Procrastination and getting out of it

[Crazyjayde]

Well I'm doing it right now, and I have had seriously big issues in the past with keeping myself up to date, or even early with the works I've got to hand out. Now it's not a big deal as of right now, since I'm in the beginning of the new school term but I know it's gonna be one since I'm a very slow paced and meticulous worker. I often (always) do all-nighters.

I'm taking this seriously now, since my finals projects are in this session and I don't want this issue to continue through university. So I'd like to know some advices as to what helps you guys go through procrastination, or at least some input if you're having the same problem as me.

Basically = support group.

[cedolad]

Do you keep a daily planner? If you don't, get one. Write down all of your homework in it, and just do it before you start doing anything else.

If all else fails, have a daily alarm for yourself about 15 minutes after you get home as a reminder. That's what I did.

[andy-o24]

There was another thread about this. Let me see if I can dig it up.

Edit: Couldn't find it. Turns out it was about planning and not procrastinating. Still don't know what thread it was, though.

-o24

[JohnRedWolf87]

Even after college, the habit of procrastination has never left. If you can't kick the habit, it at least helps to know your limits. Figure out how long you can procrastinate without having to work frantically against the clock when you finally start on whatever you have to do.

[psychoangel691]

I went into college staying ahead of the game the whole time, now I've been last minuting everything. I'm mad at myself for it because I have a 4.0 right now and I think I may lose it this term if I can't shape up. I just feel so unmotivated lately

[Izzy]

I've been a horrible procrastinator all of my life and at the end of last semester I was so overworked for the last week that it drove me mad. Because of that I decided to do my work on time.

The solution is incredibly easy in that you just have to decide to do your work, but that is also really hard. It might even take a bad experience to make you really regret your procrastination habits.

At any rate, the feeling of getting your work done on time feels pretty good. I always beat myself up over procrastinating so being proud of myself is a nice change of pace.

[Crazyjayde]

@ cedolad: My daily planner consists of an agenda surrounded by hundreds of insignificant doodling that are all pointing at how much precious time I am wasting haha. Well anyway, the alarm seems like a good idea, at this point I'm pretty much armed to the teeth with reminders. Like you said, I just need to stick to my priorities.

@ JRW87: I'm actually fearing the idea of not being able to go around it. The good thing is, what I actually get stuck on is the idea of having to work in the context of scholarship. Just the idea of having very limited constraints doesn't motivates me into doing the work. I guess my future field of work will signify more to me since it's going to be more based on my personal intentions (currently in visual arts)

@psychoangel: Totally what I'm pointing at. I believe the lack of motivation is my main problem. I'm actually undergoing a physical training to give me more vitality I guess. My classmates are not the most cheerful and cultivated peeps though, I feel the whole part of my courses consists of people bickering. I would really hope there'd be more motivating discussions. It's almost as if people have not evolved from the high school mentality and think going into college automatically means maturing.

Edit: @Izzy: Thanks for that, I'd think of it next time. I probably just need to do it more for myself.

[smartdude1212]

I procrastinate hard if I stay home which means I typically head back to the university at night if I have homework to do. My schedule is admittedly quite insane, too, so putting off assignments would be the end of me. I just think of all the things I can do after I'm done everything! (which never happens because there's always something etc. pessimism <3)

When the weekend comes, my Friday nights are usually devoted to something other than school (unless I've got something planned with friends on Saturday or Sunday). I get most of my work done on Sundays, where I head to the university yet again and find a comfortable, open space to work and people-watch (the people-watching is a necessary momentary distraction for those times where I just need to stare into space).

I also listen to a lot of music -- typically whatever I can play loudly and tap my feet to while studying. It keeps me in the zone and wards off anyone who can't handle a grooving stranger in their work area.

And I often have healthier snacks with me, along with my travel mug. That way I don't have my mind on my stomach at inopportune times, and water fountains are always nearby if I need to stretch my legs and refill the tank. Might I add, bathroom breaks happen to be an excellent time to think about a particular question on your assignment (or a thought in your essay, or whatever you're working on).

This post is about as lengthy as my post in the study thread a while back... goddamn. Anyhow, a decent amount of what I said there applies here anyway.

Originally Posted by Crazyjayde

It's almost as if people have not evolved from the high school mentality and think going into college automatically means maturing.

Holy hell this too. Study groups can be an effective way to enjoy reviewing material or discussing assignments, but not when people seem to think that the answers are just being handed out or that every single Facebook update they're getting on their phone is more important than the interactions with the present company. These reasons are why I avoid studying with most people... I feel like I've accepted the dedication required for university while certain others are, or need to be, constantly pummelled by reality. /rant

[Spenner]

Originally Posted by psychoangel691

I went into college staying ahead of the game the whole time, now I've been last minuting everything. I'm mad at myself for it because I have a 4.0 right now and I think I may lose it this term if I can't shape up. I just feel so unmotivated lately

This is the exact situation I'm in right now, in my last semester. I hope i can get my butt into gear for another few months @_@

[SKG_Scintill]

Sorry for the late answer

[Bynary Fission]

Originally Posted by psychoangel691

I went into college staying ahead of the game the whole time, now I've been last minuting everything. I'm mad at myself for it because I have a 4.0 right now and I think I may lose it this term if I can't shape up. I just feel so unmotivated lately

Originally Posted by Crazyjayde

Well I'm doing it right now, and I have had seriously big issues in the past with keeping myself up to date, or even early with the works I've got to hand out. Now it's not a big deal as of right now, since I'm in the beginning of the new school term but I know it's gonna be one since I'm a very slow paced and meticulous worker. I often (always) do all-nighters.

I'm taking this seriously now, since my finals projects are in this session and I don't want this issue to continue through university. So I'd like to know some advices as to what helps you guys go through procrastination, or at least some input if you're having the same problem as me.

Basically = support group.

Originally Posted by Spenner

This is the exact situation I'm in right now, in my last semester. I hope i can get my butt into gear for another few months @_@

^ As a longtime procrastinator and a Senior in my final semester of college, I understand the above sentiments. Before I go further, the one note I have to state is that I find it odd that people lose motivation so close to the end - if anything, I feel more motivated than ever to finish, because I am quite literally at the finishing line in my tertiary education. I could never forgive myself if I crapped out so close to the end.

One bit of advice I can give you is to physically and mentally write out what needs to be done. I know what it feels like to see a huge workload and the desire to just shutdown at the thought of doing it. But when you physically see the problem in front of you, it helps you get into the mindset that it needs to be done. Furthermore, I find that doing work in chunks makes it seem far more manageable, and the mentality you approach it in will make a tremendous difference. I find that viewing things like this helps me to keep perspective and stay motivated:

-Start of work:

"Alright! Time to quit slacking - I need to get things done." - I find that I am able to work fairly easily at the beginning since I have yet to suffer burnout for doing a lot of work.


-Middle:

"Cool, I'm already halfway done. I've crossed the halfway point, and I have finished the majority of my assignments!" - This helps keep things in perspective. I find that workloads only seem prohibitively large until they actually get done.

-End:

"I'm so close! Once this last assignment is done, then I'm free to do whatever I want for the rest of the day with no stress or anxiety!" - This might be easier said than done, but if you are like me who can never take a deadline out of my thoughts, the mental relief you feel when it is done serves as a sufficient motivator alone. There is nothing better than to look back at an entire catalog of finished work and know that you can kick back.

And the biggest thing to remember: remember about the law of diminishing returns. This is exceptionally true with productivity and output - if you push yourself too long and hard without rest, you will get progressively less and less accomplished, and in essence waste a lot of valuable time that could have been used either getting things done or relaxing. Don't forget to take measured, reasonable breaks, but only if you've earned them. I know people who will write one paragraph and say they've earned two hours of Internet...and they wonder why they have issues meeting deadlines. Keep mindful of your limits and time available - if you are the type of person who needs a lot of time to do an assignment, then at least get a start - even having just a few paragraphs done can be a big motivator for later, since when you get back to the assignment, you already have made some progress on completing it.

The others have also stated that forming study groups can help...this can certainly be the case for those who benefit from it. But you also know yourself better than anybody - you may be the person who is better off studying solo your own way. For example, I fit this profile - last semester I took a class on American Constitutional Law, and though we were strongly advised to form study groups I had no problem memorizing the dozens of cases we had to learn over the semester by myself - I finished the class with an A, I might add. If you are the person who is better studying with others, do it.

-----------
It's great that you are asking for advice - I find that it helps to talk to others who struggle with the same problems. But it varies from person to person. Like me - I procrastinate because I can. That is to say, I'm the type of person who can skim over my notes 15 minutes before class and ace nearly every test. I am the type of person who can wait until near the end of a deadline, and crap out quality, A-grade work (this is especially true for me, my grades have seldom suffered from this type of procrastination). Of course, I know my limits and limitations, and I never push assignments past the point of no return. But it is still a bad habit, and one you should not convince yourself is acceptable. The habit of procrastination don't just disappear after you leave college - if you don't learn to control it, the consequences for it will be much more severe and unforgiving once you enter the work force. Think of it in the long term - it may suck now, but how will it affect you later in life? I've contemplated that, and it is something you should too. Good luck with breaking your habit - hopefully the rest of can too!

[leonid]

I have the similar problem.. I guess I'll fix it later

[Anon1337]

It's 5 am right now and I only started doing my work an hour ago xD

Honestly it's so bad; half my classes are night classes and my earliest doesn't begin until after noon :/

[25thhour]

Yeah, if you don't want to procrastinate get away from home. I could only study at the wonders of the 24 hour TFDL Library at the U of C during exams was there for like 12 hours a day.

[Arkuski]

Leave FFR. This place is where motivation goes to die.

[Riotpolice]

Originally Posted by Arkuski

Leave FFR. This place is where motivation goes to die.

^this x1000

[cedolad]

Originally Posted by 25thhour

Yeah, if you don't want to procrastinate get away from home. I could only study at the wonders of the 24 hour TFDL Library at the U of C during exams was there for like 12 hours a day.

This is a very healthy motive. I normally never left school until my homework was done. Just so that when I got home I didn't have to worry about whether or not I did my work when I all I wanted to do was relax and hang out with friends.

Originally Posted by Arkuski

Leave FFR. This place is where motivation goes to die.

This aswell. It's hard to focus on school, your social life, extra-curricular activities, and a fully fledged game with a demanding community.

It's always best to put this game in the rear-view mirror if you're having trouble in school. No one's going to hold a knife to your throat telling you to play haha.

[Pseudo Enigma]

"I'll procrastinate later"

[DossarLX ODI]

Procrastination is weird because it depends on the situation.

I don't play Stepmania/FFR much now, and that is my main interest in terms of entertainment. Other people have a much bigger issue when they play something like League of Legends, where each game can take 20+ minutes. Since I haven't seen much improvement on spread over the years, I've stuck to some pad stepping and index to playtest/pass stuff. However there's a certain addiction I have that's very difficult to control, and I seriously doubt I could ever stop it. I talked to Byron and it turns out he had a similar issue back in the day, he just didn't take it to the extent of blood stains like I do.

Personal issues and depression can play an important part. Before classes started this semester I released quite possibly the most amount of anger I have ever released externally. I'm able to focus and keep track of my classes, but I have to recover from the anger; it keeps coming back.

For my experience with procrastination, many times it's when large assignments are given. A long reading assignment along with small text to read makes me incredibly livid, holy fuck -- back in high school I always wanted to take a shortcut whenever it came to reading stuff. Not understanding something in a big assignment is also rage-incuding. If you're assigned a group to work on a project, communication issues are by far the most important part. Just yesterday my group didn't contact me with any updates until a few hours before the class I had to present with them, so I wound up getting most of the ideas when I had trouble myself.

What I'd say is: go to class even if attendance isn't counted. Ask the teacher questions as soon as possible (office hours are good for this too), even though this isn't possible a lot of the time when assignments are due right after they're assigned. LOOK AT THE SYLLABUS FOR YOUR CLASSES. In my case, my teachers have listed what sections are going to be covered and what readings are going to be done. Getting ahead greatly reduces procrastination, and I've been making it a habit now to get my shit done ASAP. Even then, it's hard to keep up when you want to be involved in other activities.

tl;dr for me procrastination is a personal issue that stems from a lot of anger.

[SKG_Scintill]

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