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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Focus on your goals, and start acting now, creating a future you will never regret.
Top comments (0)