June 2, 2011
Real Life College Student Blog: Declaring War on Procrastination
Today’s Real Life College Student Blog comes from Utah college student, Cole Spicker. He currently studies Chemistry and Spanish and really enjoys reading, good food and great friends. Cole admits he’s a little “obsessed with education” and “hopes to make lasting, positive contributions to society.” Over the last few weeks, Cole taught you about the basics of Facebook professionalism, social media best practices as a college student (“Excuse me, but your Facebook is totally showing”) and how to use social media to create your personal brand (“Using Social Media to Create Your Personal Brand”). This week, Cole is providing you with great advice on one of the biggest problems college students face everyday; Procrastination. Join Cole in the fight against laziness and declare war on procrastination!
One of the many armaments of a great college student is a task list, a list that has everything you need to do for the day, week, month, and even year. I have to have a daily organizer for a successful day and for a successful year at school. Luckily, an iPhone app aids me in my high-achieving hopes. So, I proudly wave my iPhone above my head as a banner and as a symbol of efficacy. Will you join me? Will you join me in declaring war on procrastination?
The enemy:
For me, procrastination is really the No. 1 evil that keeps me from doing my best. Think of the last time you procrastinated (really ANY time you procrastinated). More than likely you can recall some wishy-washy excuses your brain fabricated for postponing the work, temporarily easing your stress. Probably something like “It’s getting late; I might as well not start now and can begin tomorrow morning when I’m all fresh and rested,” or “I don’t have everything I need to begin the project; I might as well wait till I have everything ready.” Do these sound familiar?
Be honest with yourself:
If we are honest with ourselves, we should be saying “I am bored with this and I am lazy, so I’m not going to do it.” We procrastinate but we don’t want to admit to ourselves that we do so. Our ego is truly a powerful force. We’d rather make up excuses and avoid the truth than face the cold facts of life.
Stick to a daily agenda:
To combat procrastination, there are many tools in the armory: A daily agenda (as aforementioned), a work progress journal, routines, and the like. Spending a few minutes each night to plan out the following day in my agenda works best for me. Some say that taking a few minutes of the morning to do so is best for them. In the morning, I feel a bit rushed to I try to take care of as many things possible the night previous. To stick to the plan, you have to refer to your agenda every hour. You can make sure you’re on-task and adjust plans if necessary.
Keep a work progress journal:
A work progress journal is a great weapon among your anti-procrastination repertoire. A work progress journal helps you face the truth. After having planned your day, write down all of the tasks associated with the day in a spiral notebook or other journal. Label the list with the date and make note of the most important and time-requiring tasks. At the end of the day, if you have completed all of the tasks, happily write “all completed.” If you fail to complete a task(s), write an explanation beside the task(s). It is easy to tell yourself nonsensical excuses, but having to write them down in ink on paper will you help you discover their foolishness. After seeing so many lame excuses, there will be no escape from this reality: You are being lazy! Quite a blow to the good old ego, wouldn’t you say? Results: Motivation up, procrastination down.
Declaring war on procrastination is not a quick and easy thing to do. It will require time and dedication. So whatever the task is (anything from filling out a FAFSA to make sure you receive financial aid to typing up a 25-page report for one of your classes), arm yourself with the appropriate weaponry: schedule the appropriate amount of time, get rid of distractions (i.e. turn off your cellphone), stick to these guidelines, and CHARGE! Defeat the pernicious procrastination! (Read Declaring War on Procrastination, Pt. 2)
If you have any questions or comments for Real Life College Student, Cole Spicker, please leave them in the comment box below.
Check out past articles from the Real Life College Student Blog
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