Focus on the study schedule
Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.
William James
Year 12 examinations start today and it would seem timely to check how students are managing the procrastination bug. Some students are motivated intrinsically, while others respond well to extrinsic motivation. As parents we may remind our daughters, “Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?” This may be the only motivation some need, while others put things off for days and weeks! Given that tasks are looming on the assessment schedules across year levels, I share these practical tips and techniques, as strategies for parents to help their daughters deal with procrastination, (extracted from thedailymind.com).
1. Just do it!
One of the best slogans ever created was by Nike when they told the world’s aspiring athletes and sportspeople to “just do it”. Of course, they meant “just do it while wearing our gear” but the essence is still helpful. Getting in to the habit of just doing it is a very helpful thing to do. As soon as she gets a task, she should start on it. The best thing she can do is start and finish it as soon as possible. “Forget all the mental chatter that is going on in your head and just do it!” Completing the cover page of an assignment task is the beginning of that task.
2. Realise that you are procrastinating
If a student does not acknowledge that she is a procrastinator she will not be able to overcome this problem. One of the most powerful things she can do when thoughts of putting it off arise in her mind is to look straight at those thoughts and realise that she is about to procrastinate.
If she can catch her mind at this early stage it is a lot easier to overcome the power of procrastination. It is when she entertains those thoughts and acknowledges them as important that it becomes a problem that is difficult to control. For example, many students are addicted to Instagram. They sit down at the computer and say, “I’ll just spend five minutes looking at Instagram and then I will do some work”. If she were to look closely at her mind she would see a tiny conversation going on – her procrastinator mind is trying to get her to put it off and is thinking of 1000 reasons why she shouldn’t start work yet. However, if she can see that mind for what it truly is, she will be able to beat the urge to put it off.
3. Remember your motivations
If your daughter has been putting off an action like finishing an essay, then it is sometimes helpful to remind her to remember why she is doing that thing in the first place. If we can remind ourselves of our initial motivations we will be less likely to stay off task. Some girls put visual reminders around their study space.
4. Write down a timeline for every goal
Another way a student can use intrinsic motivation is by writing down exactly what she wants to achieve and by what date. For example, if she has a big assignment due at the end of March she might write down three or four dates in March when she needs to have things done by, e.g. March 3: finalise draft, March 10: complete research, March 12: begin introduction, and so on. When we write down goals and give them a date we make it much more accessible. We thus take it out of our head and put it down on to paper where we can continue to remind ourselves without being stressed by thoughts and concepts. We stop procrastination because we now have certain deadlines that we have to work with in some way, shape or form.
5. Take away distractions
A lot of people need to take away distractions. Some students find they cannot study at home, as they watch TV or use social networking sites or do anything to delay study mode. These students know they need to isolate themselves to a private study retreat, where they have no distractions immediately on hand. The real key is to have some sense of inner discipline. A procrastinator will want to find distractions but it is up to her to keep on target. Even if all the distractions are taken away, she will still find an excuse to procrastinate... so intrinsic motivation is an essential ingredient.
Mrs Kim Kiepe
Principal