeling that I’ve missed some important message, post or email and lost my concentration at all. What helped me is using social media as a reward for myself. After an hour of working on project, I gave myself 5 minutes break to scroll the Instagram. Better than nothing… So, **don't try to fight the social media as your enemy. Better learn to reward yourself with it.**

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/5yyhhpbj7efczv5dqjsn.jpg)

A week after, I have finished my project and submitted it! The feeling of joy almost made me think I am superior. I will be using all those simple small methods in my future coming studies and projects. 

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/x6x01ldbclqjai0yrqx2.gif)


**Focus on your goals, and start acting now, creating a future you will never regret.**