As much as we would all like to deny it, we all procrastinate, especially with long term projects. I have run into this problem many times with this project. It’s not due for another month, so why should I waste time when my favorite television show is on? In the back of my mind, I always know the answer. If I don’t do it today, I’ll have to do it tomorrow. I have had to force myself to do lots of things in this project. How else am I going to get 43 assignments done? When I procrastinate, I feel so guilty. I’ll be lying in bed at night, and I can’t sleep. I’ll think over my day, and I’ll realize that I didn’t do anything for the Revolutions project. This means that I have to do twice the work tomorrow, and I actually consider getting out of bed at 11:00 at night to margin note Chapter 7 in our textbook, but I always decide to get some sleep instead. The only way to avoid this terrible feeling is to actually do the work.
I chose to do this project in a specific order. The first thing that I did was find some friends to work with on two of the main projects. We picked the topic of the Underground Railroad, and every work period we had, we worked on that. At home, I worked on all the little things first, like the stained glass coloring, or passing my geography tests on Sheppard Software. This way, I get all the easy assignments out of the way, and then I can just focus on the bigger ones without worrying about the smaller things. Other people I know are doing the big things first to get them out of the way, and I think both strategies have benefits and faults. With my strategy, I have to make sure that I leave enough time to do the big things and put lots of effort into them. People who choose the other strategy have to make sure that they don’t forget about the little things. Whatever strategy a person chooses to use, there will always be some pros and cons.
I have used some different strategies to help me with this project. I planned out all the assignments and when I wanted to be done with them. I broke some of the bigger projects into chunks. For the Literature Packet, I decided when I wanted to be done with each individual story, so it was easier not to procrastinate and then do them all in one night. I split the reading into groups of 5 pages. I also chose to plan out what I wanted to have done by each of the Mondays, not each individual day. This way, if I have a lot of other homework in other subjects on one night, I can do that first and not get off track if I don’t get everything I wanted to done. It also gives me the weekends to catch up if I was busy during the week. I have also found that it helps if I do one thing a night, even if it is something small like one story in the Literature Packet. This way, the big project doesn’t feel so big. I’ll always want to procrastinate. I can’t change that, but I can change how I deal with it.
"Procrastination manifests itself within every aspect of your life." -excerpt from David McRaney’s blog
I have used some different strategies to help me with this project. I planned out all the assignments and when I wanted to be done with them. I broke some of the bigger projects into chunks. For the Literature Packet, I decided when I wanted to be done with each individual story, so it was easier not to procrastinate and then do them all in one night. I split the reading into groups of 5 pages. I also chose to plan out what I wanted to have done by each of the Mondays, not each individual day. This way, if I have a lot of other homework in other subjects on one night, I can do that first and not get off track if I don’t get everything I wanted to done. It also gives me the weekends to catch up if I was busy during the week. I have also found that it helps if I do one thing a night, even if it is something small like one story in the Literature Packet. This way, the big project doesn’t feel so big. I’ll always want to procrastinate. I can’t change that, but I can change how I deal with it.
Picture from: http://shortsandlongs.wordpress.com/
For more information about procrastination, read David McRaney's blog: http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/10/27/procrastination/
Robin,
ReplyDeleteI can completely understand and relate to almost everything you have said because I have had a lot of the same experiences during this project. I can definitely relate to just wanting to go do something like watch TV instead of actually starting the cultures project. I can also connect with feeling as if I haven't done anything. I also really like the way that you broke down and planned out the project for yourself. I think it is an excellent way to do this long-term project.
From,
Beatrice
Hi Robin,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, it is easy to put off cultures work. After doing the rest of my homework, It is easy to just watch TV and "do it tomorrow", even though I sometimes don't get to it. I end up just forsing my self to do part before I let myself watch TV and become lazy. It is sometime hard to tell if you have done enough or too much. Sometimes, I say that I am going to finish the whole lit packet, and that is way too much work for 1 night. Do you find yourself making deals with yourself to try to get something done?
Annie
Thanks so much for commenting. Annie, I think I do make deals with myself sometimes, like that if I finish one part of the project, then I get to listen to music for 15 minutes, or something like that. If I tell myself that a break will follow the work,I don't feel as bad when I'm working because I know that when I'm done I'll get to do something I enjoy. Beatrice, thank you so much for your feedback. I'm glad that this blog can help you! Thanks again.
Delete-Robin
Robin,
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your blog. Once I had a month to do a book report and read the book in two days, but forgot to do the project until the last night and I had to go back and read parts of the book I didn't remember much. I really like the comic in your blog. I have also tried using the work then break system, but I find my self taking to much time on the breaks. What should I do about this?
Zachary
Robin,
ReplyDeleteI am a HUGE procrastinator and you know that about me! I have tried a lot of different tactics but not very many of them have worked! One thing I have tried a lot is the tactic where you do one a night, but it doesn't seem to work for me. Do you have any suggestions?
Hey Emma and Zachary, thanks so so so so much for commenting! Zachary, I know what you mean when you say you let the breaks get too long. I think it's helpful to set a timer. Know how long you want your break to be, and don't let it exceed that limit. Make sure you only watch one video, or play two games of Frogger, or listen to 3 songs. This way you know when your break is up, and it helps bring you back to the real world. Emma, why don't you think the one a night trick didn't work for you? Remember, one thing a night is just a minimum. If you have no other homework, then feel free to do more! In fact, you probably should. It also helps to plan out when you will have homework. If you know you won't be able to do a thing the next night, do two things to make up for it. Thanks so much!
Delete-Robin