[radcliff]

I'm currently taking a class that comes due at the end of December. I have four writing assignments to complete and a final exam. For months, I kept putting them off, convincing myself that they were easy and I could do them later. Now with only 20 days left till my deadline, I'm still not accomplishing anything.

The problem is that I can't manage distractions. For months, I've conditioned myself to procrastinate, and now I'm stuck in a self-destructive pattern that I can't escape. The closer I get to the end of the month, the more stressed I get. I doubt I'll sleep well tonight. The sad thing is the assignments ARE actually easy. I basically have to write a couple short movie reviews, which is something I've been doing in my free time for years. I'm confident I can get an easy A if I can just apply myself, but it's soooooooooo hard to focus.

I feel hopeless and lost, and if I fail this class, I will have lost $800 of my own money for nothing. I had nine months to finish this homework. Nine months to finish four writing assignments. If I can't finish...I don't know if I could forgive myself.

[K2TOG]

You can do it! Procrastinating steals your time and I struggle with it in school too. Just set your mind to complete the assignments and work really hard. You don't want to live with that regret and guilt. Good luck!

[IceMachine]

I completed my finals today and as a result of my low mood I have at least one "C" that could have been an "A" had I not been so depressed. The other class I may have failed. You can do it ... you still have time.

[radcliff]

Originally Posted by IceMachine

I completed my finals today and as a result of my low mood I have at least one "C" that could have been an "A" had I not been so depressed. The other class I may have failed. You can do it ... you still have time.

I'm sorry to hear that I had to withdraw from all my classes last semester at the last minute, because I couldn't complete the assignments. The one course I kept I ended up failing.

Look on the brightside though, at least you passed!

[mazing]

Ugh... I've definitely been there - procrastination habits can be so difficult to break!

The best thing I can suggest that worked for me is to schedule time for work. Find somewhere clear of the distractions and try to work on one bit at a time (even if thats only 10/20 minutes). If possible break down the tasks into small sections and dedicate a certain amount of time to each one.

I found that if I could force myself to just start a draft outline or start researching a paper then I could often become interested in it and convince myself to keep going. And if not I would try again with another 20 minutes later on. It sometimes ended up being a slow process but eventually one way or another it meant the reports were done.

And as I also said try to find somewhere clear of the distractions. I would let my family know so they wouldn't bother me, lock myself in the spare room (boring - nothing big to distract me) and just try to work. If I got overwhelmed or distracted I would take a few minute break, get a drink and try again. Basically tried to retrain myself into how to concentrate on work.

You can do this It definitely isn't always easy but it is possible.

Good luck!!

[radcliff]

I failed the class.