i've lit candles, made two pots of tea, shipped all remaining TranquiliT orders, chatted with a potential book publicist, made breakfast and lunch, handled e-mails - *anything* to not do this paper i was supposed to be writing ALL day! and (confession) . . . it was due last monday.
i was once the good student. good grades (great studier, not great retainer). papers prepared well before due dates. now, i'm the bad kid in class. it all began at my second contemporary behavior theory class earlier this semester when the teacher came around collecting papers. i was horrified. what paper? yep, one's worst nightmare. clearly the semester started with a bang!
the clock is ticking with final papers due in 9 days. i continue to struggle with all that i want to do: declutter, read, nap, sew, create, run, do yoga, read more, nap more, strategic plan, design spring, write.
it's time to break the papers down into small pieces with due dates. looks like i'll have to trick myself into finishing on time with treats. write a page, soak in the tub. write another page, have tea with a friend. finish paper, get a big slice o' pizza plus grape soda. on and on.
anyone else struggle with procrastination when you'd rather be doing something more fun?
18 comments:
Sometimes I find that if you consciously let yourself do the things you *really* want to do, instead of the yucky thing, you'll naturally come back to doing the thing you need to do, and feel more energized doing it.
My tip is promise yourself you'll just do 5 minutes. Just 5 minutes of the task then you'll stop and go back to it later. Often it tricks you and you end up doing a bit more than that! And if you dont then at least youve begun. Good luck. x
PS keep in mind the whole point of why youre doing it in the first place.
PPS Oh and a French teacher at high school once said to me, you wont remember all the chatting or the stuff you did avoiding the work. All you'll remember is the grade at the end of it, and its true!
Begin!
Haha! I can relate! I'm trying to get my last paper of the year done as well. It's amazing how clean my home gets when I have a paper due.
We can do it!
p.s. I sadly missed your Montreal appearance at Centre Luna Yoga....Do you think you'll be back?
from one procrastinator to the next: i feel your pain! hang in there and bust it out, girl! xoxo
I think the most productive thing to do is actually try to turn your work into an artist date. Keep a pretty journal to jot down ideas or off shoots related to the paper/papers you are writing. Also, I love writing at a cozy bookstore. Then every so often I take a break by dipping into a warm yummy book. Also, just the thought that you can take a break anytime you want to, makes working easier and fun. And then of course, once you push through that initial barrier of work that you'd rather not be doing, it is easier to get through the rest.
Considering that I am supposed to working now on a paper myself (and not blogging), I should probably just go and take my advice and work..lol
Lavanya
Oh hon, yes! I have three assessments due in a week and I'm yet to start actually typing. I have all the research but now need to put it together. Then I also have 3 exams due at the same time. Procrastination plus! And clearly I am blogging now instead of doing my assessments LOL - good luck with getting yours done and dusted. I love that feeling when it's all finally done.
i'm SO happy to hear similar stories and tips for success. ahhh, makes me feel more normal. up from a refreshing procrastination nap and now settling in for a friday night of writing (rather than learning about the yoga sutras at tranquil space as i'd planned). boo. not. loving. grad. school. at. this. moment. BUT will be one happy lady once these papers are d.o.n.e. xoxo
I hate writing papers, as it has always been the worst part of school for me. I dread writing them and think of everything else I'd much rather be doing. Next week, I have 3 due (about 40 some pages to write). What works best for me, at least for research papers (not necessarily for stats) is to organize all the articles I will be using, create an outline (what each section of the paper will be), and then organize the articles by section (I even color code them--pink dot for A, blue dot for B, green dot for C). Then I struggle for a couple hours with the introduction, after that is finished the rest seems to come a bit easier. This weekend will consist of mainly paper writing for me, with a few occasional bathroom breaks and grocery shopping. I'm stocked with 4 cans of Red Bull--a beverage used on in extreme end of the semester writing sessions.
I too do not like school at this moment and ask why I went back...again (PhD, why do I need this?). And of course, one professor told me I look "overwhelmed" as he can notice by my affect (counselors!).
ugh story of my life!!! i have a 25 page paper due on Monday that I am having such a hard time getting started! it makes me feel a little better though that someone else is in the same boat!
My secret was to sit down and think about all of the girls & women around the world who would give anything to take a class, write papers, solve equations, and take tests. Then I would dedicate my assignment to them and dig in. Write your outlines and fill them out :) You can do it!!
girl, i feel you, oh do i feel you.
when i'm feeling down the rabbit hole, i try this:
"begin at the beginning, and go on till you've come to the end: then stop."
amitiés!
So glad I am not the only one that does this! I had a final presentation, paper and test due this week, so my brain is fried, but I have a giant paper due this coming week that I cannot just focus and write! So far I've reorganized my bookshelves, did laundry, cooked, baked, journaled, blogged, napped, watched bad TV, shopped online for the holidays, etc. Today and tomorrow I WILL get down to business!
Good luck finishing up!!!
Lol I'm procrastinating too. I gotta go study.
Totally know the feeling! Try TWO papers and TWO exams to prepare for within the coming week. Good luck to us all.
i'm not currently in school...though i'm thinking about going back (it's the tests and papers holding me back from committing to more school!!) though when i was in college, i was also a procrastinator. my home was never cleaner than it was when there was a test or paper! one way i got around it was by figuring out when i was most productive (for me, between 10PM and 2AM) and i would only work during those hours. i was more effective, and i allowed myself much needed down time without as much guilt. good luck to you, and all you readers with papers due!
I am suppose to be packing boxes to get ready to move. It's so overwhelming to look at, I just keep putting it off. Somehow they will magically be ready in time.
As a former college prof I've heard every excuse - and I as a grad student - I've done exactly what you and others have done . . . when I've allowed myself to feel overwhelmed - I clean, organize . . . I do everything but what I'm supposed to do to regain control. Ask yourself what's really keeping you from moving forward. Answer that question - and then just start to write! If you can't write a whole page - start with one great sentence . . . I know you have it in you! Now quit reading this and go finish your paper :) Lexi
I excel at procrastination. I used the same plan as zoe when I was in college - "I'll just do this for 5 mins" and often an hour would go before I realized I was doing my homework.
Wish I could use the same trick for doing my taxes - that requires a bottle of red wine and lots of yelling at the computer. xoxo
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