[beutifulxdreamr]

So... I'm going to take a little time out of my busy schedule to procrastinate some more, by asking y'all how you beat it?

I find that the web offers limitless ways for me to put things off - especially those daunting projects that I would rather suffer through later than now... even though I know if I break it up it would be easier. I think I just get so anxious thinking about all the things I have to do that I mess around doing things I'm not supposed to do so I don't have to stress about the things I do have to do... which stresses me more - where does the intervention come in this loop?

Just wondering if any one has had any luck with this. Once I get started it's usually okay... sometimes remembering that helps, but not always. How do y'all deal with procrastination?

[muse]

DUUUUUUUUUDE, I am the EXACT same way!! A few tips that I've found to be very helpful:

1. GET AWAY FROM THE SCREEN!! XD This might take a little longer, but in the long run it'll mean you actually get the work DONE--do everything and anything you can by hand, away from the computer, and then type it up later. Do your research online, print it out or take notes on it, and GET AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER! It's really hard, starting out, but gets easier as you make a habit of it.

2. ALWAYS write down your assignments! If you don't have an assignment notebook, calendar, or little datebook that you always keep with you, get one. FORCE yourself to look at it first thing when you get home from classes/school, so you remember what you have to do, and by when. Again, it's just forming a helpful habit.

3. Find a place where your brain is in "study mode." This place might not be your room! Your kitchen table, a local library, or your dorm's common area might be better for you to work in. If you work there consistently, your brain will automatically enter "work mode" when you sit down to work there. Make sure it's somewhere that you're comfortable, and where the lighting is good, etc.

4. Set time limits for yourself! Instead of just noodling around online for hours and hours, take a look at how much time you have, estimate how much you need for your work (overestimate! Budget more time, not less) and say, "I have till (blank) o'clock to play, then I work." Or, "I'll study for forty-five minutes, check my e-mail for ten, then study for another forty-five." Giving yourself time limits and sticking to them helps prevent aimless internet wandering, at least a little. ^.^

[equive]

The only thing that works for me is making a daily schedule. Like I'll wake up and make a schedule like:

9am: wake up, shower, breakfast.
11-2pm: class
2-3pm: lunch/break
3-4pm: homework
4-5pm: whatever
5-6pm: homework
6-7pm: dinner

Or whatever works for you. Because then I look at the schedule and see what I should be doing, see I have plenty of time to play around online or watch TV or do whatever I want to do, and then I feel like I have plenty of me time and also like I'm getting a lot of stuff done. And I just scribble one down in notepad or in the corner of my notebook everyday.

[beutifulxdreamr]

Originally Posted by equive

The only thing that works for me is making a daily schedule. Like I'll wake up and make a schedule like:

9am: wake up, shower, breakfast.
11-2pm: class
2-3pm: lunch/break
3-4pm: homework
4-5pm: whatever
5-6pm: homework
6-7pm: dinner

Or whatever works for you. Because then I look at the schedule and see what I should be doing, see I have plenty of time to play around online or watch TV or do whatever I want to do, and then I feel like I have plenty of me time and also like I'm getting a lot of stuff done. And I just scribble one down in notepad or in the corner of my notebook everyday.

See... I don't really have time to fit it in. I'm in my last month of my last semester of nursing school so not only are there the mounds of homework they give us, but I also am getting ready for graduation (which involves way more than I thought... like exit counseling, buying robes, getting pictures, buying a pin.... which has put a big dent in the pocket... more like a hole), and then there is preparing for the nursing boards and signing up for that, plus I'm planning a wedding right now and dealing with end of life issues in the fam... O_o;;; so like... yeah... there's no room for all of it plus my sanity I feel like sometimes. Like I don't have time to cry and deal with things the way I need to with the life change but then I also don't have time to celebrate my bond with my fiance - I can barely fit hw in (lol yet I manage to fit stuff in through procrastination).

It's hard for me to make a reasonable list, but maybe I should start planning my day more reasonably. I never plan for fun. Is that a problem o_O?

<33333 Thanks so much for that advice. It made me realize I really need to not just list things out, but plan them out. Do you think I should include fun on the list?

[equive]

Wow beutifulxdreamr! That is a lot of stuff you have going on right now! But it sounds like a lot of really positive changes in your life.

It's not exactly "fun" for me to make to-do lists or little schedules like that, but when I'm marking something off a to-do list or sticking to my schedule, I feel really accomplished, and the accomplished feeling is worth it.

I always include a few minutes of fun, or just time for me to do whatever, on my list because otherwise I feel overwhelmed and like I'm losing my sanity which I think is how you are sort of feeling. Plus, I can't sit and just study for hours on end, I just start to zone out and forget what I'm learning anyway. Taking a break like that helps me sort of recharge and take on the next task better than I would have.

And, on a personal note, I totally feel you about graduation! I'm graduating this semester too, and I thought it would be simple, but there's soooo much stuff that I almost don't even want to go! lol. Instead of thinking of everything going on, I just try to do one day at a time.

[beutifulxdreamr]

Originally Posted by equive

And, on a personal note, I totally feel you about graduation! I'm graduating this semester too, and I thought it would be simple, but there's soooo much stuff that I almost don't even want to go! lol. Instead of thinking of everything going on, I just try to do one day at a time.

Ah! Congratulations! Isn't it stressful?

Thank you for all the wonderful advice. You are an inspiration. Yes, one day at a time - I think that is what I forgot.

Good luck to you. What day do you graduate?

[equive]

I'm so glad my advice was helpful to you!

Our graduation day is May 17th It is stressful, but I signed up for easy classes this semester, so I'm not as stressed as I've been in previous semesters. But I'm definitely working hard, and worrying about where to work after college! It's so hard to believe it's over already!