Procrastinating Station

[kaleisi]

Everything I keep hearing about grad school makes me wonder if my procrastinating self will be able to handle the workload and the intensity of grad school Granted, I'm only going to a MSc and not a PhD, but the program is still intense and rigorous enough for me to worry.

Is there anything I can do to get rid of this curse while there is still time?

More seriously, how do procrastinating students like me cope with the study load in grad school? What kind of skills do I need to develop?

[SmarteyMartey]

I was once a master procrastinator. Two years ago, my psych professor said the secret to stop procrastinating...is to stop doing it. ;-)  It is a CHOICE. Grad school is definitely not the place for that, especially if you want to do well.

I started to schedule my days...was it easy to follow a schedule? No. But you get drunk off the feeling of having everything done and not losing sleep, time, and the potential for an A by just following that schedule.

Schedule your days out from now on until grad school and get into the habit...either a schedule or a To Do List...find out what works for you. Look at your schedule/To Do list at the end of each day and determine how well you were able to follow it...then keep improving. This did not take me weeks to accomplish but i recognized that I NEEDED to get my act together.

Procrastination can bring down the best of us, but it is not a life skill that we want to keep with us during certain stages of our lives, that's for sure. Hope this helps.

Remember...schedule and give yourself breaks...BREAKS are important or you start to lose attention to what you're doing...and then the procrastination begins. Start to do your BEST to follow a schedule so that you can form the necessary discipline.

 

Honestly, you may never get rid of your procrastination urges entirely but they will minimize - significantly. You'll have your moments but OVERALL they will minimize SIGNIFICANTLY and THAT is the place you want to aim to get to. For right now.

Edited March 31, 2014 by SmarteyMartey

[Pitangus]

I am two years into my program and still procrastinate in that I complete most written tasks right before the deadline, but I can write efficiently, which makes this less of a problem for me. I also am most productive at night, so I have no trouble working late to get something done.

 

I think working close to the deadline has actually helped me in some cases; for example, it keeps me from pouring excess time and energy into things like homework assignments that shouldn't be taking up my focus. Of course, there needs to be a balance between not wasting time and putting in a good effort: I don't spend a lot of time on classwork, yet I've done enough to maintain my 4.0 GPA. 

 

Deciding how much your habits need to change will depend on how much procrastination affects your work and your mental state. Do you hate staying up late or getting up early to finish work? Do you usually need to go through several drafts of an essay/proposal before submitting it? Do you worry about incomplete tasks? Do you have trouble working for long stretches of time?  

If the answers are yes, then it will probably be helpful for you to be more proactive as you start your new program.

 

I am not actively trying to change my work habits right now, so I can't offer much help, but here are a couple of things that work for me:

 

-  Start by curbing your reading procrastination.

Reading is probably the one thing I have stopped putting off because it makes up such a large part of preparing my research plans. If I find myself sitting somewhere with my laptop and not doing anything else I will start reading. I keep a folder on my desktop with articles that need to be read for upcoming classes or for my current research.

One thing I have started to do is arrive at a class early before the class starts and spend that time reading. Even if it's just a half hour, I can usually get through an article. I start with any articles that have deadlines (e.g. ones for that week's class discussion or lab meeting) to get them out of the way and then move on to the rest.

I also will take myself out to lunch somewhere and read an article or two while I'm there.

 

- Also it helps if you have regular contact with your advisor.

My advisor likes to meet with me every other week and asks to see a draft of any written proposal/document before I submit it. These additional external deadlines help me space out the workload a bit more. Of course, other advisors may not expect/want/be able to be in contact as frequently, but might be worth asking if they would be willing to set up a regular meeting schedule with you if they don't bring it up themselves. 

[fuzzylogician]

First of all, everybody procrastinates. Research is creative work and not the kind of thing you can do for 8 straight hours, 5 days a week.

Second of all, structured procrastination. That's how I stay productive - avoid one project by working on another. I spent some time getting to know my own work habits, so I know for example that I can't really write in the morning so I use that time for catching up on email and doing other busywork. I schedule meetings in the early afternoon, usually, and I write in the evening. When I had homework, the thinking parts I'd do in the evening and the more tedious calculations could happen earlier in the day. I set deadlines for myself (before the actual deadlines) and make sure I meet them. I also make sure to reward myself and take breaks when I've completed my work. I use detailed do-to lists and I break my tasks down to manageable sizes so I can accomplish them in a reasonable amount of time, and I enjoy crossing them off my list. "Create analysis script for experiment x", or "read papers y,z," or even "write up results of w" are all much more manageable than "write thesis." 

[pears]

I was once a master procrastinator. Two years ago, my psych professor said the secret to stop procrastinating...is to stop doing it. ;-)  It is a CHOICE. Grad school is definitely not the place for that, especially if you want to do well.

I started to schedule my days...was it easy to follow a schedule? No. But you get drunk off the feeling of having everything done and not losing sleep, time, and the potential for an A by just following that schedule.

Schedule your days out from now on until grad school and get into the habit...either a schedule or a To Do List...find out what works for you. Look at your schedule/To Do list at the end of each day and determine how well you were able to follow it...then keep improving. This did not take me weeks to accomplish but i recognized that I NEEDED to get my act together.

Procrastination can bring down the best of us, but it is not a life skill that we want to keep with us during certain stages of our lives, that's for sure. Hope this helps.

Remember...schedule and give yourself breaks...BREAKS are important or you start to lose attention to what you're doing...and then the procrastination begins. Start to do your BEST to follow a schedule so that you can form the necessary discipline.

 

Honestly, you may never get rid of your procrastination urges entirely but they will minimize - significantly. You'll have your moments but OVERALL they will minimize SIGNIFICANTLY and THAT is the place you want to aim to get to. For right now.

 

Very well said! I, too, was a major procrastinator for a long time; it was never an issue, since I did well in classes despite doing most things last minute. I was worried when I started last semester, but grad school has been a great, albeit tough, means of learning how to motivate myself & minimize slacking off. All it took was trying to make a 20 page paper happen in two or three days: I got an 89, which made me angry at myself, & that really lit the fire under me.

 

My planner has become my best friend, & I've got two monthly calenders pinned to my wall, right near my bed. When I'm really busy, I break apart my tasks, then plan them out for the following week or two; if I have a paper, I set goals in 5 page amounts, & so forth. I also set bite-sized goals, e.g., finishing a certain amount of reading within two hours, & then reward myself, e.g., a snack or spending some time on Facebook. Also, Self Control — the software — is super helpful if you're really struggling to keep yourself from procrastinating on your laptop/computer!

[DeeD]

Or.... get an equally lazy cat. I keep my cat on my lap while studying. If I have to get up, she'll scratch me. If I fall asleep on the table, she'll scratch me.

 

All the best !