Breaking Procrastination Habit?

[Chun Liroy]

Yeah I find my study habits are pretty much fine. Honestly, I need some sort of distractions when I'm studying for some reason, be it studying/watching TV or just listening to music otherwise I'll read the stuff but none of it sticks. I perform pretty damn well on tests, it's just the damn papers. In high school I used to get just like Cs/Bs in English and barely getting by but College English was ridiculously easy (my teacher is awesome). I think I'm going to try that hour/2 hours after class idea because I'll still be in the mindset from doing work in class all day and actually get something done instead of going back to it later that night and working on it for an hour or something.

So right now instead of starting my lab worksheet and working on my english paper, I'm gonna go to breakfast and possibly the pool. ^^;

[Kilhart]

I have the same problem, but procrastination isn't necessarily all bad. In a way you start to learn to work under a tight time schedule. One of my teachers in high school even admitted that procrastination is the most efficient way to do things. I agree in a way, but if you can do a paper in 2 hours the night before it's due, you can definitely do it in 4 hours the day it's assigned. Motivate yourself through the free time you'll have later on. Another way is to think of life as a video game. Working is like grinding, and doing your homework, going to class and paying attention, working out, etc. is skilling up. It's tedious, but the more you put in the faster you get that relic/Benz.

[Zalius]

actually decide what you want to do with your life. you dont give a fuck about the assignments because you don't give a fuck about the assignments. trying to convince yourself that you want to do them when your actions are very clearly stating the opposite is just fucking stupid.

otherwise, find an easy cash major, fill up all the classes, and focus on nothing but school. you're either going for 9-5 or you're not. once you realize that, college gets a lot easier.

[Moss]

Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but it is foolish to think if you are doing assignments/taking classes that don't interest you, you are wasting your time. Obviously the whole point of college is to learn and not just get a diploma, but there will be shitty and boring required classes.

[Correction]

Ask Sonomaa to ban you from bgforums during finals week.

[Nyx]

I was the exact same way. I breezed through my senior year of high school without giving it much effort whatsoever, and my freshman year of college wasn't much different. I didn't get bad grades, but I could've done better if I didn't wait until the night before to half-ass everything.

I used to be one of the worst procrastinators ever, but simply changing the times of the classes that I register for has helped immensely. I am really, really bad about skipping classes, and I am NOT a morning person at all. I also don't want to go to class five days a week, so I would schedule them all on M/W/F or all on T/Th. I'd make sure all the classes were back to back, and my earliest class was never before 11 AM.

Currently, my earliest is still at 11, but I have a 1 hour 45 minute gap between that class and the next. Instead of going home, I just go to the library. I only have classes on T/Th, but it's amazing how much homework I knock out every T/Th during that little time period between classes. It's not too hard to stay focused on school stuff for that period of time with little to no distractions as well. Granted, you can't get on the computer and check forums or email, etc.

Anyway, that hour+ of dedicated homework/study time twice a week has been really easy, and I currently have a 4.0 in every class. I haven't really had to put in much more effort than I ever did previously, but my grades have all gone up. IMO, it's quite worth it.

[Feedmenow]

Do you have somewhere where you write down due dates for particular assignments?

Have them due a couple days earlier than they actually are.

Also, tell yourself this: "I can procrastinate later".

[Chun Liroy]

I was the exact same way. I breezed through my senior year of high school without giving it much effort whatsoever, and my freshman year of college wasn't much different. I didn't get bad grades, but I could've done better if I didn't wait until the night before to half-ass everything.

I used to be one of the worst procrastinators ever, but simply changing the times of the classes that I register for has helped immensely. I am really, really bad about skipping classes, and I am NOT a morning person at all. I also don't want to go to class five days a week, so I would schedule them all on M/W/F or all on T/Th. I'd make sure all the classes were back to back, and my earliest class was never before 11 AM.

Currently, my earliest is still at 11, but I have a 1 hour 45 minute gap between that class and the next. Instead of going home, I just go to the library. I only have classes on T/Th, but it's amazing how much homework I knock out every T/Th during that little time period between classes. It's not too hard to stay focused on school stuff for that period of time with little to no distractions as well. Granted, you can't get on the computer and check forums or email, etc.

Anyway, that hour+ of dedicated homework/study time twice a week has been really easy, and I currently have a 4.0 in every class. I haven't really had to put in much more effort than I ever did previously, but my grades have all gone up. IMO, it's quite worth it.

That's actually a really good idea. I scheduled my classes for next semester the only way I could. I'm taking Biology 2/Lab, Chemistry/Lab, Physics/Lab, Tech class (prereq for my minor) and i'm probably going to take Calc 2. The chem classes don't have the best times so I'm stuck with a really really really long Tuesday (7:55-5:30~) and an easy MWF (Physics at like 1-1:50 and lab right after on fridays). The good thing is I don't have to write more difficult papers (I wrote lab reports throughout high school so labs are cake for me), but I'm going to have to devote a lot of time to studying, especially because physics and chemistry are my weak points as far as sciences go (shitty teachers in high school D.

actually decide what you want to do with your life. you dont give a fuck about the assignments because you don't give a fuck about the assignments. trying to convince yourself that you want to do them when your actions are very clearly stating the opposite is just fucking stupid.

otherwise, find an easy cash major, fill up all the classes, and focus on nothing but school. you're either going for 9-5 or you're not. once you realize that, college gets a lot easier.

I actually do care about the assignments even if my actions are stating the opposite. If I didn't care I wouldn't do them at all, doing them at the last second is just how I do them but I know it's sometimes a bad habit and I wanted to break myself of it.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but it is foolish to think if you are doing assignments/taking classes that don't interest you, you are wasting your time. Obviously the whole point of college is to learn and not just get a diploma, but there will be shitty and boring required classes.

My whole first year of college (save 2-3 classes) have been classes that don't interest me, but everyone has to take them. English/psychology/History. So yeah I think you were just misinterpreting it, unless you were talking to someone else lol.

[Galois]

Treat it like a job. Have a special place that you go to do assignments that's relatively free of distractions, go there every day and don't leave until the time is up.

This is exactly what I did in college. FFXI came out my first year of grad school, so I knew that if I was in my apartment, I would be on the game. I had to force myself to treat school like a job, and spend a fixed amount of time in the computer lab/math building and stay there until the end of my "work day".

[Chun Liroy]

I really appreciate all the feed back guys btw. :D

[Zalius]

I actually do care about the assignments even if my actions are stating the opposite. If I didn't care I wouldn't do them at all, doing them at the last second is just how I do them but I know it's sometimes a bad habit and I wanted to break myself of it.

care about the assignments, or care about the grades? are you being a student, or are you being a person learning about what you want to learn about? don't just focus on that general ed bullshit hoping you'll figure something out later. figure out what you love to do, and what you would gladly do every day for the rest of your life with a smile on your face. that is the difference between a job and a career, and that's what you're in college for. so again, are you being a student or a person?

[Chun Liroy]

I already have determined what I want to do, which is do genetic research and generally the medical field. In high school I had a biotechnology class and it is by far the best class I've taken; I particularly liked the chapters about bacteria and viruses so that's the direction I intend to take. I enjoy doing papers that pertain to the science field which is why I actually enjoyed English the past two semesters because she let us write about whichever we want pretty much except for this damn paper we are writing about now which is about pictures <_<; but that's besides the point.

[Kilhart]

I used to be one of the worst procrastinators ever, but simply changing the times of the classes that I register for has helped immensely. I am really, really bad about skipping classes, and I am NOT a morning person at all. I also don't want to go to class five days a week, so I would schedule them all on M/W/F or all on T/Th. I'd make sure all the classes were back to back, and my earliest class was never before 11 AM.

I started doing this too. I'm taking 5 classes and MWF I start at 2PM, and T/R I start at 6/6:30PM. I ended up getting a job 30 hours a week to fill in the extra time, and while it means I have to get up at 6 every morning I'd never think of missing/being late to work, while I don't care as much for oversleeping for class. Do my entire week's homework on Monday, work/go to class, and then go out on weekends. Works just fine. I would say filling up your schedule this way even helps to reduce the likeliness of procrastinating, since you really won't even have time to procrastinate - you HAVE to plan out everything or you're fucked. It worked for me, at least... went from getting around a 2.5 or lower every semester to a 3.7.

It also has the side effect of putting you into a working mood most of the time. I don't really feel more stressed, but I just feel like a more efficient individual when my time is filled up, and I actually feel like doing work.

actually decide what you want to do with your life. you dont give a fuck about the assignments because you don't give a fuck about the assignments.

While you are technically correct, it's very hard to apply this for most people. I know a lot of extremely bright, talented, creative people who took a long time to figure out what career path they wanted to take. And even then, it's hard to maintain that vision the entire time for 4-5 years. I would say it's easier to just trick yourself in order to motivate yourself.

[Moss]

My whole first year of college (save 2-3 classes) have been classes that don't interest me, but everyone has to take them. English/psychology/History. So yeah I think you were just misinterpreting it, unless you were talking to someone else lol.

Yeah I was responding to Zalius's post. I'm still not seeing his point as everyone has to take some "general ed bullshit" classes. I think finding a major/career that you enjoy kind of goes without saying...

[Plow]

Haven't read most of the thread, so I'm sure it's been mentioned in various ways like calendars and whatnot, but I would say the biggest key is simply this:

Don't start on whatever it is that makes you procrastinate until you're done with whatever you might put off.

It's like running, as long as you get started and keep going you'll be fine.

[*Shinzon*]

People can only give you tips about what works for them. What it really comes down to is what works for, and knowing what gets you focused to perform a task. If deadlines are your thing, some people work better, and faster when they less time to do something. That's always not the most efficient and practical solution though. Best bet is to try a little bit of everything until you find a strategy that helps you.

For me, knowing I have to do something doesn't motivate me enough, unless I know it's a massive project that forces me to start early. Usually I work better closer to deadlines because I structure my time better when it's limited. So while I don't wait till the last minute, I start when there isn't enough time to procrastinate and it forces me to work. Calendars work if you use them, if not use your phone.