Im trying to break a...?

Question

HABIT!!!! I'm the biggest procrastinator and it;s not helping me at all. Especially with school work.. I wait until the last minute to complete a project or study for a test. I also put off homework... I try to get things done but I get distracted, especially when Im working on something on the computer.. I'll just continue to look at websites or chat with friends,, Sometimes I give myse;f an excuse of me being busy with work and school. I think thats's lame excuse for it.. but its acceptabke to me.. Is it true that I can break a habit in 7 days?

I hate planning things, that doesnt work well either :(

Answer 1

Ah the curse of procrastination, the queen of stress. I've had a big issue with this one for awhile now, but I've been doing things to help myself break that habit.

First thing's first, procrastination isn't a fantastic thing to deal with, however it can be used to your advantage; if you work better under stress, this could be your greatest asset for inspiration on school work. Otherwise...

Procrastination - the ol' tale of puting your work off to the last second, forcing you to cram all you can just before the class starts; it prevents you from acheiving the best you can and the stress it brings is overwhelming.

So there are a number of things you can do, and something as unstatic as learning, the methods are yours to experiment and choose. Here are a few ideas I've used in the epic struggle to engage my work instead of puting it off:

1. Fool yourself - As strange as it sounds and as disorganized as it may be, fooling yourself could be a great choice in getting work done ahead of time. To do it, you simply need to 'accidentily' schedule the assigment a few days before it's due; so your mind thinks it's due, but in reality the assigment isn't. This can be as easy as penciling in a calendar with the wrong date to simply misunderstanding a teacher's instruction. The latter is difficult, because it's a matter of fooling yourself into believing it's true.

2. Schedule - Self Explan

3. No Breaks - Once you start an assigment, don't stop - to eat, to pee, for anything that isn't too distracting! (I was kidding about the restroom comment).

4. Put your mind in "study mode" - Have an area that tells your mind it's time to buckle down and get working. This place can be a desk, a table, or some other place; studying in fron of a TV, or on your bed can give your mind the wrong message: Sleepy Time.

5. Reward yourself - Usually a technique by atheletes, rewarding yourself for pushing yourself that extra mile really does inspire you to strive to work harder. Give it a shot!


Now for the next issue : Distractions

Since your really computer oriented it's easy to be lead astray with websites and chatrooms and what not - so here's the scoop.

1. School Computers - Many schools have a filter that keeps you from accessing many websites that don't coincide with the cirriculum; if this applies to you, then maybe your local computer lab is worth a visit.

2. Pull the Plug! - If you're not doing research on the internet, then you probably don't need it too much. Pull out the internet cable and let yourself focus on something more serious, your work for example.

3. Drag that internet shortcut to the recycle bin! Because seeing that alluring IE or whatever can easily temp you into some serious www surfing.

Other than that, stay focused, don't overwhelm yourself, and breathe. Don't settle for breaking it in 7-days, break it now.

Hope I helped!

Answer 2

If you hate planning, don't plan. The trick to making something a habit is doing it, until it's a habit. Sound simple enough? yes, but things like that usually are. Most people know what to do already but simply don't have the discipline or attention span to do it. That's ok. The fact is that you know that you have a procrastination problem and that's the first step to recovery. You'll be able to take the steps to get better now. It's the one's who never realize their situations who end up remaining that way forever. Simply be more aware on your actions and do what's most important first. They say you do 80 percent of your actions for 20 percent of your results and 20 percent of your actions for 80 percent of your results, so if you're always focusing on the critical 20 percent vital actions that you must take, all of your dreams and goals will be accelerated by that leverage, while if you do what most people do and do the 80 and just barely make it around to the twenty, you'll have a life of struggle and mediocrity, as most of the middle class does.

Answer 3

Yes you can break your habit but it will require some willpower from your part. Set yourself a goal. For instance your school work. When you get home, sit and relax for about 30 minutes then get to study! Do not go on the net until you've studied for 1 hour and a half. Then playtime! Chat to your heart content for an hour after that ... Something to eat and back to study. If you stick to it, you won't find it boring because you will have a break and you should get your homework done! Then you can chat to your friends for even longer while feeling good about yourself at the same time

Answer 4

YES u can break that habit, just do what needs to be done right away, dont hang out in YA too much, it can be very addicting and u will end up not doing anything. This is good for people who are working and are relaxing on their day off (like me,LOL). So yeah, if u have a deadline on anything, make sure u start it right away, do not think that u have enough time. Anything can happen and the time that u expected u have will not be there.

Answer 5

I know you said you hate planning things and that, unfortunately, is what's going to help you break your habit. The best thing to do is make a list of things that you have to finish before the night is over. Cross off the things as you do them. This does two things, it gives importance to the things that you have to do. By writing them down you are essentially acknowledging them and that can help with procrastination. Secondly as you do the things and cross them off you will see your progress and get a feeling of accomplishment from it. Try not to goof off or get distracted until all the things are crossed off your list. Make small lists at first, things that you can easily finish and build up from there. Procrastination is difficult to overcome but it will benefit you in the long run if you can manage it!

Answer 6

I don't know if you can break such an ingrained habit like procrastination in 7 days, but I believe that the habit can be broken. It's just like everything else--you have to practice.

Try making yourself a to-do list and when you check something off your list, reward yourself with 15 minutes of free computer time.

Try making self-imposed deadlines for yourself, like, "I want to get my math homework done in the next 45 minutes."

If you don't have a day planner, get one. I free up lots of time by planning out my day.

Answer 7

This is a form of ADD (Attention Deficeit Disorder). I now know, in my late 50's, I suffered from this my entire life. I had the same problems with being unable to focus on homework and school projects. This also resulted in many problems during my Adult life.

Many people fail to understand how troublesome and devastating this can be on you and your life. They do not suffer from it, or don't know they do, and offer simplistic answers like "Well, don't do it"! This will not work. I know from experience.

You are very astute in recognizing the symptoms you are suffering and can now seek the help you need. Do not allow your parents and others offer the same simplistic answers to this problem. It is usually done out of denial, ignorance or the fear of family members saying " Oh yeah, they are the ones with the crazy daughter. Did you hear, they keep her locked in the attic"?

I recommend you discuss this with your parents and convince them to get you the help you need.

Answer 8

I've been meaning to stop procrastinating but I keep putting it off

Answer 9

put it this way..if you want lots of uninterrupted time for your leisure activities, first things first, do your school work first..make a priority list, do top ones first.

Answer 10

Make a time schedule!