Everyone has been in the situation where he/she has important tasks, whether it be schoolwork, exercise, a deadline to meet or unfulfilled promises, that are left to the absolute last minute. Following the peaceful period of procrastination, there is stress and mediocre or halfhearted work. In 2016, StudyMode, a website that offers study tools and tips, surveyed the procrastination of high school and college students. They discovered the top three activities students among both groups do instead of schoolwork: watching TV or movies, using social media, and sleeping. Here are three ways to motivate yourself to be more productive this year.

Have a “punishment” or “reward” for yourself. A great way to motivate yourself is to have light at the end of the tunnel. This can include buying yourself something you want at the end of the semester if your bump your grades up. Having a treat to look forward to takes stress out of school and studying. Having punishments for yourself are another way to motivate yourself, although they are more negative. The second semester of my freshman year, my parents told me if I didn’t bump all my grades one letter grade, they would take back my concert tickets to my favorite band. I got straight A’s that semester.

Have a “studying is my aesthetic” mindset. In short, make studying fun. The word “studying” itself has a negative connotation. Personally, changing study habits by creating “mind-maps”, color-coding, and decorating my notes transforms the glum atmosphere of studying. Check out the “studyblr” tag and community on Tumblr, a blogging social network, to find blogs with links to online resources to any subject, printable note layouts and calendars, and general study tips. Recommended blogs: theorganizedstudent, elkstudies, and getstudyblr.

Have a (realistic) end goal for yourself. Although you should always try hard in everything you do, realize you can only do your best. For example increasing your grade two letters is doable; however, it may bring you more pressure and stress. A recent study by NYU found nearly half of high school students are chronically stressed.  It’s OK to not reach your goals at times, the most important concept you should know is how to learn from and accept your mistakes.