Procrastination Strategies

[ice_blockie]

AHG! Procrastination. Don't we all love it??? I think I waste ages each day procrastinating (well it includes getting home and sitting in front of the tv until its almost dinner and quickly doing 15 mins of hw out of guilt...LOL.

Anyway, enough said of my personal disorder, here's 2 weirdass procrastination strategies that WORKED!!! I got my homework done and study amazingly finished. (before the novelty wore off).

1. The (10+2)*5 technique. This is for people who have REALLY low attention span. Its plastered all over the internet but heres the lowdown. Spend 10 minutes intensively doing work and then spend 2 minutes for down time (i.e. going for a stretch, a quick drink or snack, or some activity unrelated to what you're doing...maybe a sodoku!). Then spend another 10 minutes doing work and followed by 2 minutes break. 10 minutes plus 2 equals 12. 12 times 5 equals one hour! DONE! NOTE: You must be ON TIME.

Best used with timer (gives you motivation to finish before timer does too . This technique attempts to reduce amount of time day dreaming because you are continuously under the pump. Maybe not so good for long periods of time but good for when you have a VERY BUSY schedule and you need to get things done.

If your attention span is not as low, adjust where necessary. If you think work time needs to be more change it to maybe (15+5)*3 and so on.

2. The Pendulum technique. ( not real name...i forgot it ) This is for people who get bored with doing one thing for a extended period. Choose 3 activities and write them done on a list. For example:

1. Read 4 chapters of 1984
2. Finish 20 methods questions
3. Clean up bedroom (its an example okay!)

After them write down the numbers 5, 10 and 20.

What you do is for 5 mins do activity 1. After exactly five minutes, STOP. STOP IMMEDIATELY. Cross out the number 5 next to activity one (yay I reached my first goal) Then go on to activity 2 for 5 minutes. Then STOP and do activity 3 for 5 minutes. Then go back to activity for 10 minutes and so forth for 20 minutes.

The aim of this technique to gradually increase the amount of time you spend, reducing the chance of getting bored easily. If you feel numbers need changing go ahead. But you must keep the same the idea that the time is increasing gradually. Do not have chunks of time like 1 hour then 2 hours then 3 lmao.

These techniques are provided here as a guide only for those who need a structured study session. If you don't need them don't use them!!! Each person knows how long they can concentrate for, so no one else can tell you that 50 minutes is the best amount of time for a study session as opposed to a 20 minute session. Anyway...signing off.

[Eriny]

My biggest procrastination source at home is my computer. So, I decided that I would have two desks, one for work and one for computer and I would not sit on the computer desk until I had finished the work I wanted to do. I guess that worked, unless I had to do work on the computer

I also tended to procrastinate a lot at school during spares, so I decided that if I worked for a 50 minute spare, that would count as an hour of study that I didn't have to do later. That worked too.

[/0]

At school I work hard, at home I cbf and just waste time on the computer. I think it has to do with the study atmosphere.

On the whiteboard next to my desk at home I have the work I have to do for each subject, everyday. I have a timetable, goals to work towards, and it's all quite clear. I haven't followed it ever. I don't think the problem lies in planning, it lies in getting off your ass and doing work (at least that's the case with me) .

[cara.mel]

and I would not sit on the computer desk until I had finished the work I wanted to do. I guess that worked, unless I had to do work on the computer

We're alike again! =o
I found removing the network cable from my computer, when the worlds of homework and computer overlapped, was a good deterrent. Because otherwise you'd be like 'hmm I'll just check FSN for a minute', half an hour later you're still there, an hour later someone from there has bugged you to come on msn, etc etc, then suddenly it's time to go to sleep =(

I couldn't study at school. Mainly because it is too loud and has too many distractions. Alternatively, I'd spend my study periods helping other people with stuff (or watching mario kart, depending what mood the fellow members of my study period were doing). And I didn't do homework/study in class when I had finished for similar reasons. Hardly stepped a foot in school for swot vac except for chinese

[enwiabe]

I did most of my procrastination at school. In fact, I got kicked out of the study room for disturbing others and playing games. Heh. >_> At home I'd generally focus by going into a room of the house where no TV/computer existed. The trouble was getting off my computer and actually going to said room. Distractions suck.

[costargh]

Hey enwiabe, remember when you first banned me from the site? And I couldnt even see anything on freestudynotes? Like I couldnt even see the forums at all? Well I was wondering if you could do tha for me till the 1st of feb or something so I can get my work done.

Im posting this publicly so If I get banned people know its a mutual agreeance on the ban and not a punishment (in a sense it is LOL)

[bilgia]

computer games got me...