Don't worry, there is hope! I used to be meticulous about my work. Everything was done a week in advance (if not more). Once I hit about sophomore year, I turned into a different person. All of a sudden I couldn't get myself to do anything on time. I was late to everything and every assignment I did was usually handed in just on time, or late. I thought I was just getting lazy. I used to kid around that "senioritis" came two years too early for me. Well, truth is- it didn't. In fact, just the opposite happened. What is often disregarded when seeing procrastination in those teen years is the fact that, well, the work just gets harder- as simple as that. So I found from my own experience, and now research, that procrastination cannot just be considered "laziness". One author, David McRaney, wrote that "procrastination is fueled by weakness in the face of impulse and a failure to think about thinking".
Basically, us procrastinators stink at putting aside what we want to do and because of this, get overwhelmed rather easily. We know what we have to do, but we see it as this task that can be done better at a later time, which we find out a little too late is usually not the case. Think about it like this- how many times do you put off that huge essay worth half of your grade but do your vocab homework (that would probably take just as long) the minute it is assigned? It is much easier to do the vocab homework and be sure of our grade- be sure of our answers. This is where the "failure to think about thinking" comes in. We know, that as soon as we start thinking about a topic that doesn't come easily, we often become overwhelmed. So we push it back, and push it back, and push it back, until it's the night before and we really have no choice but to "think".
After I read all of this, I felt pretty hopeless. I know I procrastinate and I know all of this is true for me, but come on, how do I fix it? Well, to my surprise, I learned this lesson from a bunch of 5-year-olds (pretty sad that they have better time management skills than me, might I add). In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Walter Mischel conducted experiments at Stanford in which he offered a bargain to children. Basically, the rules went something like this- the kids sat at a table with some treats and a bell. They could pick a pretzel, a cookie, or a giant marshmallow. They were told that they could either have the treat now or wait a few minutes, in which their payoff would be doubled and they would receive two treats. Some went for the treats after seconds and some waited a little longer.
Here's the interesting part- Michel followed these kids throughout their lives for decades (in the least creepy way possible) and found that the children that rang the bell quickly- the ones that couldn't wait- had more behavioral problems and scored an average of 210 points lower on their SATs than the children who were able to wait those 2 minutes longer. It's not that some kids were more gluttonous than the others when they were 5, it's that they were able to distract themselves. They tapped their foot, they stared at the wall, some even sang songs. They were able to trick their minds into making the wait worth it.
We have to do the same thing throughout our lives. If it doesn't come easily, we have to convince ourselves that what we have to do will make the reward greater. We have to convince our minds that writing that essay now will make going out with our friends this weekend that much more enjoyable; that waiting to have the marshmallow will leave us with two marshmallows.
Our wants and desires will never go away- however, how we deal with them can always be improved. What do you think? Do you find yourself having this problem with procrastination? Do you think distracting yourself can be a helpful method?
http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/10/27/procrastination/
I think all IHA girls procrastinate as much as possible and I do find that this research is true. We should spend the time waiting or in this case writing the essay so our treat is twice as sweet. Finishing all our work can be stressful but afterward, you feel great going out and not having to worry about finishing the essay late Sunday night. Also, I think even starting an essay in order to get some of it done and taking a break can be productive as well, this way you know you completed even a part therefore lessening the load.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when waiting for something exciting to happen like the ball to drop on New Years Eve or for a concert to begin, most people find something to do to pass the time. in those situations you may have friends to keep you busy. But when sitting in French class waiting for the bell to ring, students may distract the class with a joke or move off topic to pass the time. Or some students will doodle or start a side conversation, these distractions although counterproductive in a classroom do help pass time and result in a treat.
My procrastination is getting SOO out of hand. It has gotten to the point that I do some homework assignments the day they are due. If admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery then I am on my way to recoupment.
ReplyDeleteProcrastination develops as a defense mechanism against anxiety. We get so overwhelmed and try to repress these overpowering feelings by pushing them off until the last minute. While, it would make more sense to do a little bit of work over a long period of time to minimize the effects of stress however, immediate gratification gets in the way and people decide that relaxation now is more important then a stress free life later. Instead of being rational and doing work now so you have time later on, we do the exact opposite.
The mind is a powerful thing. It can either persuade you to not procrastinate or it can rationalize procrastinating. Everything is all about the your mind set so changing that is key to changing your bad habits.
This explanation of procrastinating work that is difficult to complete makes a lot of sense. Personally, I am not a procrastinator. Of course I complain tons about doing work, but I find that if I don't work ahead, I get really anxious. If I know I have something after school that will take up most of my homework time, I will do all my homework the day before. I think for me, what works best is doing all my easy homework first and then starting the hard stuff. I like to get all the easy stuff done quickly, that way when I have to start the hard stuff, I at least know I have completed everything else. I think procrastination is very easy to fall in, but also possible to avoid if you just take the time out of your schedule to plan out how and when you'll do your homework. By taking 10 or 15 minutes out of your Sunday night, you can plan when you'll get your work done over the week. It may seem annoying, but it works really well and really lessens stress.
ReplyDeleteLearning that procrastination isn't entirely based on pure laziness certainly was music to my ears, since I also have turned from a freshman work-a-holic to the typical senior who seems to ignore more work than she actually sits down to complete. Ever since middle school, I've always first completed the homework that was easier, and pushed off the more challenging subjects for later. Just like Shaina said, I would (and still today) finish vocabulary homework and studying within minutes, because it's nearly mindless. Now that we're at the end of our high school careers, it's harder to determine the assignments that aren't time-consuming and challenging. By now, every teacher expects the best from us, and all the work that gets piled on just seems to be "saved for later" all too often, at least for me.
ReplyDeleteAs for the study involving the "one marshmallow now" vs. "two marshmallows later," I definitely think success for teenagers and adults can be predicted similarly. For example, working people who are complacent with easy, mindless jobs and careers where they can make it by without having to challenge themselves to improve will not end up as successful as those who constantly push their own limits. Just how the children who waited the extra minute for the marshmallow grew up to be better test-takers and overall students, I think the same applies with adults. Those who can see the rewards that will come later from their hard work-- can see the "light at the end of the tunnel"-- will be more motivated to go the extra mile and push themselves.
I think a part of me has always known that procrastination was not synonymous with laziness. It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I'd simply rather be doing just about anything else other than my homework. To procrastinate homework, I don't sit doing nothing, I merely do other things - that's not laziness. Like Noelle said, I simply do the easier assignments first and put off the more difficult or less enjoyable assignments until later on. Especially this year I am noticing, I am far more inclined to let senioritis take its course and to put off doing homework until the last possible second. Of the same accord, the way I go about completing my work depends on what's in it for me. For example, freshman year I was a work-a-holic. I got all my assignments done thoroughly and on time because I was new to the school and wanted to do my best. By the end of sophomore year, however, I began to drag. Yet, I picked up the pace again in junior year to gear up for college.
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe that good things come to those who wait. For example, when applying for your first job, beggars can't be choosers and you have to start from the bottom and work your way up to the top - just like we had to do with high school. You have to wait for your reward. Our society seems to demand instant gratification and praise for all that they do when, in fact, that's not reality. We need to realize that two marshmallows will come in the end if we have the patience to avoid reaching for the one marshmallow now.
I agree with Christine! Procrastination definitely is a defense mechanism against anxiety. We push off facing stress until the very last minute, justifying this by saying, "Well, I work well under pressure." Instead of using patience when dealing with the large task ahead of us, we look for immediate gratification and push off our assignments by watching Netflix or eating instead. While doing our assignments ahead of time would allowing ourselves to work in a less stressful zone, we will not collect benefits of getting a good grade until the end of the quarter. Therefore, we turn to means of immediate gratification, like eating, online shopping, and watching Netflix.
ReplyDeleteI think that the only way to combat procrastination is by practicing patience. If we tackle an assignment and work on it over time, the quality of work will be better. Patience in waiting for the rewards of working on assignments ahead of time will in turn lessen procrastination.
I definitely agree with this article in that procrastination stems from work getting more difficult and overwhelming as we get older. I, personally, am a procrastinator and have been for a couple of years now. I have noticed that I tend to do put aside my difficult homework that requires a lot more critical thinking until the night before or the morning of. Often, I do finish my easy homework early, but once I finish that homework I just tell myself "Oh, I've already done enough work for now. I can take a break now and resume my homework later," and then I never return to my homework until many hours later, sometimes past midnight. I don't really know why I continue to procrastinate, as I know that I will eventually have to finish the work anyway and it would make me less stressed to work before "playing," however, as Shaina said, there is an overwhelming feeling that I get when I realize how much effort I have to put into my homework and I just lose all of my motivation.
ReplyDeleteI think that dealing with this procrastination would definitely help to relieve stress and to assure that I actually get enough hours of sleep each night. Finding something to motivate yourself, such as getting out of finals or the desire to make the honor roll, will ultimately help to avoid procrastination. It's all about the motivation and focus. Anyway, once the work is done, the reward seems even sweeter because there is nothing else to worry about.
I think there is so much truth in that statement. For example, I'm writing this blog post late on Sunday night, still with much of my homework unfinished, because I have no motivation or desire to analyze Hamlet. After this, I'm on to my lifestyles reading. I know I will eventually need to read, but for as long as possible, I'm going to put it off because I know it's going to be difficult. I think that I, like many others, put things off because I don't know how to get started. It may take me all night to actually get down to work and write a paper, but once I'm actually writing the paper, I'm fine. I just put off starting because I know the initial steps are going to be overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteAnother personal example I have for this is my junior year math class. Math is far from being my best subject, and there came a point about half-way through the year when I just stopped working. It wasn't because I was slacking or I didn't care, I was just literally so lost that it didn't seem worth the effort. Rather than seeking out help immediately when I first started having trouble, I allowed it to get so far over my head that it seemed like there was nothing I could do to improve my grade. I would always procrastinate doing math homework, leaving it for last every night, because I knew that it would be difficult for me. I agree with Shaina in that I think we almost have to train ourselves to be motivated enough to face our problems head on rather than pushing them to the bottom of our to-do lists. I think that this type of procrastination is a habit, but that, with effort and practice, it can be broken.
I definitely agree with the article's statement that procrastination comes from a feeling of being overwhelmed by the work we have to do and with Christine's statement that procrastination comes as a defense against anxiety. I know that I have almost always struggled with procrastinating when it comes to writing because I often feel anxious before writing them. So I put it off until the night before, when as the article says, I have no choice but to think and to write, which is not the healthiest method of doing my work. I think that "distracting" oneself from the reward of getting my work done can be helpful as long as people don't get so frustrated that people just don't even bother caring about either the work or the reward anymore. I think that another way one can help overcome the habit of procrastination is to practice changing one's other habits- instead of taking that three hour nap after school, take a shower, eat a snack, and get to work as soon as possible so that one can watch that great new tv show without the distraction of homework.
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