Procrastination - Why it happens and what to do about it

One of my students wrote, “Procrastination is my worst enemy.”  It is a common complaint of many college students, particularly because it is so easy to do.  No one is monitoring you or telling you what to do!  My students brainstormed why they procrastinate and ended up with a list of over 20 reasons!  Here are the top ten:

• Sleep is life!
• Something better pops up
• Not interested in the subject
• Didn’t think the information or task was very difficult before starting
• Friends pressure them to do something “better”
• Rather do something else
• Too much on their mind
• Distractions
• Too much free time – easy to put it off

When thinking about what to do about it, the list was much shorter!

• Post your goal in your room where you will see it every day
• Force yourself into a new routine
• Keep a record of every day that you go to class and do your work – this record-keeping in motivational
• Make to-do lists and don’t do anything else until the work is done
• Break a large job into smaller chunks and start with an easy one

There is no question that procrastination is a major problem for many students.  One thing I noticed was that many of the students did not have a clear career goal, so they could not see any reason for doing work instead of having fun.  Another idea is to talk with a career coach (available on my campus through the Career Center) who is trained to guide you toward a major and career you will enjoy. 

Changing your routine and habits is difficult.  But keep after it and after a week or two the new, productive routine will seem like the norm!  

*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

Qualities Needed for Success and How to Acquire Them

In my Learning Strategies classes this week we have been having very interesting discussions about what personal qualities a successful person has or needs and how to develop them.  Here are some of my students’ thoughts:

Qualities needed for success

·         Optimism
·         Preparation
·         Determination
·         Self-discipline
·         Focus 
·         Self-confidence
·         Organization
·         Passion
·         Goal oriented
·         Resilience
·         Willingness to make sacrifices
·         Commitment
·         Positive mind-set

How to develop them

·         Put yourself in a positive environment surrounded by people who care about your success
·         Set goals – long term and more immediate
·         Be patient with yourself
·         Use positive self-talk
·         To develop self-discipline to study, set a timer and study for that time period – then gradually extend the time
·         Reward yourself
·         See yourself as succeeding
·         Set yourself up to be successful – remove obstacles
·         Find your passion

I thought the classes had very insightful ideas with workable suggestions to be successful.  Take some time to examine your own path to success and borrow their ideas as needed!

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

Ideas From My Classes - How to Add Variety to Your Studying

The students in my Learning Strategies class brainstormed ways to add variety to their studying.  Here are some of their ideas:

Add visual impact:
·         Flash cards with pictures or color
·         Graphic organizers/review charts
·         Make your own power point slides
·         Read/reread the textbooks and lecture notes
·         Watch movies and documentaries related to the topic
·         Watch You Tube videos of someone else explaining the concept (see Kahn Academy for example)

Add auditory impact:

·         Actually pay attention in class (this was one of my favorite!)
·         Again – videos (make your own or watch one)
·         Create and sing songs about the material
·         Record yourself explaining the material and listen while exercising
·         Study groups
·         Read the material out loud
·         Tutoring/Supplemental Instruction
·         Have someone quiz you
·         Go to the professor’s office hours and ask questions
·         Teach the information to someone else

Add movement and touch (tactile):

·         Manipulating/shuffling study cards
·         Writing/rewriting
·         Manipulating the information by making charts/graphic organizers
·         Dancing while studying
·         Review games (Jeopardy, for example)
·         Study while exercising
·         Study in different locations

You can see that many of these overlap.  The key is to do several different things and involve several different senses.  The added benefit is that many of them add some fun to your studying!

 

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

The Two Parts of "Studying"

When you sit down to “study" there really are two parts to the process: understanding and learning.  You cannot learn something if you do not understand it first!  Here are some strategies for each step.  Many strategies overlap!

Understanding

·         Go to class!  (What a surprise!)
·         Read
·         Take notes – from textbooks and in class
·         Look for the organization of the material
·         Look for associations between class and book and among all classes
·         Rewrite you lecture notes and combine with textbook information
·         Put the information into study guides (concept maps, review charts, time lines, Venn Diagrams, etc.)
·         Use recitation (restate in your own words from memory) when reviewing notes and reading textbook
·         Go to tutoring or Supplemental Instruction (talk to someone else about the information)

Learning

·         Again – recitation!
·         Make study cards
·         Practice recalling the information multiple times spread throughout the time leading up to the exam
·         Make and take a practice test
·         Use any practice quizzes/exams on the book’s website
·         Do the practice problems/questions in the textbook

Studying takes time and effort!  Interact with the material in multiple and varied ways and you will be great!

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.   Click on the upper right link.