[Discussion] How do you deal with procrastination?

[lndra]

I've dealt with this issue for quite some time, and I would like to hear how others deal with this. I had a giant problem with it during high school, rather than doing my work or studying, I would look up random things on the internet, watch YouTube videos, read Manga, and other non important things until the last minute.

Even now I struggle with it despite it mainly being a first world problem. I'm curious if anyone else has the same issue, and if so, how do you deal with it? I'm going to start College this year and I'm really determined to start a good term. However I'm really anxious with even more free control on my hands, and the lack of parental guidance that I usually had when living with my parents.

Thanks for the advice in advance.

 

[Ōkami]

I just listen to music.

 

[Guntah]

I embrace it.

 

[lndra]

I just listen to music.

lol.

I usually start listening to music when it's 3AM, haven't slept at all, and just finished pacing in my room about how I wasted all these hours not doing what I was supposed to be doing. Then I finally get my work done (hopefully) before the morning hits and then go to school.

Literally the story of my life when it comes to big projects, or just studying for an important test.

 

[~Ethereal~]

It was a big issue for me in college and in the first year of Uni. XD Nowadays, I only procrastinate if I already know the topics inside and out...in Uni, you can't afford to it. One lecture you missed and a big chunk of your mark goes.

 

[Jazzy Stardust]

college will definitely teach you time management. before i dropped out i noticed it in myself and other students i talked to on campus. you just have to retrain your behavior and for a lot of people paying so much to be there bring the change

"Work Hard, Play Harder"​

you had to have heard that classic saying because its true. set apart a time to work on what needs to be done and a time to do the things you like to do. i can still procrastinate dont get me wrong but for the most part i try to get whatever work out of the way, so i dont have to worry about it later

 

[InfiniteMugen]

It took a change in how i mentally saw things, high school was forced so procrastination was easy, plus I was a good test taker so I had no problems. But we CHOOSE to pursue higher education(usually). Once you hit a bad grade or what not due to procrastination I think it'll fix itself, it's different when your the one paying to go lol not really advice just personal experience

 

[Sasuke The Solo God]

Hope this helps

Spoiler

[video=youtube;ZXsQAXx_ao0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXsQAXx_ao0[/video]

Nah seriously it can crush you, just have to make sure you motivate yourself. Make a decision to be successful (in a class for example) and then just set small study session goals each day, and eventually it will become habitual.

 

[To Whatever]

Simple: Keep doing it until you're left with no choice but to stop procrastinating. I learned that the hard way but it overall improved my life after I ****ed it over doggy-style by procrastinating in the first place.

I am literally 90% 'do it now", 5%" do it later", and 15% "oh shit i forgot"

 

[Wparker6804]

I've dealt with this issue for quite some time, and I would like to hear how others deal with this. I had a giant problem with it during high school, rather than doing my work or studying, I would look up random things on the internet, watch YouTube videos, read Manga, and other non important things until the last minute.

Even now I struggle with it despite it mainly being a first world problem. I'm curious if anyone else has the same issue, and if so, how do you deal with it? I'm going to start College this year and I'm really determined to start a good term. However I'm really anxious with even more free control on my hands, and the lack of parental guidance that I usually had when living with my parents.

Thanks for the advice in advance.

The firststep (getting started) is the hardest. One solution is getting yourself energetic (for me, listening to music) as well as constantly reminding yourself of risk/reward for weather or not you do it. Get a job that requires up and about physical work (something that takes genuine physical effort) and take it as seriously as you can (even if it's more than it really is) to feel motivated & self-rewarding. Did that after College & it worked like a charm.

 

[Tantalus Thief]

just motivate yourself. I have a problem with it sometimes but it usually works out for me depending on the problem. Im my years at HS if I had like an important assignment I get motivated so I won't get a bad grade. Basically think about the consequences if you don't do it if it becomes too late.

 

[Flakez]

I don't. I just hope it doesn't ruin me.

Helps that the school system here sucks, so I never had problems despite never studying.

 

[Narushima]

In general I've found only one strategy to be effective at consistently dealing with this - make your goals less susceptible to procrastination, that is, make them more 'in the present' and more concrete.

So for example when I was studying I found goals like "I'm going to thoroughly understand the calculus of variations this week by completing that chapter on my textbook" nearly impossible to attempt without procrastinating. The problem with those sort of goals is that they're too vague, broad and have too big a time-frame to be done in.

Whereas goals like "I'm going to study for 4 hours today regardless of how much class material I cover" were a lot easier to approach in the first place, even if I couldn't quite finish them (e.g. I'd often only get 2-3 hours of studying done even though I intended to do 4).

Later on I would find by far the best strategy to tackle procrastination when studying - what various writers on this subject have called "focus bursts."

I would do the following: open my textbook or lecture notes or whatever (turn distractions like the internet off - unplug the router if you can etc) and then study with a stopwatch (use your phone).

I'd then concentrate intensely on the work until my stopwatch recorded 20 minutes (it is a well established fact that the natural attention span of most adults is about 20 minutes) after which I'd pause the stopwatch and take a few minutes break. This is the 'focus burst.'

Rinse and repeat.

Over the 2 years or so of studying with this method I've noted that the time you record on your stopwatch - the 'focus burst' time - tends to not reflect the time people think they are actually working or studying in the real world. Work in the real world unsurprisingly turns out to be highly inefficient.

Depending on your motivation, mood etc the efficiency of the burst can vary but I've found that on average it is about 66% - so if you record 2 hours on your stopwatch this means that you've done 3 hours of 'real world' studying, i.e. 3 hours of what other people would consider to be serious studying. So don't worry about recording too many hours on your stopwatch.

 

[Venomous Cobra]

I never dealt with it nor do I intend to since I'm basically lying to myself if I say "ok from now on I'll do shit in its proper time", I still do shit at the last moment bu5 somehow I don't end with bad grades

 

[ANiMUS]

Easy, i feed it :| I currently have a demo that i am supposed to be working with someone else on, and thanks to my slowing around i just finished the script today. I am supposed to be test driving it right now, but instead i decided to stop by NB

 

[DominiqueX]

Ooooh yes, that's a big problem to me as well. It got way worse after I finished school to be honest. In school, I never really studied and still managed somehow to pass all exams that I needed. Not because I'm smart, simply because I was unbelievably lucky.

And now, with all the freedom, I'm a complete mess and delay any important thing as long as I possibly can. >.>

 

[Jazzy Stardust]

Easy, i feed it :| I currently have a demo that i am supposed to be working with someone else on, and thanks to my slowing around i just finished the script today. I am supposed to be test driving it right now, but instead i decided to stop by NB

hate to say it but those are the signs that whatever youre working on sucks or isnt really that great to you lolxD

 

[ANiMUS]

hate to say it but those are the signs that whatever youre working on sucks or isnt really that great to you lolxD

So many other fun things to do XD

 

[Yubel]

I've dealt with this issue for quite some time, and I would like to hear how others deal with this. I had a giant problem with it during high school, rather than doing my work or studying, I would look up random things on the internet, watch YouTube videos, read Manga, and other non important things until the last minute.

Even now I struggle with it despite it mainly being a first world problem. I'm curious if anyone else has the same issue, and if so, how do you deal with it? I'm going to start College this year and I'm really determined to start a good term. However I'm really anxious with even more free control on my hands, and the lack of parental guidance that I usually had when living with my parents.

Thanks for the advice in advance.

Yep, I had the same problem yet I always came through with my studies.

First of all the word procrastination makes you think in the wrong way, let's call it what it is. Resistance, when you want to do a certain thing you feel resistance towards, you end up needing to exert alot of mental effort and concentration to stick with that task for any length of time.

The reason for this is because you have extrinsic motivation to study, meaning you want to do it to get good grades(seek reward) and avoid pain(not fail your grades). When you have extrinsic motivation, you only think about the event, the end result, meaning you have no interest in the process.

The problem happens when the struggle of the process is as strong or stronger than the reward.

So what does this all mean?

You need to change how you look at school and studies, you must create intrinsic motivation, meaning you need to develop genuine interest and curiosity for the subject of study. It also means you train yourself to enjoy the process.

The process is the goal, anytime you learn or do something, there is still more to be done. There is never an end so make sure you understand that even if you get your studies done once, you'll still need to do more and yet more untill you graduate.


In short
-You have extrinsic motivation
-You don't like studying
-Humans move toward pleasure and away from pain
-The pain of the process(studying) is equal to or stronger than the reward(good grades)
-Change it by becoming intrinsically motivated
-Like the process to empower yourself, it is never-ending.

Liking something pulls you towards it so if you need to push yourself, something is wrong.

Good luck.

 

[Osmon]

Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator.