Anyone else a procrastionator - tips?

yellowbear

I'm terrible for procrastinating.

When I was studying I would put off revising right until the last minute and then spend the last 2 nights before the test had to be in studying like mad - going to bed at midnight and getting up at 4!

I've done this for the last 5 modules I've done. Crazy.

My tutor told me procrastination is about fear, and for me that's true. I'm scared of failing and not being able to do the job I love but I'm also scared of passing cos I'll have more exams to do and I'll be back to square one!

emg

Someone on another forum posted these articles recently that have really helped me understand my own procrastination. It's not a miracle fix but i did completely identify with the process being described so it has made me much more aware of what I am doing and helped me tame my 'Instant Gratification Monkey' a little bit and spend slightly less time in 'The Dark Playground'.

http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html

http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/11/how-to-beat-procrastination.html

Disorganised_Me

There's great responses and techniques there! Thanks very much. I appreciate each one of you posting a response instead of procrastinating about it, unlike LandyAndy! ....

I've made can extreme decision - I'm abandoning the OH, the stepdaughters, the cats, and the dog, the endless cleaning, tiding, and looking after associated with housekeeping and that lot to run away to my mums for 4 days with no distractions! Fortunately for me, unfortunately for her, she's so rural that she doesn't get an internet connection, she only has basic TV and my mobile network doesn't get a signal down there. Sorry, I couldn't reply to each of you individually but I'm rushing to leave tonight after organising an extra day off after the bank holiday....

Hopefully, this will give me the kick up the bum I need to pass these exams! Thanks for the help! I'll be implementing some techniques you've mentioned.

I'll let you all know how I've got on when I get back - good or bad, it'll be good though. Positive mental attitude and all that!

Cheers :T

lincroft1710

I saw this thread yesterday, but didn't get around to replying to it until now.

Errata

To paraphrase Clive James: you have to wait until the anguish of not doing it is greater than the anguish of doing it.

chiefie

Force yourself to do a bit then give yourself a treat (whatever floats your boat) then repeat - break it up and in a few days you will be surprised how you feel.

Snakey

With two weeks to go before a professional exam:

1. Download the papers for the last 5-7 years and make a list of topics that keep coming up (give more weight to more recent papers, if it's a subject that changes over time). Concentrate your study on those areas. You're aiming for the 50% pass mark at this stage, not a thorough understanding of the obscure topics.

2. Work through practice questions under timed exam conditions. Do this almost exclusively from now on - open your study manuals only to read up on questions you were rubbish at. Mock exams from your study provider, past papers, question banks, everything you can get your hands on.

3. As part of 2, practice the techniques that are specific to the paper you're sitting - pro-forma computations etc, plus generally how to approach the questions. A lot of people who fail professional exams fail not because they don't know their stuff but because they didn't give the examiner what they wanted in the way they wanted it. So look at the model answers with this in mind, and pay attention to anything your tutor (if you are with a study provider) has said on the subject.

Anglea

I usually try one of three methods. Maybe they can help you.

1. Fantasy Rewards -

Write a to do list and give yourself a fantasy reward that is unrelated to each task eg if it's studying ask yourself how much cash would it take to spend some time on it that day? £1,000 or a meal at a 5 star restaurant that evening etc

This has given me an insight into what my hidden inner drives are. I've found that I've wanted to do the tasks just to test out the theory of big rewards.


2. Give yourself permission to avoid the task -

If there is a task I really don't want to do that day and I get all the guilt, panic, recrimination that usually follows I tell myself -

'ok, you don't have to do a thing today and lie in bed or read or go out and if you have even more to do tomorrow it doesn't matter at all' -

More often than not I start working on the task.


3. I cram the task in just before there is something I really want to do eg If I want to watch a tv show, I rush out and mow the lawn (which I dislike doing) just before it begins.


And on a final note - maybe you need to change your name from Disorganised me as it may act as a negative affirmation for you each time you see it.

meritaten

I do it too - but I do know I do it, so set myself a 'deadline'. I work very well to 'deadlines'. it makes me focus and concentrates my mind. I found this while doing my Open University course - the more time between deadlines the more I procrastinated - so found that doing the 'background' work and then setting my own 'deadline' for starting the actual work - worked for me. I think you have to do this in a way that suits you.