Ask yourself: are you someone who works now and plays later or do you procrastinate? Is procrastinating worth it or does it just add unnecessary stress? How often and how much do you procrastinate? Do you think Ms. Rubin's tips will work to help decrease or eliminate procrastination? How do you avoid procrastinating or fixing your procrastination?
Monday, October 17, 2011
Procrastination: Can you cure it?
As high school students, most of us probably procrastinate to some degree. But if you procrastinate too much, it can begin to affect your stress levels and grades. Gretchen Rubin suggests 8 tips for curing your chronic procrastination: don't give yourself a reason to hurry, don't be afraid to ask for help, make choices more quickly, conquer the task in small steps, work through the task for 15 minutes straight, get it done first thing in the morning, avoid distractions and interruptions, and don't get preoccupied by the work itself.
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I would just like to inform everyone that I have been procrastinating doing this for a half an hour now. Therefore I can say with confidence that I am someone who procrastinates. Personally, I feel procrastinating just a little helps me, because I work better and to my full potential under stress. If I procrastinate too much, however, I end up feeling ridiculously overwhelmed and don't know how I'm even going to begin the large workload I've put off. I would say I tend to put off my homework for the first hour that I'm home from school, almost every night. I need time to wind down from my day and just take a breather before starting up again, so I really do find that a bit of procrastination helps. When I do, I usually am doing something relatively productive, just not imperative. So I do not think that the time I procrastinate goes to complete waste. To avoid procrastinating at any other time, I usually just try and buckle down and focus, by eliminating outside noise. I close the door to my room, turn off my wifi if I don't need it, put my phone away and only have the things I absolutely need out on my desk.
ReplyDeleteI do think that some of Ms. Rubin's tips can help decrease the amount of time one spends procrastinating. One in particular, "take a baby step" I think I would find especially helpful. When I want to focus and not procrastinate, I tend to try and get as much done as I can without taking a small break, for fear of completely getting off track. I should learn to do things one step at a time, instead of completing all of my tasks in one giant leap.
It's weird because I think that I have a little bit of procrastination and a little bit of "work now play later" in me. Sometimes when I know that I have a lot of work to do, I'll make myself a schedule and even schedule in maybe a half an hour to relax or do something that I want to do. The issue is that I will most likely procrastinate in the stages before I make the list and actually force myself to do something. I think it really all depends on my mood and motivation because sometimes I can spurts of energy and actually want to get work done, while other times, like tonight, where it is 7:00 and I have just started my homework, I feel like doing nothing and waiting until the last minute. In my opinion, I feel like procrastination always adds stress, there is no way that doing something right the first time with time to spare can ever hurt you. I definitely agree with Ms. Rubins tips, especially to avoid distractions and interruptions. In my own experience, sometimes I can have all the motivation to get a task down and get caught up in some meaningless outside distraction that throws me off my schedule.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with Regan in that I know I procrastinate and sometimes it does help. If I feel like I have 3 weeks to do an assignment, my mind automatically pushes it off until the week of when it starts kicking itself into high gear to produce something a lot better than if I had no pressure. I also know that I am feeling so overwhelmed this week with all of the assignments I need to get done, most of which are lengthy.
ReplyDeleteMs. Rubins tips are pretty much what I try to do already. When I know I'm too tired and unfocused to study for a quiz the night before, I set up all the things I need, literally on my bed, and then when I wake up at 5:45 in the morning (about a half an hour earlier than if I have nothing to do) I start studying then. I also think baby steps would be helpful to me, in fact that's probably what I'm going to try to do with my Milestone project. Hopefully it goes well!
Like Regan, I don’t start my homework till after an hour I get home. But when I have a lot to do I am someone who needs a list to help me from procrastinating and focus because when I procrastinate it’s for hours and then it adds unnecessary stress and then I procrastinate more because I freak out about not having enough time to do what needs to be done. I find that when I don’t have a lot to do I procrastinate but when I do have a lot I “work now and play later”. I think some of the tips would help, and I know for a fact that help me, are getting things done first thing in the morning and avoid distractions and interruptions, but don’t be afraid to ask for help would make me procrastinate more because I’d put off asking the person for help.
ReplyDeleteUnlike many others I feel that I am one not to procrastinate, simply because I have no time in my life to waste by procrastinating. Everyday after school I have cross country practice which sucks up a good two, sometimes two and a half hours of my life. During this time I could be doing something productive, but I choose to stay active and run for fun. (HA, that rhymes lol) Usually I would go home immediately after practice and take my fifteen minute shower, have dinner with the family, and then start my homework, but if the day was like yesterday, it went a lot more hectic because on Mondays and Wednesday's I go to the physical therapist for my knee where I am kept until five to seven thirty, which is another good time period where I could do my homework or test out this procrastinating thing. As others would say I am someone who likes to work now and play later because it makes life so much easier when things are done and out of the way. I feel that procrastinating is not worth it because it just waste time that you could be doing work and it adds unnecessary stress on your day that you quite frankly don't need at all. We all have enough stress dealing with our senior year. I think that Ms. Rubin's tips can help decrease or eliminate someones procrastination because it simply lists what to do and how to start of slow because sometimes I find that my friends are often addicted to procrastinating and often need to go to rehab for it! I will definitely be helping my friends deal with their procrastinating by telling them little tips on how to get through it. For example, like Ms. Rubin has said, a procrastinator may start out slow then take little breaks in between to help get themselves settled.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a person who tends to procrastinate, but often putting something off allows me to complete it more efficiently. I know that I am a person who works best under pressure, and therefore I can pump my work out quickly and efficiently as I get closer to the deadline. I like to think that my procrastination is not always bad and can actually be advantageous, because it promotes my efficiency and resourcefulness. That being said, I often find myself getting anxious if I have a lot to do and cannot concentrate on whatever I am doing at the time because I am preoccupied. I agree with Amber in that whether or not I do something right away is decided by my mood, motivation, energy, and stress level, because some (rare) nights I do actually like to get everything done and shower and eat dinner and get to bed early. I think that Ms. Rubin's tips can definitely be helpful - especially the one about taking a task on in steps - because I have always found that when I have a deadline rapidly approaching and have a lot to do I can be overwhelmed when I think of the whole pile of things to do, but things seem more manageable and I can get a lot more done a lot quicker if I break it down and take it one part at a time. I think that not being afraid to ask for help can also be beneficial, because often I will put off a task simply because I do not know what to do or where to start and do not want to ask anyone for help but would rather put it off to figure it out myself. I also think that working through the task for 15 minutes straight could be helpful, because the hardest part is often starting the task, and as soon as I start I get into a rhythm and it flows more quickly, so concentrating for 15 minutes could lead to concentrating for a lot longer. Overall, I think that these tips are pretty helpful and realistic and I will try to keep them in mind as I continue my ongoing battle against senioritis.
ReplyDeleteI personally am a big believer in "why do today what you can put off until tomorrow". I have a big problem with procrastination, waiting the day before to start the 8 page research paper. I find this to be more likely when it is not an assignment I want to do. When I took bio last year, I tended to do that homework first since I enjoyed it. It wasn't hard to make myself do bio homework because I enjoyed it. It would be harder to force myself to do history homework though, because I hated the class. If I try to get the annoying work out of the way first, then finishing it won't be a problem. There is also the amount of homework that affects my procrastination, if there is a lot of homework I realize that it needs to get done so I write a checklist. The checklist helps to show work getting done so it is motivation. Sometimes I also have a reward program set up for myself; every time I finish a homework I can go on facebook for 10 minutes or something along those lines. These kinds of things help me to lower my level of procrastination. I just have to not procrastinate stopping my procrastination.
ReplyDeleteI've never been much of a procrastinator. Sure, there are always those moments when I wait till two days before to write an essay, but ever since I was in Kindergarten I always tried to complete my homework as soon as I got home from school. I always try to complete my homework as soon as possible since I have so many other extracurricular activities and assignments to complete. Stress definitely builds as time passes, and my work remains incomplete. Yet being at IHA has effected my work ethic, and not in a good way. With my constant assignments and essays I often tend to put the most lengthy ones aside. I try to accomplish all of the smaller, easier tasks first before diving head first into my essay or project. Personally, I don't think Ms. Reuben's tips will help me. When it comes down to it, if I really don't want to do something, I always find a way to put it off. The way I try to combat my procrastination when it seems to be getting the best of me is by giving myself a timeline of what needs to be completed before what time. My method allows me to procrastinate, but at the same time gives myself a deadline.
ReplyDeleteI would consider myself a procrastinator, if I really have to do an assignment I can make myself do it but I tend to push most things off as long as I can. Procrastination always seems worth it at the time, but I think when you're cramming to get work done at the last minute it really isn't worth it to procrastinate and add all that extra stress on yourself. Unlike my other classmates, I actually do long term assignments when they are assigned but wait to do my homework due tomorrow until it's 11 at night. I'm sure Ms. Rubin's tips could help procrastination but the problem is a horrible procrastinator probably would put off trying the tips, so I'm not sure if it would ever get done. I don't really avoid procrastination I just do it when I know it's my absolute last chance to get an assignment done-which is not really a method of avoiding procrastination at all!
ReplyDeleteI think i am the biggest procrastinator i know! I hate this about myself and wish i didnt wait so long to complete things, but i have come to accept it is a part of who i am. I dont think procrastination is ever worth doing, because you ultimately cause more stress on yourself. I'm sure some on Mrs Rubins types will work to help fight procrastination but ultimately i think it has something to do with your personaility. If the task you are trying to complete uninteresting or boring you may put off doing it as long as possible. I find this is the case with me, if i have to write an essay i will wait until two days before to start it, but if i have to do something creative like art i will start doing it right away because i enjoy it. If i really focus i tend to be able to avoid procrastinating but usually i find it is just a part of who i am.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a procrastinator! I hate it but I just can't seem to change my ways. I adds stress so I don't even know why I wait until the last minute to do things. I can honestly say that I write essays the night before they're due. I think Ms. Rubin's tips could be helpful to some people. I have tried some of those tips, and I somehow find myself still procrastinating. Like Katie said, if a task is boring, I'll put it off until the last minute because I have better, more interesting things to do. Although after procrastinating, I am able to do things more efficiently in a short amount of time without distractions. I don't think my procrastination can be "fixed" immediately, maybe it's something that will go away over time, or maybe I'll have a bad experience from procrastinating.
ReplyDeleteI think that I'm more of a work now play later type of person, however I procrastinate in the sense that I'll leave everything until the day before it's due. When I get home, I do whatever needs to be done for the next day, but tend to really procrastinate in terms of long running assignments or other things that need to be started earlier. To me, my method of semi-procrastination doesn't typically add stress. I find that I complete my best essays and projects under pressure. However, I can see how procrastination can get to the point of being completely overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think Ms. Rubin's tips can be really helpful, especially the one about not getting preoccupied by the work itself. When I do procrastinate on completing those projects or essays, it's usually because I don't know where to start or know it's going to be really time consuming.
I would say that I am a person who does procrastinate with the things that I don't like doing. I always say that I can do it later and then when that time comes I realize that I did not need this unnecessary stress. Ellie said that she finds that when she does procrastinate she tends to do her work more efficiently knowing that the work needs to be done. I find that happens to me too, however, in result of that it may not be the best work I could have done because I am rushing. It often seems to me that when I put things off they are the nights that I do not have time to do them or need to go to bed early because I have a meet the next day. You would think I would learn by now. I think Mrs. Rubin's tips will help a lot though; especially the one about doing something for fifteen minutes at a time and then eventually those fifteen minutes add up. What I sometimes try to do to avoid procrastination is tell myself I won't be able to do something with my friends because my work will not be done. Sometimes it works other times it doesn't. I think I need to put more of an effort in to stop my procrastination rather than take such a laid back approach to it.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a procrastinator. I usually schedule myself to do things at a certain time and when that time comes if I really don't want to do it won't get done. I think I have always tried to tackle bigger things and then let the smaller things get put aside. I don't think Mrs. Rubin's tips will help me because I have already set a system for myself and if I really don't feel like doing something it won't get done. In my opinion my procrastination isn't that bad. As long as my work gets done, I'm fine with it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I thought I blogged but I never copied my blog from the word document into the actual blog page. :P
ReplyDeleteThough I wish to say I'm always a "work now play later" sort of person, that would be an utter lie. I find myself always going through Rubin's first point of "putting myself in a jail cell." I stress the importance of a task, but I can never find myself to start because of the high amounts of stress I put on myself. I actually didn't realize this until now...
ReplyDeleteI think that these tips are just what I need for this time of year, I just wish
I stumbled upon them earlier. As I post my response one week late because I procrastinated...
I am a huge procrastinator....When i have a lot of homework to do but my friends ask me to go to the mall or something, i never hesitate to go with them. I just always have a gut feeling that i will get my work done at some point and so i don't even think about it when i am doing something else that is enjoyable. I have to say that i think i would be less stressed if i did not procrastinate, but then i wonder if i would miss opportunities to gain experiences and enjoy myself if i didn't do things because i had to do my homework that very second. In this sense, i sometimes cannot tell if procrastinating is worth it; i guess it is based on specific situation and whether or not the thing that you are putting your work off for is beneficial to you in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ms. Rubin's tips can be helpful, especially the one about protecting myself from interruption. Whenever i don't have soccer practice, i try to go to the library and dedicate two hours to do my work....I really have noticed that i am less stressed when i get to the library with no distractions.
I am a huge procrastinator! I do however get my work done. Some people procrastinate to no end that they are not able to get their work down. However, I do procrastinate but I make sure I get my homework done. I would say that I guess it hurts since you are leaving it to the last moment but I have luckily not experienced that. Procrastination can be a bad thing but if in the end you finish your work and get the best grade possible then there really isnt any reason for you to change. I definitely think that his tips can work but you have to obey by them. Someone could come up with the best plan possible for anything but if you dont stick to it, then it would make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely someone who procrastinates. I don't know why, but it just happens. I find myself procrastinating in anything, even things that I love to do! Procrastinating adds unecessary stress because I usually end up doing something the night before, so I have less time to complete it. Then I end up wishing that I started it earlier. I procrastinate all the time. I have all the tools not to procrastinate, I make to-do lists, I am somewhat organized and I have motivation, but when I actually get down to starting to work on something, I end up getting distracted. I do think that Dr. Rubin's tips will help because it makes it easier to not get distracted and break up things to do into little pieces, so a daunting task does not feel so daunting. I feel as though if I actually follow her tips, I can actually get things done.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely someone who performs to work later and play now. I am very easily distracted and procrastination just seems to happen. Most of the time assignments seem to surprise me even though I knew I’ve had them for quite some time. Procrastination is definitely not worth it, it is unnecessary stress that induces poor work and low quality performance on different tasks/assignments. I probably procrastinate on everything that is asked of me unless it is something that is EXTREMELY interesting or appealing to my interests. I don’t think it is as much of me procrastinating as it is me trying to organize my assignments’ priority. I think her tips will help but it depends on the person. What works for some may not work for others, everyone is different in how they respond to certain guidelines. I try to fix my procrastination my writing my assignments more than one time and in several different places, I also use a lot of colors because that is what is appealing to me and allows me to remember more easily.
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