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1.7: Avoiding Procrastination

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    58216

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    Learning Objectives
    • Identify strategies to avoid procrastination

    Some would say that procrastination is the kiss of death, because it’s difficult to catch up once you’ve fallen behind. Do you have a problem with procrastination?

    Procrastination Checklist

    Do any of the following descriptions apply to you?

    • My paper is due in two days and I haven’t really started writing it yet.
    • I’ve had to pull an all-nighter to get an assignment done on time.
    • I’ve turned in an assignment late or asked for an extension when I really didn’t have a good excuse not to get it done on time.
    • I’ve worked right up to the minute an assignment was due.
    • I’ve underestimated how long a reading assignment would take and didn’t finish it in time for class.
    • I’ve relied on the Internet for information (like a summary of a concept or a book) because I didn’t finish the reading on time.

    If these sound like issues you’ve struggled with in the past, you might want to consider whether you have the tendency to procrastinate and how you want to deal with it in your future classes. You’re already spending a lot of time, energy, and money on the classes you’re taking—don’t let all of that go to waste!

    Watch It

    The following video explores three kinds of procrastinators: thrill-seekers, avoiders, and the indecisive. Knowing how your brain works to produce procrastination may help you nip it in the bud.

    A link to an interactive elements can be found at the bottom of this page.

    You can view the transcript for “Procrastination: I’ll Think of a Title Later” here (opens in new tab).

    Strategies to Combat Procrastination

    So, now you have some understanding of how and why certain strategies are effective for overcoming procrastination. So, 1) control your stimuli, 2) create good habits and plan efficiently, and 3) just get started on your task. Here are some other suggestions to trick your brain and avoid procrastination:

    1. Keep your studying “bite-sized.” When confronted with 150 pages of reading or 50 problems to solve, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed. Try breaking it down: What if you decide that you will read for 45 minutes or that you will solve 10 problems? That sounds much more manageable.
    2. Turn off your phone, close your chat windows, and block distracting Web sites. The best advice we’ve ever heard is to treat your studying as if you’re in a movie theater—just turn it off.
    3. Set up a reward system. If you read for 40 minutes, you can check your phone for 5 minutes. But keep in mind that reward-based systems only work if you stick to an honor system.
    4. Study in a place reserved for studying ONLY. Your bedroom may have too many distractions (or temptations, such as taking a nap), so it may be best to avoid it when you’re working on school assignments.
    5. Use checklists. Make your incremental accomplishments visible. Some people take great satisfaction and motivation from checking items off a to-do list. Be very specific when creating this list, and clearly describe each task one step at a time.

    Prioritizing

    Due dates are important. Set your short and long-term goals accordingly. Ask yourself the following:

    • What needs to get done today?
    • What needs to get done this week?
    • What needs to get done by the end the first month of the semester?
    • What needs to get done by the end the second month of the semester?
    • What needs to get done by the end of the semester?

    Your time is valuable. Treat it accordingly by getting the most you can out of it.

    Try IT

    https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/20201

    Contributors and Attributions

    CC licensed content, Original
    • Modification, adaptation, and original content. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
    • Procrastination: I'll Think of a Title Later. Provided by: BrainFacts.org. Located at: https://youtu.be/yKos1kCSBy8. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
    CC licensed content, Shared previously

    This page titled 1.7: Avoiding Procrastination is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lumen Learning via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.