Quit Procrastinating!
Instead of correcting that stack of rough drafts, or doing my lesson plans, or updating my roll sheets, I decided I really need to do a blog post about New School Year's Resolutions. Suddenly, I discovered I have a tendency to procrastinate and then began scouring YouTube for procrastination videos. After a few Google searches and twenty minutes, I decided the following YouTube video is my favorite:
Then, I spent another twenty minutes Googling "procrastination strategies" and these two seemed like good ideas.
1. Get organized - make a list of what you have to do and prioritize it. I know when I feel overwhelmed by work if I figure out what I should get done first, then second, and third, it helps me feel a little less stressed and actually get something done. However, only do this once because listing can also be a great procrastinating technique.
2. Fear of failure leads to procrastination. Face it, everybody fails sometime. Just take the plunge and get it over with. I bet you'll do just fine.
Which got me thinking about how to avoid procrastinating when it comes to writing papers.
3. Putting off that paper because you don't know how to start. Start in the middle. Start with something you know you want to include, which leads me to . . .
4. Write essays in chunks. Instead of freaking out about the big picture, look at the component parts and start with those (especially the ones that you think will be easy). Starting easy usually leads to clarity on the harder bits.
5. Break your time into manageable chunks. Don't try to write that paper at one sitting. First of all, it will stink and secondly, as a procrastinator, you'll put it off. Write in twenty minute segments then . . .
6. Set aside time to procrastinate. Take a break. Give yourself ten to fifteen minutes to eat, walk your dog, and check your email.
7. While writing or studying, turn OFF your cell phone and make a promise not to check your Facebook page, twitter account, or email.
So students, don't follow my bad example, procrastinating will lead to headaches, sweating through stacks at the last minute, and an occasional mis-corrected quiz. Well, in your case an F on a test (Yes, that's bad).
What is your favorite form of procrastination? How would you resolve to get yourself ahead of the game? While "There's always tomorrow," that paper was due by noon today.
Then, I spent another twenty minutes Googling "procrastination strategies" and these two seemed like good ideas.
1. Get organized - make a list of what you have to do and prioritize it. I know when I feel overwhelmed by work if I figure out what I should get done first, then second, and third, it helps me feel a little less stressed and actually get something done. However, only do this once because listing can also be a great procrastinating technique.
2. Fear of failure leads to procrastination. Face it, everybody fails sometime. Just take the plunge and get it over with. I bet you'll do just fine.
Which got me thinking about how to avoid procrastinating when it comes to writing papers.
3. Putting off that paper because you don't know how to start. Start in the middle. Start with something you know you want to include, which leads me to . . .
4. Write essays in chunks. Instead of freaking out about the big picture, look at the component parts and start with those (especially the ones that you think will be easy). Starting easy usually leads to clarity on the harder bits.
5. Break your time into manageable chunks. Don't try to write that paper at one sitting. First of all, it will stink and secondly, as a procrastinator, you'll put it off. Write in twenty minute segments then . . .
6. Set aside time to procrastinate. Take a break. Give yourself ten to fifteen minutes to eat, walk your dog, and check your email.
7. While writing or studying, turn OFF your cell phone and make a promise not to check your Facebook page, twitter account, or email.
So students, don't follow my bad example, procrastinating will lead to headaches, sweating through stacks at the last minute, and an occasional mis-corrected quiz. Well, in your case an F on a test (Yes, that's bad).
What is your favorite form of procrastination? How would you resolve to get yourself ahead of the game? While "There's always tomorrow," that paper was due by noon today.
Reading this blog has given me more understanding of different strategies to stop procrastination. I sort of procrastinate mostly on essays; I just find it hard to compose! That is why I think the 4th strategy is going to be helpful to me. Like I said, I always get stuck at the beginning of writing and that just makes me frustrated! That's when I start getting angry.
ReplyDeleteAlso, one strategy I use to "try" not to procrastinate is to first start the assignments that I find easy to complete. After getting that done, I focus on the time consuming assignments... accordingly to the due date, of course.
I will try these different strategies and I hope they are worth it.
I have a huge procrastination problem, and it is really bad when I have multiple assignments due at once. There is just too many things to distract me, such as video games, texting the females, watching The Office, or even just napping. However this blog has shown me some easy and effective tools to help me. I probably will even go home and print this out so it can help me with this essay that is due soon.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this, i never want to procrastinate. This video is awful and I don't want to visualize this annoying girl in my head. This makes me just want to do my work and get all of it done. I know procrastinating is a bad habit and yes i've turned in assignments late due to my laziness. I will follow these guidelines to never procrastinate again because I don't want to get behind in any of my classes.
ReplyDeleteThis article and video makes me want to get organized and never procrastinate again. Getting my stuff done on time is not only smart but it will also leave me a lot of extra time to do stuff I actually want to do. I have always been a big procrastinator but this makes me want to try to change that.
ReplyDeleteReading this blog makes me want to stop rpcrastinating. Will I stop is the question?. With twitter and faceobook it is almost impossible to not get distracted while your bored out of your mind. I guess I will try the turnin your phone off technique.
ReplyDeleteI have known people who procrastinate way worse that I do, and I thought I was the biggest procrastinator! The most common form of procrastination I have is when I take a break from a tough assignment. The break is wayyy longer than I expect it to be because I would find myself surfing the internet especially when my computer is right in front of my desk. I think the best solution for me is to have a specific goal in mind to do bits and pieces of the assignment ahead of time. Then if that isn't working, I should write or read away from my computer desk.
ReplyDeleteI find this video really funny because I always procrastinate,Because of today's technology like iphones,mac books,and My faverite of all Youtube
ReplyDeleteQuit Procrastinating!
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video, I realized there are a lot of people who procrastinate on their assignments. However I have learned that the way to avoid it is by realizing the sooner you get it done, the sooner you won’t have to worry about it. I organize myself so that when I have papers due for example I sit down turn the TV off, with the lab top in front of me, and the internet off, and just start typing whatever comes to my mind. I know a lot of people also have trouble writing especially longer papers, however by free writing which consists of writing whatever comes to my mind at that moment about the topic, there wont be any kind of writers block. That’s the best suggestion I have that has helped me as well.
Procrastinating is a problem many students face day to day. wheather its not studying for a simple quiz or not writing a term paper. Procrastination leads to stress and failure. I believe every student has the capability to pass their classes, if they put in the time and effort. This blog brings to light some good strategies and tips to avoid procrastinating. For my next paper I am going to try turning off my phone and see if it helps. A big problem I have is getting side tracted on the internet, seeing that its just a few clicks away.
ReplyDeleteAs this blog pointed out, procrastination is a serious problem of many college students. I think as a college student, people should dealt with the assignments with a more mature attitude. I totally agree with the blog that you eventually have to face and solve the problems. Leaving it to the last minute would only make you feel more stressed when doing the assignments and thus not only earn you a bad grade, but you also learn nothing by rushing through it. So, why don't start to quit procrastination? why don't try to get your things organized and do it on planned time? "Work hard, Play hard" you will definitely feel easier.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to this blog. One of the biggest distractions that causes me to procrastinate is the Internet. Since most of my homework requires using the Web, it just makes it worse. Time seems to fly by when I'm on a social networking or online gaming site; when I look back at the clock two hours have passed by and I still haven't started on my homework. I think I could try the solutions that were listed to help me stop procrastination. For example, I could turn off my cell phone or sign off of Facebook. This way I don't get distracted and stressed out when I have to write a paper that's due at midnight and I only have an hour to finish it.
ReplyDeleteProcrastination is a student’s worst nightmare. It is the main reason as to why so many kids receive bad grades in classes. By reading this you might think that I am so perfect, well I am not I myself am a HUGE procrastinator and yeah all the steps on this post sound wonderful and completely do-able. But darn it is so hard to concentrate when the theme is soooooo booooring! yes,I understand not everything is not going to be fun and entertaining, but would it kill to be somewhat appealing? I have procrastinated tons of times and I always say I am not going to do it. But I always do! Not a pretty habit but ehhhh I will work on it. Mom taught me not to make promises I can't keep, so don't expect me to say that I will never do it again. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that I don't procrastinate (because I certainly do), but I've found ways to get around it at times. For example, whenever I write essays, I tend to do the same thing I do when I write my stories--I write parts that I want to write, starting with maybe the middle or the end and moving from there. It might seem strange to some people, but it helps because when I write those parts (the parts I'm actually interested in), it gets the "creative juices" flowing and I end up writing the rest of the essay with no problem.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this doesn't work with everything, especially subjects that I don't particularly do well in, like math. When I procrastinate (usually via Internet), I tend to do it consciously (as in, I know that I'm procrastinating and I know that it's bad, but I do it anyways). I end up having to force myself to do, which often results in rebelling. Against myself. It's really strange and something I definitely have to keep working on.
I usually don't have a procrastination problem but when it comes to huge loads of homework to do, I end up procrastinating. I usually find ways to get out of procrastination like sitting down and telling myself "I have to finish this before this time so that I can go do this". It helps most of the time. I also listen to music while I do homework because it works as motivation and gets me to stop thinking about all of the work I have to do.
ReplyDeleteThis video accuratly depics procrastination at its finest. This too happens to me but not as bad as the girl in the video has it. I think procrastination is a problem that has an affect on everyone. In order for me to avoid it I usually keep my mind set on a goal and follow it through until it's done.
ReplyDeleteAs a college student procrastination is probably my worst nightmare! Even though I try to start my assignments early, I usually end up becoming distracted (especially by the internet), that I end up doing most my assignments the day before it is due. For me, I always tell myself that I will get my assignment done, but that usually means that sometimes I have to stay up all night in order to finish it. Thanks to the internet I find myself staying up some nights just to finish a couple of homework assignments. For instance, last night I had to work on two easy Spanish assignments, but with the internet I ended up on Facebook for hours and started watching Youtube videos, that I did not even start my Spanish homework till two in the morning. Even though I try to tell myself that I won’t procrastinate I usually end up procrastinating! Now as a college student, I need to make a better schedule and try not to procrastinate. Whether it is starting early or not spending more time on the internet, hopefully I can finish my work way before it is due.
ReplyDeleteReading this has made me say the same thing I always tell myself, "I have to stop procrastinating." However, it usually doesn't work out that way. With school, jobs, school activities, keeping the house clean and "me time," most college students don't have the time for everything. So time management and changing study habits are the key to a college students success. I used to be a lot worse at managing my time in high school, but coming up to the Bay for college has forced me to shape-up and learn how to manage my time, considering the fact that I don't have my parents bugging me to do so. However, sometimes it seems impossible to not procrastinate, and that is where tips such as, turning off my cell phone, and maybe writing chunks of my papers at a time may help when I find myself in a position where I procrastinated a bit.
ReplyDelete