thank you for viewing the fifth workshop
in a series of the academic enhancement program sponsored by the bumpers
college
today's topic is on overcoming procrastination
procrastination afflicts millions of people and almost always has a negative
effect on productivity
an a student sense of well-being
although everyone procrastinate in his or her own way
it can best be defined as delaying required or desire tasks
by choosing other activities
so we're going to spend a few minutes today discussing some techniques to help
you overcome this condition or disease
why overcome procrastination
well if you put things on to the last minute
your most likely going to reduce your ability to perform at your best
that's very likely that you'll just decide to not complete the activity
at all
this clip art is a great example
hell me times have you intended to finish a project or thought you complete it
later
and yet later never came
on a more serious note
procrastination leads to stress and low selfesteem
it leads to chronic worrying which uses a lot of energy without really
accomplishing any results
everyone has their own reasons for procrastinating
but generally those reasons can be grouped together in the five major
categories
the first reason
rebellion
rebellion happens most often college with freshmen
students have their first taste of freedom
however they lack the insight into the fact that the activity or assignment
will have to be addressed at some point
procrastination simply adds to poor results
the next reason
would be fear of failure
it's a very realistic characteristic of students who procrastinate
to provide some false rationalization
of why one did poorly
the third reason
lack of enjoyment
immediate entertainment or satisfaction such as watching television
looking at facebook or talking on the phone seems more valuable than doing
something that someone doesn't enjoy
the fourth one
fears ofsuccess
success for some students can be a stressor it it's not well-managed
and the fifth reason lack of motivation
or emotional intelligence
many students lack the internal drive to accomplish their long-term goals because
they're so used to immediate gratification
it's difficult to find value in the short term goals when you're not able to
see the immediate connection or immediate rewards
so how should we address the causes of procrastination
what is the cure
ask yourself why you're planning to accomplish something
into space alot others expect or fear of negative consequences
you may not be very motivated
if it's based on what you truly want or need
you're likely to be more motivated
be careful to avoid sabotaging your own wants or needs just because others also
think you should accomplish something
it's more important take care of yourself then despite others
so are you the first to go to college in your family
are you attending because it's expected of you
or because you really want to be here
here's a couple cures
for procrastination
one is getting a bite sized mentality
what that really means is taking what seems to be overwhelming tasks and
breaking them down into measurable an achievable goals
it will help you get over the fear of failure
here's a personal example
when i got my course syllabus each semester
I always found the day when the paper was due
and then i stressed about it at three the first week or the actually the week
the paper was due
finally I'd myself through tears and and stress to finish on time
and the best way to deal with a major project is to find the due date
then calculate how many days you have to complete it
take the project and break it into small achievable parts
make a commitment to complete part of the project each week or even each day
depending on the size of the project
for example of the project is writing a paper
identify the parts to paper pick a topic
research the topic
develop an outline
produce the introduction
complete the body
write the conclusion
and review it
assign a week or several days to each of these areas to accomplish the completed
task
that way it doesn't seem so insurmountable when the due date is
arriving
makes sense
Here's another cure set up a reward system
or excuse me a reward-punishment system
if I read for twenty minutes to get to call John
if I don't a need to do the dishes
using the reward system really works if you're disciplined enough to return back to work
after a break you provide yourself
next study in a place reserved for study only
Haley always promised herself so she'd study in her room after she ate
However there were always to many distractions and she rarely studied in her room
when she went to her favorite place in the library
she was always more successful
and why do you think haley was always more successful in the library
well obviously it's because there tend to be fewer distractions in the library
I should mention if you choose to use a public place such as the library
try to find the same location each time
that way you won't be distracted by new stimulus or new items to look at
another cure might be that you want to become a groupie
so when possible study with a group of dedicated students
others can be an inspiration to keep up and learn to support your efforts
you may discover others have different learning styles
and pick up on items that you would normally ignore
it can make you a much better student
however i must warn you it's important to someone in the great keeps the trio
on task
otherwise the group could become a distraction
and then finally
there are a number of resources on campus to assist you as well
review these offices
each of them have trained staff available that can assist you in
diagnosing the cause of your procrastination
as well as helping you identify an action plan to find a cure
their contact information is not only available on the slide
but also easily accessible on the university's web page in the a-z
directory
as the image
portrays here
the longer you wait the worse it gets
identify your resource today
and give them a call for an appointment
now that we discussed several cures
let's take a moment to address some behavioral solutions
obviously these concepts come from the field of psychology
and not to be to theoretical but it
it is the science of human behavior
which is how we react to situations
situations don't cause feelings and actions
our interpretations of them cause feelings and actions
let's look at an example for a moment
this situation
a parent tells you to do your homework
person one's thought responses: he's always bossy me around
the emotion and feeling responses that they are angry
the action our behavior and will end up being rebellion and so person one
chooses to not do their homework
person two receive the same instruction
person two's thought response
is: I want to do well in this class
their emotional responses is energized
the action or behavior
results in person two
doing their homework
so choosing how to react from someone else's direction all actually impact the
action you take
it's important to understand the cognitive response
the emotional reaction
and then the behavior
that is the results of the two
make sense
to change procrastinator behavior
we must change the thoughts and beliefs that cause it
the first step
identified the thoughts and beliefs
this is easier
if we know what to look for
internalizing those activities
will create a sense of internal drive strength and personal motivation to
complete those tasks
rather than placing the responsibility
on an external agents such as a parent a teacher
an academic advisor
a roomate
or significant other
here's another example
let's take a moment to look at some procrastinators terminology
how often have you used some of these phrases when you really didn't want to
do something
i have to
because the teacher's gonna make me
i wish i could
blow it off and go to the football game
if only I could
do both
well, even my favorite phrase comes from porky pig and he says tomorrow I'll diet
these phrases we used to reflect are underlying thoughts what we really
believe
now
here are
some anti procrastination phrases
I will complete my paper and be a successful student because I want to
I'll definitely work hard to get that project done
I'm confident I can earn an A
I'll start on monday
at ten o'clock
and I'll continued each day until the project is through
after I turn my paper in
I'll reward myself by going to the movies
utilizing these praises on a daily basis will help began to change the
procrastination type behaviors
or the cognitive and emotional reaction to thanks
now that i've given you some things to think about
i need to point out that change doesn't happen just because you think about it
you must take some action
so now that you're aware of
the types of thoughts that lead to procrastination
i suggest that you keep a log for about two weeks
here's how to do it
the first step whenever you're aware that your procrastinating
write it down
write down the task intended to accomplish
such as i was gonna read twenty pages of nutrition
next write down what you've been thinking or saying immediately before
you began to procrastinate
notice what your current behavior is
such as watching television or
being on facebook
and then recognize what are your current feelings
are you angry are you disappointed are you guilty
the log will allow you to see your patterns
once you're aware of those
you'll be more up able to apply appropriate cures
such as change procrastinator phrases to anti procrastination phrases
adding more positive reinforcements to provided incentives
and also don't forget to break those large projects into manageable task
once you make some positive changes continue to keep a log to see patterns
of improvement
based on what you see
fine-tune your plan is needed
using this approach you will likely reduce procrastination
and feel more in control of your own behavior
it's difficult to start a log
you're worried about whether or not you're gonna do it right
well my advice is just start
no one's going to be looking at it but you
now some of you may remember from an earlier workshop
that it takes about
twenty seven to thirty days to develop a new habit
so in reality it's gonna be a little challenging it's gonna be uncomfortable
when you first start
so just practice
and just do it
that all sounds like a great idea
but how do you start
well now that you've learned some strategies specific to overcoming
procrastination
try these general time management strategy that'll often help prevent procrastination
when you're trying to change some unhealthy habits it's good to have a
step-by-step game plan
so here it is for you
step one
assess your current patterns, record all of your activities for the last two
weeks on a calendar
you know and include everything from classes to work to eating
to showering to socializing
step two
use a priority system now
take time to rank order your items
rank items A
if they simply must be done
use B for important but not the essential items
and use C for items that are of low value and can easily be discarded
step three design a balanced schedule
don't forget to include rewards for daily accomplishments
the fourth step
just try it out for a couple weeks
and then finally
refine it assess it
and figure out what works for you
you may ask why would you put all this effort in just a simply creating a
schedule
well the benefits include:
you'll actually find more time for fun and flexibility
you'll have a better sense of control and balanced
and more importantly you'll be less stressed
and impressed
you want to remember to allow for positive reinforcement
most importantly you're less likely
to have a chance of forgetting important projects
we can't add more hours to the day
so we have to use them as effectively as we can
a good way to try to prioritize your activities
is to try to think of the time as either fixed time
these are non-negotiable times such as class or work
or flex time
these activities are fluid and change regularly such as eating, cleaning and
socializing
now i've asked this question before any previous workshop
which category would you place studying in
i highly recommend you create some fixed periods of time to apply your studying
it will help you significantly improve your grades
obviously you want to try to study when your most psychologically alert
and when you have a free period of three to four hours
break it up by studying three to four different subjects
that'll keep me from getting bored
and if possible study your least favorite subject first
followed by your favorite
this makes use of what we know as the premack principal less desired activities
are more likely to occur
if followed by more highly desired activities
a good general strategy is to reward yourself for each fifty minutes of study
time with a ten minute break
that's when he could relax call a friend catch up on facebook
leave some free time each day and call it flex time this time you can use to
take care of emergencies or unexpected catch-up work
and if these do not occur it can certainly be used to just have a just a little
fun
not everyone is going to apply these cures and techniques the same way
if you begin to insert one or two in your daily habits
i'm sure you'll begin to see some positive changes in your life
we wish you the best to success in overcoming procrastination and achieving
your dreams
a PDF of the power point sides are available to download in blackboard for
your review I encourage you to complete the brief quiz
to identify how much information you retained as well as demonstrates your
academic advisor
or instructor you completed this program
and although this information in the workshop maybe all you need
if you do you need further assistance then don't hesitate to give me a call
had a great rest of the semester