Complex assignments are quite challenging on their own; however, they come with obstacles that can make completing them even more difficult. These obstacles include procrastination, tunnel vision, or low motivation. This can lead to wasted time as your thought process stalls, resulting in procrastination. Or you could focus too much on the tough assignment and let other tasks accumulate. Then you will either spend a long time working through the accumulated tasks or miss due dates because of one difficult assignment. However, you can avoid these and other problems associated with difficult assignments with the tips shared here.
1. Procrastination
One challenge you may run into with difficult assignments is procrastination. This can occur when you burn yourself out thinking about a challenging assignment or hesitate to begin because you fear it won’t be perfect. Striving to avoid flaws in your work is important to your success, but it can also make you feel overwhelmed and anxious. These feelings can cause you to lose some of your drive to keep working on assignments, leading to procrastination. Giving yourself some time away from the source of stress might be helpful in the short term, but that could also lead to wasted time. Others may just delay completing the assignment until very close to the due date, resulting in either failure or exhaustion.
Fortunately, there are ways to avoid procrastination on a difficult task. You could make the complex assignments more manageable by breaking them into smaller steps. Then you can focus on completing the simpler steps before the difficult ones. You can also improve your planning by setting concrete goals for yourself. For example, aim to complete at least three steps in an assignment each day until completion. Monitoring your daily progress will make you feel less overwhelmed and more motivated to continue. Another strategy is to recognize when you are the most productive so that you can plan around those times for task completion. For instance, if you are most productive late at night or early in the morning, you can schedule time to work on your most challenging assignments during that time. Procrastination can be a big obstacle to complex assignments, but if you plan accordingly, you will have an easier time.
2. Tunnel Vision
Attempting to tackle a rough assignment can cause what is known as “tunnel vision.” This usually occurs when you are stressed, which dulls your situational awareness. With tunnel vision, you are hyper-focused on a task and may miss obvious answers that could solve your problem. You could also focus so much on one difficult assignment that you let many other tasks accumulate. This creates even greater challenges, as you must invest more time and energy to catch up on tasks.
Additionally, tunnel vision on an assignment may cause you to ignore your well-being, leading to a reduction in health. As a result, you could suffer from a lack of sleep, headaches, weight loss, or stomach problems. You may also neglect certain developmental needs, such as spending time with loved ones or pursuing hobbies you enjoy. These things are important to a healthy, balanced life, so they should be prioritized even as you face challenges.
Tunnel vision can cause many problems, but you do not have to be trapped by it. Start by asking others to help hold you accountable for your actions and goals. This can be accomplished by sharing deadlines with your friends. When the due date is close, you know they are aware of it; therefore, you will be more determined to complete the assignment to avoid their nagging. You could also look to your mentor or tutor to hold you accountable and keep you on track. You can schedule regular check-ins to discuss actions taken to complete difficult tasks.
Another way to prevent tunnel vision is to expand your perspective by reading at least one book monthly and learning about others’ experiences. Learning how others overcome challenges can build your resilience and arm you with useful strategies for minimizing stress and avoiding tunnel vision. A narrow vision can make your studies difficult, but your horizons will widen if you remember your options and resources.
3. Experiencing Low Motivation
Another problem you may encounter when tackling difficult assignments is low motivation. It is easy to feel hopeless when facing a daunting challenge. That feeling can create a lack of motivation, which may carry over to your future work. You may also experience a decrease in motivation if you are not interested in the subject or are overly worried about failing.
These causes can be troubling. However, they can be offset if you plan and consider certain factors, such as the satisfaction of completing important tasks. Focusing on the sense of accomplishment you will feel when the task is completed can push you through challenging times. Furthermore, relating your current work to your goals can keep you motivated. If you understand that each complicated assignment brings you closer to your dream career, it seems more worth it. You could also set milestones for each assignment on your task list so that you can track your progress toward completion.
Additionally, you can make a plan to reward your progression by completing a set of tasks each day. A good example would be once you complete the outline for a paper, you can reward yourself with an hour of relaxation. You can also motivate yourself by having a growth mindset. Instead of seeing assignments as intimidating obstacles, you welcome them as chances to show your skills in a subject. You can also compete with your friends in a class by making a bet to see who gets the best grade on the latest assignment. Low motivation can be troubling when facing a tough assignment, but if you find ways to push yourself forward, you can take on the challenge.
4. Learning when to ask for help
Another obstacle you may encounter while working on a tough assignment is not knowing when to ask for help. This can occur because you overestimate your abilities. That is, you may know the basic concept of the subject you are studying but soon realize that you lack a deeper fundamental understanding. Thus you might spend more time than you anticipated on an assignment before you think of asking for help. Or maybe you do not ask for help because you are embarrassed, uncomfortable, or do not want to seem dumb. Remember that talking to your teacher to clarify key points shows your dedication to learning, which is a positive trait to be proud of.
To avoid the mistake of not asking for help when needed, start by understanding what resources are available to you. Your syllabus, textbook, online resources, and peers are all great places to turn to for help. Furthermore, your instructors usually have office hours, so you can schedule an appointment to get assistance as needed. You can also form a study group to help you all understand the material better. Or you can hire an expert to tutor you in the subject. WorldWise Tutoring has amazing tutors for all subjects!
Conclusion
You may encounter many difficult assignments when working on challenging assignments. However, you can always form a strategy to work around them. To curb your procrastination, be more organized with your schedule and operate at times when you are the most productive. Avoid tunnel vision by sharing deadlines with your friends and holding yourself accountable. Motivate yourself with rewards for making progress and completing tasks. Lastly, do not be afraid to ask your peers and instructors for help when faced with a tough assignment. You can also come to WorldWise Tutoring if you need help! Our expert educators can help with any challenging subject, assignment, or test. Hire a tutor today!
Written by Xavien Timoll
