Overcoming Procrastination in Your PA School Application
Despite knowing the consequences of procrastination, numerous American adults still hold off doing important tasks. For instance Solving Procrastination revealed that 15-20% of adults chronically give in to the temptation of procrastination. Most individuals do so because of how they feel about their assigned task, their perception of rewards and consequences, and/or their low confidence levels. Unfortunately, a SymptomFind post on procrastination claims that it is a health risk that can manifest through anxiety, depression, and eating disorders over time. Moreover, procrastination can lead to high levels of stress and even negative impacts on your physical health.
As an aspiring physician assistant (PA), you may experience negative health outcomes and even lose your chance to realize your dream if you succumb to procrastination. Though PA school applications may seem like an overwhelming and lengthy process, you can accomplish it through these productivity tips:
Establish a timeline for your preparation process
If you want to combat procrastination and ace your application, you need to establish a timeline for your activities. Creating a clear timeline allows you to space out your tasks so you don’t get overwhelmed. Moreover, your timeline can help you streamline the process, allowing you to send in your application earlier. This is considered a competitive edge, according to our founder, Brian Palm, PA-C. You have more chances of securing a seat if you are one of the first applicants to be evaluated. So, create a realistic timeline that will enable you to submit everything early.
Break down your goals into smaller tasks
Once you’ve mapped out your timeline, you need to break down each step into smaller tasks. This makes the process less overwhelming since tasks are divided into concrete actions. To illustrate, our article on Online Physician Assistant Programs points out that the admission requirements consist of prerequisite courses, necessary experience, paperwork, and interviews. Since these can seem like a lot to accomplish, you can break each task down into smaller deliverables. For example, with interviews, you’ll want to do the following: look into potential questions, research good answers, and rehearse for the interview beforehand.
Avoid distractions in your workspace
Though creating a timeline and managing your tasks may help in your application process, you may still fall into the trap of procrastination because of the distractions around you. The Conversation states that distractions in your environment can affect your ability to concentrate. And the biggest culprit is media, which can come in the form of music, social media, or even text messaging. But you can avoid these pitfalls by taking breaks, where you’re free to browse through whatever media you want. You can also install app blockers so that you refrain from accessing social media apps or irrelevant websites as you work on your PA school application.
Reward yourself for every accomplishment
PA school applications are indeed a lengthy and overwhelming process, so don’t forget to reward yourself after achieving a milestone. As previously stated, many people procrastinate due to their perception of rewards and consequences. Since people think that they won’t get rewarded anytime soon, they resort to delaying important tasks. However, you can turn this tendency into a motivator by rewarding yourself for every significant step in your PA school application process. For instance, getting a high GRE score or passing the interviews is a great feat, so you can celebrate by treating yourself. Alternatively, you can simply rest after having accomplished a lot of good work.
PA school application is no easy feat, which is why many applicants end up procrastinating. However, procrastination is a trap that can negatively affect your chances of entering PA school as well as your mental and physical health. To avoid this, create a timeline, break down the tasks, avoid distractions, and reward yourself afterward.
Written by Lily Audrey C.
Exclusive for myparesource.com
