The Guide to Beating Procrastination on Neopets

Step 1: Set Realistic Goals

Setting goals is a great way to motivate yourself, thus beating procrastination. Achieving goals leaves you with such a sense of accomplishment that it has a snowball effect of making you want to do more and complete even more goals. When choosing your goals, it is crucial to be realistic. Take into account how often you are on Neopets and how much time you can typically spend on Neopets each time you log in. If you know that you are free of most real life commitments during a given week, you can challenge yourself to more time-consuming goals. This may be spending two hours each day playing Neo Quest, feeding 3 kads each day, or playing Key Quest ten times each day. However, never forget to take into account that you do have a life outside of Neopets. No matter how much free time you have, you are never going to spend every minute on Neopets. If you know that you have a busy week and may only have half an hour to be on Neopets each day, choose goals that are quick and easy to achieve yet still leave you feeling like you have accomplished something. This could be something such as training your pet, reading your pet some books, adding some stamps to your album, or playing a certain game five times a day in an effort to work towards improving your score and eventually getting that avatar you have always wanted.

Step 2: Reward Yourself

Everyone loves receiving recognition and rewards for their hard work, so why not treat yourself when you have accomplished a big goal? Chances are there is something you have been wanting on Neopets, such as that gorgeous new wearable or an item that would be absolutely perfect for your gallery. You go to buy that item and realize how expensive it is. Yikes! There is no way you are going to drop such a large amount of your hard-earned neopoints on one item, no matter how much you want it. Why not use that item as an incentive to motivate yourself to work on achieving one of your goals instead? For example, maybe you struggle to make yourself play Neo Quest or feed kads on a regular basis. If you decide that once you beat Neo Quest or earn the kad avatar, you can buy yourself that item, you have found a new source of motivation to continue to work on those things. Maybe you even put a picture of that item on your user lookup, on a page where you track your progress for that goal, or even make it the background your computer. It is right there, constantly reminding you of how much you want it and what you need to do to get it. In no time, you will have not only achieved a big goal but also gotten an item you have wanted for a long time. Alternatively, if you do not have the funds to get yourself an expensive item on Neopets or if you need an extra push of motivation, this strategy would work with a real life item as a reward. You can treat yourself to an item you have been wanting or even a nice dessert that you normally might not splurge on. Either way, it's a win-win!

Step 3: Know Your Limits

It is all too easy to come out swinging when you get excited about a new goal. You spend all of your time on Neopets working on this one goal. At first, it works like a dream. You are getting so much done that you know you will accomplish this goal in no time at all. Then it happens, and it hits you like a break wall; you are burned out. You didn't just slow down, you completely stopped working towards your goal. Every time you think of that goal, you let out a sigh and a groan. You may even avoid Neopets altogether for a few days just because you can't log in to Neopets without feeling like you have to work on it, which you just do not have the desire to do at all right now. It is so important to know your limits before you ever begin working on a new goal. If you realize ahead of time that it is going to be tedious and time-consuming, pace yourself. Even if you could work on it for ten hours that day, don't let yourself do it. Instead, limit yourself to two hours that day and then do something you really enjoy for the rest of that time (chat with your neofriends, play games, etc.) The next time you log in, do the same. Remember, it's a marathon not a sprint. It is more effective to continue to work on your goal frequently than it is to spend a huge amount of time working on it once, get burned out, and then not touch it again for months. Knowing your limits will help you achieve your goal faster and help to make it a more enjoyable journey.

Now that you have the tools you need to help you beat procrastination on Neopets - set realistic goals, reward yourself, and know your limits - the rest is up to you. I strongly encourage you to give these tips a try right away. Start small and work your way up to achieving your ultimate goals, ones you may even think are impossible at this point. If you stick with it, you will start achieving your goals in no time.