How to deal with procrastination?

Question

I am a freshman in college and I need some tips to help me deal with my procrastination. As much as I try to plan to do projects/papers early, I always end up leaving it until the last second. Could you please give me ideas that have worked for you or for someone you know? Any advice is appreciated.

Answer 1

The good news is that you know you have a problem and you are looking for solutions.
The trick is to break down the project into small jobs, estimating ahead of time how long each portion will take.
Say, for a paper, you have to read 200 pages of material, find three informational resources at the library, organize the points, write a rough draft, edit, and write a finished draft and you have a week.
Give yourself 2 days to do the reading, 1 day at the library and to organize the points, 2 days to write the rough draft, and a day to edit and write the final copy. (And there you have a spare day in case something takes longer than you first thought.)
If there is something fun you like to do daily--watch TV, play video games, hang out with friends, promise yourself you won't do the fun thing before the work gets done. Then you can reward yourself with some fun time once you have done that day's portion of the project because you have allowed yourself time for the next portion.
Once you succeed in getting a project done on time and without all the drama and stress, it will become easier to sit down to the work the next time.
Learning this self-discipline will only make your life easier and will dramatically improve your work as you will have time to complete research and to edit/polish the project before turning it in.
Having said this, the reality is that you never have only one project due. Every class is going to have something you have to do to prepare for the next class, so you are juggling parts of projects/assignments for several classes daily.
You will find several kinds of planners at the book store or at an office supply. Or you can use a simple calendar. You must carry it at all times! Write down homework as it is assigned and when assignments are due. Once you get back home, you can divide up the jobs for a daily schedule.
Then write down a daily to-do list for several days at a time, adding jobs as needed and celebrating as you get to cross each one off. (Once you get in the habit, you'll wonder how you ever operated without them.)
You might use different colors of ink for each class or highlighters to prioritize each day's list, (hot pink for most important, yellow for need to do, green for would be nice to finish, etc.)
Keep plugging away, try different scheduling methods till you find one that works for you. You can do it and have a life, too.

Answer 2

The key is baby steps. I am an awful procrastinator. I left things to the last possible second all the time. The key is baby steps.

What I mean is that don't try to go from Mr. Last Second to Mr. Done a Day Early. Do the math. If you have a 5 page paper do in 2 weeks then say, "I'm going to do a page every 2 days (about)" That its not that hard to do 1 page every 2 days. And that's taking into account doing nothing on weekends. If you have some free time on weekends just tell yourself, "Hey I can work on my paper, it doesn't matter how much I do because I wasn't planning on doing any." Anything you do then is bonus. If it is a research paper then just split up the different jobs. One job is research and one job is the paper. Due in 2 weeks? Research done at the end of the 1st week, 1 page every night in the 2nd week.

Just be reasonable in your goals. Just convince yourself it is worth it to work first and play later. Realize how much stress you get rid of by doing your homework before dinner or before your favorite tv show.

Good luck.

Answer 3

I have the same problem and I figured out that I tend to procrastinate a lot more when I am at home where there is a tv and a computer and other things that I would rather be doing. So, I started going to the library to do my homework because I won't have anything to distract me from my work. It's really good if you can listend to some music and sit somewhere so that you aren't distracted by the people walking by. You could also go to Starbucks or a bookstore like Barnes and Noble too.

Answer 4

I too procrastinate. It's a common problem for many many people.

When you get out of class, make a physical list of what you wish to accomplish before tomorrow. Make tomorrow the due date for all of these tasks. Then, make time for them.

another, (albeit different) strategy is to remain noncommittal about how much work you plan to do, and just take a casual, nonchalant, noncommittal look at the assignment. Though counterintuitive, this nixes the tendancy to say 'It's not convenient now, I might as well start tomorrow'. If all you are doing is getting the assignment out to look at it, you don't need to worry about how long it will take, how hard it is, or how much its going to suck. This is my preferred method of starting assignments before the last minute.

Answer 5

Pretend it is due much earlier than the due date.

Think ahead. If a fun party pops up the weekend before it's due, you'll have to pass to sit in a library all weekend. Or if you might get a cold before the due date, and you'll have to deal with being unprepared AND sick!

Try to think of doing the work early as looking out for yourself, for Number 1.

Answer 6

Tips to Deal With Procrastination Here are some great tips to deal with procrastination: Number 1 Tip to Deal With Procrastination: Know the Root Cause. What triggers your procrastination? Is it because your boss is nasty and is a slave-driver? Is it because your wife is nagging you? Or is it because you are just so swamped? When you react to challenges and stress by being passive-aggressive and then procrastinating, then you need to correct your attitudes. Some people retaliate on others by procrastinating on delivering their requests. But if you are just procrastinating because you are so busy at the moment, then you have to organize and prioritize. Weed out the root of your procrastination: understand yourself. Only then can you make the steps to stop it. Number 2 Tip to Deal With Procrastination: Correct Your Thoughts. When you catch yourself thinking like a victim and being passive-aggressive, correct yourself. Passive-aggressiveness is not a good way to deal with stress and challenges. You have to own up to your anger, your irritation, and be honest with yourself and with your "adversary" about it. Honesty dispels a lot of negativity by flashing the light of truth on it. There is something refreshing when you are honest with yourself. If you notice, when you are honest about your emotions and about everything in your life, you feel light. If you have been in denial or have been lying for so long, then you finally decide to make a clean breast out of things through honesty, then chances are, you'll feel lighter upon your moment of honest revelation. Thus, when you deal with stress through procrastination, stop yourself. Admit what you feel. Confront your "enemy" in as civil or even gentle manner as possible. Try to arrive at a solution or at least a compromise. Then move on and finish what you have to do. Do not succumb to thoughts that tell you that you are a victim. Face it; life is not exactly a good model for equality. But you can actually choose to deal with its unfair moments in a constructive manner. Let it spur you on instead of breaking your back. Number 3 Tip to Deal With Procrastination: Apply Practical Tips. If your root cause for procrastination is not an unhealthy attitude, you can deal with things in a more systematic, objective way: through prioritization and organization. Rank your tasks from the most important and urgent to the least, and tick them off as they are done. Stick to the goal of finishing the list. And don't make room for excuses. Just go and do it! Bonus: Tips to Deal with Procrastination for Writers - Randomly write. If you need to squeeze out a decent article now, start yourself by rambling randomly. If you have a blog, or a personal diary, start journaling your day, your thoughts, whatever. A lot of writers have found that just writing helps them jumpstart their creativity. They may come across a thought that is worth pursuing, and end up making a great piece thereafter. - Take a break. Space out for five minutes, slumped on your chair. Chances are, you're just in a toxic moment and needed some rest. - Take a deep breath; your brain may just be lacking oxygen, that's why it's sluggish. - Read for a while. You may come across a good idea to write on. - Have someone contribute a sentence for you. From that, you can develop it into a piece, especially if it's inspiring. - If all else fails, turn in a forced piece of work, then go on vacation. May these tips to deal with procrastination help you live a more productive life! Now go out there and do your thing!

Answer 7

Im also a freshmen in college..some of things i do to hep me not to procrastinate is for example..if i have a paper due a week from now..I try to work on a piece of it everyday untill I am finished..that you dont feel overwhelmed as the due date gets closer.

a friend of mine tried reward..everytime she completed a paper or project in advance she would reward herself with something she was planning on gettin but havent got around to..I tried this as well and so far it has worked for me..hopefully this helps..