How to: Start anything

As the halfway mark for the university year passes us by, it can become a very daunting time of realisation – this year is serious, these assignments are due so soon, and we never quite stuck to those New Year resolutions that we planned less than two months ago. But never fear! I have been in that boat one too many times since I’ve been at university – suddenly realising that your new hobby isn’t going to do itself, or that workout plan won’t magically happen whilst you’re sleeping, or even worse, that essay isn’t going to start itself! This article is going to help you figure out the best way for you to start anything.

When it comes to long-term goals and plans, it can be really difficult to try and stick to the things that you need to do for them because the end line seems unbelievably far away. Then we end up feeling demotivated, and it becomes really easy for us to just shut down and give up, brushing that under the carpet and never thinking of it again. If you find yourself struggling with this demotivation and find that you’re lacking a sense of achievement when you are working towards your goal, take a leaf out of parents’ and primary school teachers’ books and make yourself a reward system. Whether you go classic and make yourself a sticker chart, or you prefer a checklist that you can cross out as you complete it, find a way to set out milestones along your journey towards the end goal, and it will help you stay motivated to finish your tasks and achieve that goal! An even better motivator would be to assign certain milestones a reward, too, so that when you do reach the halfway point, you’ll be able to treat yourself for making it that far!

If there is a new hobby that you’re trying to pick up or a new routine that you want to stick to, consistency is key. It’s easy to have a really good week of regular activity but when you suddenly have one off day, every day following it seems to become an off day

That being said, it isn’t just scarily long-term goals that we need help motivating ourselves to do – sometimes even the most trivial, menial tasks can feel like moving the Earth when we don’t want to do them (I don’t know how many times I’ve procrastinated hoovering!). When it comes to such a short, seemingly easy task, attempting to plan out milestones and pitstops of the goal just make everything a lot more complex than it needs to be – though, the rewarding system works equally as well with these smaller everyday tasks. Next time you find yourself needing to tackle an ever-growing list of household chores, set a mini goal for yourself to complete a certain amount of them before you are allowed to scroll on social media or watch the next episode of that new TV show. It may seem ridiculous at first, but being strict with yourself and motivating yourself through treats and rewards will help you to stop procrastinating in the future without having to rely on that system.

If there is a new hobby that you’re trying to pick up or a new routine that you want to stick to, consistency is key. It’s easy to have a really good week of regular activity but when you suddenly have one off day, every day following it seems to become an off day. Finding the strength to push through an off day like just doing a condensed version of your workout or reading a few pages of that new book rather than a whole chapter will make a world of difference when it comes to sticking to habits. Something that has been a great help personally was investing in a bullet journal (and there are pre-made ones if you don’t feel that creative or do not have the time for that), where you can track your habits and visually see whether there is a pattern on the days that you are able to stick to it – plus it has the added benefit of making a very pretty page!

Next time you find yourself struggling to start something, have a little try of one of these techniques and see which one works the best for you – whichever method helps you beat procrastination, no matter how odd or lengthy it may be, it is an essential thing to work out during your time at university.