The Procrastination Problem... (1 Viewer)

[beckywecky]

"It's due in two weeks!" you reassure yourself, as you lazily slump into your computer chair and sign into MSN.

Thirteen-and-a-half days later, you're diligently typing a thousand words per minute as you race time (and logic) in a somewhat vain attempt to complete the 3000 word assessment due in a matter of hours.

3am... 4am... 7:30am... Proud of your assessment; and your amazing ability to refrain from sleeping, you finally finish it. You grab your assessment, which is still warm from fresh ink, and run for the bus.

You wearily hand it in, waddle back to your chair and manage to stay awake for the next three hours... Until someone reminds you of the homework you should have done for Business Studies.

"Dammit," you think to yourself, as you lay your head on the desk and drift off into a state of unconsciousness; attempting to forget about the Extension English speech due in two days...


Does it sound familiar to you? If you're anything like me, you'll leave things to the last minute and end up with ridiculous sleeping patterns which resemble that of an insomniac.

It's our last year. Time to get down to business.

Right?

Apparently not. No matter how hard I try to force myself into studying, revising and doing homework and assessments before the night before... It just does not happen. I know how much we're all sick of cliches, but they speak wise and true words - You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

I've been lazy for the entirety of my highschool life, and it's biting me back in the arse. Hard.

You would think that the 'pressure' of needing to get a 98.05 UAI for the Media/Communications course I would love to get into would be enough to make me work. Countless motivational lectures from teachers informing me of my potential is far from successful, too. Hell, I am even wasting precious time right this very moment by telling you all my problems. Ha, ha.

Apathy and procrastination are a lethal mix.

Any thoughts, any one wish to tell me to get my act together?

I would love to meet someone who procrastinates more than I. If you're here... It would be my pleasure to shake your hand.

<End Rant>

 

[pLuvia]

Well my advice, is to start the assessment as soons as you get it, or any homework for that matter. Finish like a week early so you can check it etc.

Well at least your admitting your problem, that's the first step

 

[xxxx8888]

this happened in year 11 so it doesn't matter but... i procrastinated studying for business studies til the morning of the 2 hr exam. i woke up at 3am and started making notes and memorised them.

 

[[trent]]

The Internet is a huge time waster...try not to use it too much. If you need it for an assignment, write down the things you need to research, and then go on it, and set yourself a time-limit (sounds anal, but it really does help). It's waaay too easy to get really distracted and off topic (uninstall msn for one...or at least only sign-in at certain times, like only in the afternoons, or only after 9...)

Anyway, I know what it's like...i'm a huge procrastinator too!!! BUT I am (very slowly) beginning to realise its year 12 and i really have to stop...

well start...

 

[beckywecky]

I uninstalled MSN once.

It lasted for less than 5 minutes.

I'm a shocker!

All this advice that has been dished out helps, if only I would listen. I tell myself all this all day, every day. I can't put a time limit on my internet usage, I can't start my assessments as soon as I get them.

I swear, procrastination is a disease. An ever present one.

I screwed up last term, too... My first assessments for year 12 weren't the best, but that was due to circumstances beyond my control.

*Convinces self that it won't happen again*

I should make this time that I am wasting somewhat useful - I should look up some notes for the Extension English novel I should have read over the holidays. There are a page full of questions due on Wednesday morning. Should really read the book...

Lol.

 

[Lavenderpup]

I have an Advanced English exam in two days. I'm still not finished typing up my related texts and I haven't studied or done the homework. *wails*
I think i've gone backwards actually =P
Procrastination is evil. So's lack of sleep. *just sits there for a while close to not thinking* It is utter madness ;_;

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

procrastination is an art form, really it is. i have come dangerously close to perfecting it although, beckywecky, you are a master artiste from whom all of your fellow procrastinators could learn from. *bows* seriously though, it's a huge problem sometimes. Eg. my last biology assessment: i finished it so close to hand in time the ink was almost still wet. usually i tend to get things done a couple of days before because i kinda panic and think "oh shit, what if i get leprosy tomorrow and my arms fall off and then i cant do the assessment on time and i'll fail and the world will explode etc etc rant" which results in the mad panicky desire to get it done months ahead so as not to have to worry. but sometimes i forget or simply cbf to start and then before you know it its 3am the day its due and you wake up and go "FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and leap out of bed to do it. i am serious, it happened once. and i NEVER want to do that ever ever again. actually that incident is probably what almost managed to break me of the habit. but not quite lol.

 

[+Po1ntDeXt3r+]

it doesnt end in high school...

my tips are:
- Aim to finish stuff early.. so u can plan in procrastination.. it was worse for me.. i was working as well and avoiding homework lik the plague
- Set realistic daily goals.. so u feel satisfied.. that u have done at least ure minimum
- go out for a walk instead of BoSing.. usually they are good..
- reward ureself by not doing work tat is too hard.. and alternate.. so u dun burnout..

well those things have helped me.. i didnt do too badly

 

[Mrs.McDreamy]

I'm a terrible procrastinator. I have never done my work, so it's hard for me to start now. Firstly, most of my peers would die of shock if I actually handed anything in, and I wouldn't want that to happen. Secondly I've always tired to ride things on natural ability, but that's slowly fading away to nothingness. It's my HSC! Why am I not trying?? I'm almost failing almost everything.. if that makes sense...

I stayed up until about 5am doing my English area of study assignment, and then wondered why I only got 60% ha! And I have a test I should be studying for right now, but instead I am typing this I love procrastination.

 

[tako]

Join the club.

My motivation to work is pretty simple.

"If I don't get this done tonight, I am #$%^ed."

Even if it's not due the next day.

I get through it all by thinking of those people who aren't as good as me. It's such an arrogant yet awesome attitude.

Also, MSN is actually giving me the shits. I don't like 95% or people on my list anyway, and the other 5% I have no reason to speak to anyway. It's crap. I'm just getting over the withdrawal symptoms of it.

 

[.ben]

Don't worry school is not the end of the world.

 

[Riviet]

You really need to think about what the implications of procrastination are. You don't work or study, what happens? You get even more work piled up on you!

Try starting your homework and assignments the day you get them. Do a little each day, do more when you feel like it, don't leave the work till later. Do it now.

 

[SoulSearcher]

I'm a terrible procrastinator. I have never done my work, so it's hard for me to start now. Firstly, most of my peers would die of shock if I actually handed anything in, and I wouldn't want that to happen. Secondly I've always tired to ride things on natural ability, but that's slowly fading away to nothingness. It's my HSC! Why am I not trying?? I'm almost failing almost everything.. if that makes sense...

I stayed up until about 5am doing my English area of study assignment, and then wondered why I only got 60% ha! And I have a test I should be studying for right now, but instead I am typing this I love procrastination.

wouldn't you be a good procrastinator then?

 

[PaleReflection]

Procrastination is more of a problem when it doesn't actually have long term consequences. If you do an all nighter for an assignment and get 60%, then you're less likely to repeat the situation for your next assignment. But when you do an all-nighter and get band 5 or 6, it sucks, because you keep putting assignments off time and time again and your bad habit becomes worse.

 

[stella8h8chang]

Okay. I've now uninstalled MSN Messenger.

I also uninstalled my "proxy" (don't ask if you don't know)

But is working in the common room a form of procrastination? Perhaps I just like drinking coffee

What do I do...well I usually put the assignment date in my diary about a week earlier (as well as the actual date, but in smaller writing), so that I procrastinate beforehand. Same way I set my watches/clocks 15 minutes early, so I think I'm late but I'm actually not...

But I still procrastinate anyhow...oh dear...

 

[hangerm5]

i would advise not being too dependant coffee and getting into unhelpful sleeping patterns...ie All-Nighters. Find out which part of the day you work best in (for me it was mornings so early starts and early nites). I probably sound very parental in saying this but your sleeping pattern will play a big role in getting over procrastination. I didnt work if i felt tired, but until i got my sleep pattern under control that was the all the time....energy is a big bonus if you have any work to do!!!

As to what everyone else has said, its all good advice, if you have trouble following that then maybe look deeper to what your attitude to finishing is and use your goals as motivations or find a buddy and participate in some friendly competition.....or maybe like me you will have to wait till the trial HSC and get a truly awful mark (45% in 2unit maths) and get a shock to crack you into working.....sometimes it has to be a matter of force.....

 

[yew_315]

I would advise to try and fine the best time at which u work, and stick to it. Make that time the time when u just negate all other destractions (ie. tv, music, people, phone, etc). And when u have like weekend long sessions of study, do it in 20min, half hour blocks, where those blocks are intense study, and then take 10mins or so to relax a bit, then go again.

However, if u r just doin general study, find things that calm u. Classical music works pretty good, and gets u working efficiently. Like, if i was stupid enough to pull a 1am last minute assignment, i put music on. During the HSC, i found either music, or putting countless hours of The O.C. on DVD in the background calmed me down, and got me working. Trust me, there is enough time when it finishes to bludge, procrastinate, watch tv, and do nothing after it finishes. Just try and get through it, find things that calm urself and get into it.

 

[hangerm5]

Oh yes thats a good point about staying calm, I also used music a lot, ok so this is baroque not classical but I really would recomend amongst others, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos for this purpose...they can be in the background without dominating your mind..(of course they are great so let them dominate just once). Getting to the classical i think i used a fair bit of mozart...could literally feel my blood pressure and heart rate lower and relax!!

If you are really stressed I would dump it all for half an hour and do something so relaxing that you are able to cope with working again...trust me, its not a wasted half hour because your work wont have been constructive if you cant focus and once you're fresh you are capable of so much more....

 

[the.chosen.one]

with me i found i had the procrastination problem so long as i prided myself on it.

like u mentioned there's a slight pride in being able to write that whole english book of poems in one night and managing to get through the day on half an hour of sleep....whether u boast or not.

but once i convinced myself it's not something to pride myself on....it's just stupidity....things started to improve a bit...i say a bit, coz obviously the whole problem isn't just that u take pride in it. there is to some percentage genuine procrastination..

but making urself realise that it's really just not worth it...its a stupid habbit...it kinda helps.

 

[beckywecky]

It is as if having two hours and being fueled on no sleep whatsoever motivates me. Sleep deprivation must release some sort of endorphin or adrenaline that makes me go. For it is the only thing that makes me work. Mind you, I usually start assessments at about 12am the day it's due, and work flat out til it's time for the stupid WestBus bus driver to take me to school.

And for some reason, sleep deprivation gets me band 5's and 6's. If only I actually planned out properly; I might actually achieve my potential for once.

I'm not like this with any other area of my life - at work I try to work as hard as I can on every shift... Probably because it's a lot of fun, and I get PAID for it. Mmm, money.

Perhaps it is something to do with the fact that we've been at school for 13 years of our life... We're 17 and 18 years of age, and we have to ASK to go to the toilet.

Ahh, bring on university.

Extension English questions due in 13 hours. I hate having early morning classes, especially when I have to leave extremely early to actually GET to school. I still haven't read the novel... The questions will take hours.

Damn it.

XD