HOW PROCRASTINATION BEAT ME UP.

Procrastination is one frenemy I have befriended for a long time. Now I must fight it, it is time to break up and draw the lines. I know beating procrastination would not be easy, but it is a must. I will start by saying procrastination is a habit that has caused me severe frustration. At first, she seems to be okay due to the subtle ways of entry into our lives and taking root. Procrastination has sabotaged me, papers not turned in, grades below average, and projects delayed, internships not applied for, scholarships due dates missed, the list goes on. It is self-sabotage, but the truth is I took her in and gave her a place to stay, but now enough is enough.

THE BOOK I FOUND.

The book I chose for this semester project is a book by Cal Newport, How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country’s Top Students. I chose this book because it was what I had been searching for student tips that made them successful in college. I came to love this book because of all the strategies that are life-changing when implemented. I chose to focus on specific strategies from this book to help me attain my goal. My goal was to build study systems and to beat procrastination in my life, and I would measure this by turning in this final project three days before it is due. That was a very ambitious goal I set for myself since I am a recovering chronic procrastinator. There were three effective strategies in this book. I found the first to set arbitrary deadlines, do school work every day and keep a work-progress journal.

WEEDING OUT PROCRASTINATION.

Procrastination is not laziness; this is the first thing one must understand because it eliminates the shame and guilt that stems from this habit. This mindset set me free to begin my journey of beating it. It has several causes, perfectionism, lack of motivation, fear of failure, trouble concentrating, low energy, and lack of understanding. We could all relate to a time when the project was too big, could not start it because you needed the perfect environment like a café or library due to distractions, and perfectionism, so many are unaware of these causes. These causes have a root in my life especially perfectionism, sometimes I finish the assignment in my head with how it ended but to start it is a struggle. Avoidance and lack of understanding of an assignment also play a big role. Luckily, my frenemy procrastination can be defeated. By setting goals using arbitrary deadlines, help you to plan and set mini obstacle goals to accomplish by a set date, this is often used for big projects. I also work on my homework five questions a day with the goal to submit the work two days before it’s due and lastly, I used an app called shovel to help me track my work in progress.

 

TRACKING SYSTEM I USED.

Google calendar is Holy Grail for productivity, the key here is time block, use this to also set arbitrary deadlines, google allows you to schedule tasks as such. Time blocking allows you to take responsibility for the time you set for the specific event. It is a great way to stay on top of your work.

This is an app called Google Calendar.

This is an app called shovel.

This tracker is an app called shovel, I would use this to track my assignment progress and what I got done, what this tracker highlighted was my struggles, with notes such as moved to overdue indicates that the days where I had slipped and fallen into old habits, I would recommend this app to anyone who struggles with what assignment they should work on.

TAKEAWAY.

At the end of it all, I realize that procrastination is the product of several root causes that had to be address first, as a domino effect not ridding yourself from one cause can affect another. Also, a growth mindset and intrinsic motivation are ones that had to be in place before we root this bad tree. The key is to set goals, set long-term and short-term goals. also set dream goals, before any of the strategies can be applied set these goals. For our mindset, the goal is to be kind to yourself, which can be hard due to perfectionism which leads to procrastination, to overcome this, be kind to yourself and take care of your mental health and body, rest, sleep well. Being kind to yourself also entails examining the consequences of avoidance and resist allowing procrastination to walk back into your life. Look at that the damage it will cost you. After this, fix deadlines to complete your assignment in small increments using the arbitrary deadline tool, do schoolwork every day, be consistent, and keep yourself both accountable and motivated by keeping a work in progress journal. All these systems are ones I will be using in college and beyond.