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Can't seem
to shake the urge to procrastinate? Find out how
to remedy this college student-embraced phenomenon...
Cure Your Procrastination Bug With Effective Study
Medicine
By Feona Sharhran Huff
March 2001
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- "Oh,
what's the rush, I'll just do it tomorrow."
"I can always get started this weekend."
"It's not like it's due anytime soon."
I'm sure these statements
sound familiar to you (I'll be the first to admit
that I said them once or twice during my college
days!). You tell yourself that you have plenty
of time to get that 12-page research paper done
or to read those five chapters for your 'Intro
to Alchemy' class. The problem is, one day of
putting off a project can turn into a couple of
days, then weeks. Next thing you know, your professor
is reminding you that 'XYZ' is due tomorrow. Oops...
you're in big trouble now -- you haven't even
selected a research topic or turned the first
page of your textbook (which, by the way, is starting
to collect dust).
Lucky for you, it's not
too late to change your mode of study operation
(A.K.A. procrastination), says Judy Villa, assistant
director of the Learning Center at Quinnipiac
University, Hamden, CT, and facilitator of the
on-the-down-low time management seminar -- 'Control
Procrastination Now.'
Try out six of her savvy
study tips:
1. Just Get Started
-- You may not feel inspired to get the ball
rolling, but it's only going to aid you in the
long run. (Remember: Assignments are a part of
the college experience.) "Make any kind of beginning,"
urges Villa. "For instance, write down ideas related
to your research topic; at least you'll have something
to narrow down later on."
2. Purchase a Calender
-- Buy a large wall calender so that you can
mark down when all of your activities and assignments
are due. And as you complete them, check them
off, that way you'll see your study progress.
Get yourself a pocket calender, too, so you can
jot down assignments while in class and transfer
them to your wall calender when you get home or
to your dorm room.
3. Break Big Tasks Into
Small Ones -- "If you have a major paper,
do a little at a time toward the completion of
it," suggests Villa. The point is: Don't try to
do everything in one day. It's just not possible.
But, if you break up the task over time, you can
get it done more effectively and with less stress.
4. Study Hardest Subjects
First -- Even though you cringe at the sight
of a math textbook, Villa says it's best to complete
homework in your least favorite subject first.
Once you've finished the work, you can move on
to something that's more mentally gratifying,
which gets your adrenaline pumping, like human
anatomy!
5. Spill the Beans About
Your Plans -- Let your friends know that at
a particular time in the day (or evening) you've
got to hit the books. In other words, they're
off-limits from bothering you with talks of checking
out a flick at the mall or going to the house-party
down the block.
6. Utilize 'Dead-time'
-- While you're waiting in the departmental
lobby to see your academic advisor, why not read
over your lecture notes from the class you just
left? This period of non-activity is known as
'dead time.' "You may seem like a geek [to some],
but boy will you love getting those As," says
Villa.
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