Starting is the Hardest Part

How to overcome the struggle with task initiation?

Hands down, the worst advice on every IB advice page is "don't procrastinate." No one wants to wait until the last minute to start an assignment, especially a big IB project like an IA. Sometimes, it's legitimately inevitable- you're so busy with sports, extracurriculars and other assignments that the soonest you can start something is two days before the deadline. But a lot of times, that assignment is staring you down and you're not doing anything. You're just paralyzed with dread or boredom or overwhelmed by the magnitude of work. How do we fix that?

Break Out of the Rut

Sometimes, all your brain needs is a change in routine. This can be as simple as going to a library or a cafe instead of studying in your house- productive environments can be very helpful motivators to some. Body doubling, or studying with a focused partner, can also be an effective change to the system, although it's important to be honest with yourself about who you're actually going to be productive with. Even writing with music in the background can be enough to establish a flow, and once you get started it's easier to keep going.

For some, though, the procrastination problems aren't rooted in their surroundings. I find that my task paralysis occurs most frequently when I'm muddled in different ideas or concepts that I can't figure out how to string together. To get out of that, I had to get creative. During a particularly rough period of my EE, I discovered that outlining sections on my mirror in Expo marker made things click much better (it wipes off, don't worry). I'm not sure if it was that I was doing something more stimulating than sitting at my computer or the ability to quickly loop arrows to ideas and draw things out that made this method work for me, but it broke me out of a pretty frustrating bout of writer's block. It worked again when I was struggling to structure one of my written film assessments, so I'd say its worth a try. Other ideas might be to do this with chalk on pavement or even just talking it out verbally to a friend or family member. Anything but staring at the blank page!

Even If It's the Worst Thing You've Ever Written, Keep Writing

Another thing that frequently holds me back from making progress on something is that what I'm producing at first sucks. Whether it's disorganized or lacking substance or even just that I'm having a hard time finding the right words, there's an icky feeling in my chest that makes me wanna toss my computer out a window. Obviously, don't do that.

The only cure to this that I've found is literally just to remind myself, over and over that you can't edit something that doesn't exist. The first draft isn't meant to be good, it's meant to provide a foundation to create something quality. Sometimes I start a new section and come back to whatever part is giving me trouble later. Writing down the idea I'm trying to communicate in very colloquial terms can help, too. Long story short, though, it can be excruciating to keep writing something you know is bad, but sometimes it's the only way to get to something good.

Skip the Formatting

Some people like to start a project formatting it perfectly because it's orderly and satisfying. Personally, I prefer to jump right into the content of the paper/project and deal with the formatting stuff later. For one, it's much easier to make a table of contents at 2 AM than write a body paragraph if it comes to it (and sometimes it does). Prioritizing the more mentally taxing aspects helps me to finish the project because it feels like coasting at the end. I also find that stopping to add section titles, citations or other formatting can interrupt my productivity flow. Obviously, it's important to go back and add those things later, although if things get really desperate, I'd rather turn in something messy with solid content than a well-formatted paper that's missing pieces.

Be Honest If Things Get Bad

Speaking of desperate, every now and then we all dig a procrastination hole so bad we can't escape unscathed. For me, this most often happens when I've put something off with the understanding that I have X amount of time to do it later, but something unexpected happens and that time disappears.

In my experience, it's usually better to be honest with your teachers about your role in the assignment not getting done, but make them aware of any contributing circumstances as well. Maybe you can pass off the dog eating your homework, but teachers are generally more inclined to reward honesty (remember, they're human too). For example, in early senior year, there was a chemistry test that I was horribly unprepared for, and I knew I didn't have time to study. Rather than playing sick to skip the test, I approached my teacher and asked if I could have an extra day extension on the test, and I received it. The students who just skipped the test did not receive the curve when they went to retake it.

This sort of appeal should be used sparingly- you cannot ask for an extension on every test or assignment. It's also not guaranteed to work all the time. You can't expect your teachers to be totally accommodating, especially depending on the magnitude of the assignment, but I've been surprised at how understanding my teachers have been in situations that are often at least partially my fault.

It's worth considering that personally, my Panic Monster emerges a few days before deadlines, although I know many people's wait until the night before. That can limit the effectiveness of some of the tips that have worked for me, but hopefully some of them work for you!