How to not procrastinate?

Post Reply New Topic

How do y'all NOT procrastinate with homework and projects and studying? I need help concentrating!

My professors are silly and keep assigning homework to be done on the computer and online but I have an addiction to the internet. I can usually concentrate on stuff if I close up my laptop, but since the homework is on the computer, I can't do that. The worst sites are facebook and dogforum, but if I tell myself I won't go on those, I end up getting distracted anyways and reading current events or science/nature articles, or watching TV shows, or just reading everything on wikipedia, or ending up here, or anywhere really. One night I spent hours watching cat videos on youtube

It's 12:30 am right now and I have to write a 5 page paper due tomorrow. I came on this site to ask about this, and then I ended up getting caught up in a bunch of other threads! Why is everything else wayyy more interesting than homework?

So: how to concentrate and not procrastinate. Go!

No one gives a crap about you, your success, or your college papers.

The only person who you can rely on is yourself, so you're only hurting yourself in the end.

I can't tell if that's your advice or if you're being rude? Because a) my parents actually care more about my grades than I do, and I'm more scared of them than I am of getting kicked out of the honors college, so your first point is actually not true. And b) Yes, I realize that. I'm just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and has suggestions that have worked for them that I could try.

Set up a schedule for yourself. Assess how much time a particular assignment will take to complete, and create a spreadsheet of all assignments that you have to do. Designate particular time slots for each assignment, allotting both the time you anticipate they will require and perhaps a few additional hours as a safeguard. Then, in those time slots, remove all sources of distraction and just sit and do them until either they are complete or you have worked beyond your specified time slot.

The key is self-control and motivation. If you can truly motivate yourself to do an assignment, then it becomes a piece of cake. Or, conversely, if you have the self-control to sit and work on an assignment that you have, then you reap the rewards in the end!

A.) Your points are opinions and not facts.
B.) Nobody can motivate you but you, people can inspire you to be motivated but the ultimate choice maker in this is you.
C.) I really like your way of being matter-of-factual can you tell?
D.) Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. - Henry Ford
E.) Like motivation and procrastination you also choose to be offended by something or not.
F.) Did you really expect to ask a question about procrastination and not get at least 1 person who wants to tell you to get off your lazy ass and do something?

Dont sit on a toadstool for too long
Stop wondering why they ever outlawed southpaw
try resisting the existance within a timeframe
dont stare a bulldog in the eye
stop wondering why the lounge adaptor stops working suddenly
dont stand in the path of light for too long
try and stop sidestepping shadow cabinet ministers who ridicule us

stop procrastinating
stop fasting
stop.. the unequal madness

plenty of reasons not to procrastinate if you're lucky enough to have a passo state of mind

No one can serve two masters (and no I'm not a bible freak). If you're all about surfing the internet and do your homework because you have to, it'll show. If you're all about whatever you're doing at school and surf the internet only when you run out of stuff to do, that'll also show.

I deleted my fb because of how easy and tempting it was to log in and check for updates. I wasn't willful enough to use it in moderation. I gave my xbox360 and tv to my little brother because of how much time I'd spend on skyrim.

I know school isn't as instantly gratifying as other things are in life, but its my ticket to better things. I've been in jobs where not much skill was needed, and I remember the kind of a-holes I had to put up with. I think the best protection I'll have from those types is by knowing how to do stuff that not everyone can do (the harder the skill set, the better). It might not be picture perfect, but its my motivation.

You know, I agree that procrastination can be hard, but if you realize that you are not your computer and your computer isn't you, that you just have to quit using your computer when you don't need it, even if that means breaking up your project in pieces throughout the day/evening/night and then taking your comp and gaming system and putting it out of reach until your break time is up and taking a nice walk and enjoying the fresh air, listen to music, do whatever is your idea of zen....you may just get out of your shell and feel happy. As far as I'm sure, breaking out of your comfort zone and taking care of yourself will just be a nice direction in changing your perspective on not just getting assignments done but enjoying life. Try to keep a diary. Doodle in a sketchbook, learn meditating exercises, or gee idk. use the computer for youtube videos to show you how to make origami??

i'd love to learn origami. why don't you? I suck at it, maybe you don't.
Just break out of your comfort zone and try whatever it takes to not overuse your computer. IT CAN AND WILL BE DONE! Then get back to your computer and get your work done.

buh bye.

Hey I have the same problem as you, I know how hard it can be to battle with yourself to do work, so I do a few things to try and keep myself on task.

Firstly I try and change my attitude towards the work I have to do, if I don't feel like doing work I just imagine being in a movie and it somehow makes the work seem more fun. Find a really inspirational song, listen to it and just imagine a montage of you working hard to finish your work.

Secondly another thing I try is meditating for a few minutes I just sit and clear my mind, it kind of lessons the urge to do other things and distract yourself.

Thirdly and finally, I use a program which you can set to block websites for a certain amount of time. I use a program called self control (here's the link, although it's a mac program http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/31289/selfcontrol). It's really useful because it takes away the distraction, although I do understand this wouldn't work if you get distracted by surfing the web.

I know people say you just need to have a motivation, but in the moment of procrastination you are just finding something to escape with. The main thing you have to do is convince yourself that your work is more interesting and fun than anything else you could be doing.
Hope this helps

It is an interesting.
I have the same problem.

The solution is to "inspire yourself".
So set up a schedule using "rewards" for completing something.

II use an example from my college: I wrote out data for my capstone project from an existing report comparing the levels of chemicals in the lake. Now, I can go to the library website and find a format to write a conclussion.
I can take a break for ten minutes and read news from CNN, and watch one episode of "The Young Turks" to get a hold of the political world". Then I spend another 3o minutes to write the report.

However, now, I need to understand the methods the project. The project adresses a water quality study at the very eutrophic freshwater by taking 3 samples from the lake using the Sechi Disk Spetrophotometer. So, I need to find an article in the library which adresses the same method. Then I must reproduce a paragraph related to it.


Based on statements above, you should force yourself to realize that news, youtube videos, and other information on the internet is a mind candy. But if you only eat candy, teeth will become rotten. So, if you want to become succesful and healthy avoid mind candy.

That's the concept.

Ignore Alizee.

For typing papers try going to a computer that does not have access to the internet, or take your lap top and type it at a place that does not have wi-fi.
The suggestions about a program that blocks certain websites is also good.
The internet is why I do most of my assignments hand written, and why I do not use a computer in class.
Break up assignments in to small sections so that you do not have the big assignment staring you in the face. Listing your main point and the 3-5 support points is much less scary than a 5 page paper. Then write 2 paragraphs about each support point. Then see if you need any extra supporting material, or transitions. And look now your paper is almost done. Spread the small to dos over a few days but not as long as a week. Do take breaks, but time them so that they do not take up all of your time.

I know this is probably to late for the one paper but hopefully it will help in the future.

If you're typing papers, you could also hand-write the paper first and then later type it up.

Maybe it would help if you used a computer in college or a library or somewhere similar, if you're comfortable using computers there. I've always found that tends to help me avoid off-topic sites.