Procrastination and Time Management
Chad D. Carter
EDP 108G
Procrastination and Time Management
Procrastinating only delays the inevitable. There are many reasons why people procrastinate, and many can be fixed by the use of time management. Procrastination in coll 20520c213u ege can prove to be a very bad thing. If you do not manage your time properly you might wait to the very last seconds to finish an assignment.
Procrastination can start with your own personal fears. If you fear failure, it could lead you to put off an assignment fearing that you will not complete it correctly. By putting it off you do not have time to review it and change things if needed. This often leads to a lower grade meaning that the fear of failure often just lowers the quality of work.
Fears leading to procrastination can start with fears of:
Imperfection
Unknown
Making Mistakes
Success
Change
Too much responsibility
Finishing
Being rejected
Making wrong decisions
These fears make a task feel overwhelming, and not enjoyable. You might want to do everything at once, making the task bigger than it really is. These fears can often be
overcome when used with time management.
Time management can help overcome fears associated with procrastination tremendously. There are many different ways to manage your time, but when combined with each other there is greater use. These techniques include; semester scheduling, weekly scheduling, and hourly scheduling. By scheduling your time, there are no surprises which means that there are no rushes.
Semester scheduling involves a semester long calendar on which you write test dates, paper dates, other due dates, and exams. By doing this you know exactly when a task is coming up, and due. Break up large assignments on this calendar. If you have a 5 page paper to write, put on your calendar to start on the assignment 1 week prior to its due date. By breaking up large assignments, it makes smaller more enjoyable tasks.
Weekly schedules let you budget your time through the week. By making a weekly schedule you know what needs to be done for the week, and make it easier to finish tasks resulting in free time. Weekly schedules also help to free up time. If you know you want to do something fun with your time, you can budget your time around it while still having plenty of time to get your work done.
Daily and hourly schedules help you manage your time around certain activities. You might need 2 hours to write a paper, so you might take four 30 minute sessions rather than the strait 2 hours. By doing this, it makes for smaller tasks that can be done quite easily and more effectively.
Study techniques also help against procrastination. Techniques such as note taking, text reading, and test preparing keep procrastination at a minimum due to studying effectively.
When taking notes first look over your course syllabus. Read and understand your syllabus. If you have any questions on what to expect from class, ask your professor. While taking notes, write only in short quick phrases. Emphasize on the main points and supporting details. By doing this you know what needs to be studied and what does not.
When reading text books, it is easier to understand if you use the SQ3R method. SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review. By using this method it is easier to understand what the passage is about, and will help you remember it. After reading go back and mark the passage. Mark all new terms, main points, and supporting details. This helps if you need to come back at a later point to review.
When preparing for tests, always remember to start early. By starting early you can organize what needs to be studied, and what you already know. While taking tests always remember to answer the easy questions first. When writing essays, start by writing a plan of the essay. Then after starting the essay, follow main points with supporting details.
With the use of time management and study techniques, you can reduce the amount of procrastination that you take. By managing your time you can reduce task size and make them more enjoyable. By using study techniques you can finish tasks faster than before, spending less time on each assignment. Not only can you improve your grades, but by not procrastinating you finish tasks earlier and get more free time than if you continued to procrastinate. Procrastinating on delays the inevitable. This means that no matter how long you procrastinate, you still have a task to finish. So why put it off if you can do it faster and more enjoyable now, than wait and fell miserable later?
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