Be a Goal Getter

You have a huge test coming up in three months. It’s hard to feel motivated to study when your deadline is so far away it might as well not exist. Plus, you worry that if you start studying now, you’ll have forgotten everything by test day. 

GET THAT GOAL: Guess what? You’re not wrong. It actually is possible to have too much time. Intentionally postponing your task to give yourself the motivation of an approaching deadline can be a smart strategy. It’s called active procrastination. But that doesn't mean you should blow off studying until the week before the test. What if you get sick, and you run out of time? To make too much time feel like just enough, create your own deadlines. Break up your studying into weekly goals. Put these dates on the calendar and stick to them. And don’t forget to reward yourself whenever you meet a deadline! 

Hooray! Your parents agreed to let you take guitar lessons, and you can’t wait for musical superstardom. Problem is, you can’t even strum a chord. You really do want to learn, but every time you pick up the guitar, you get discouraged by how far you have to go before you sound like a pro. Anything less than perfection feels like a failure.

GET THAT GOAL: Sometimes we get so worried about doing something exactly right, it seems safer to do nothing at all. To avoid this trap, start by being realistic about your goal. It’s unrealistic to expect to sound like Ed Sheeran after a few lessons. Instead, aim to master basic chords, or get a handle on the first few bars of a simple song you like. If you’re still feeling bogged down by perfectionism, try practicing for just five minutes a day. Knowing that you only have to do something for a short amount of time can give you the courage to start, which we all know is the hardest part! 

Your room’s a mess. Your parents have been on your case about it for a while, and you know they’re right. But every time you start to clean, you get bored and lose steam. There are so many other fun things you’d much rather be doing. 

GET THAT GOAL: It’s OK to acknowledge that cleaning isn’t fun. It’s literally a chore! But even chores can be a little bit fun, if you approach them creatively. Try breaking your goal of a clean room into smaller tasks, like making your bed, picking up clothes from the floor, and taking dirty dishes to the kitchen. Incentivize yourself with small rewards for each completed mini-task, like a snack or a five-minute dance break. Another idea? Make cleaning your room into a game. Set a timer for 20 or 30 minutes and try to beat the buzzer. Or ask your parents to get in on the act: Maybe you can “win” pizza for dinner if your room is spotless by 6 p.m. 

You sit down to do your homework, but your phone keeps buzzing. First, it’s your friends’ texts about weekend plans. Next, your boyfriend wants help with his chem quiz. And then your mom asks you to babysit your brother. Suddenly it’s late, you’re exhausted, and you still have a ton of work left. 

GET THAT GOAL: If you’re in the habit of putting other people first, it can be easy to procrastinate your own tasks. To avoid this, let friends and family know that you’ve got a lot to do, and you’ll be available to help them when you’re done. They’ll understand—they want you to accomplish your goals too! Plus, when you share your plans with people you care about, you have extra motivation to finish your tasks.