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!  

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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.