I'm a procrastinator... Help?

calivianya, BSN, RN · May 12, 2013

I'm with you - I'm a total procrastinator in school and it's bad. Really bad. Can't tell you how many near-breakdowns I had in nursing school because I was just almost unable to get my stuff together in time. But it's just part of my personality, and it may be just part of yours. It doesn't necessarily have any bearing on your abilities as a nurse or what your grades will be in nursing school. I just graduated three days ago from a very difficult BSN program and was complimented by countless preceptors about how good my time management was... if they only knew. :roflmao: Bad time management in homework does not translate to bad time management in clinical/patient care. They are totally different kinds of work, both mentally and physically. Don't despair - as long as you work hard (when you do finally get around to working hard) you may just pull through OK. :)

NightNerd, MSN, RN · May 12, 2013

I am reading some of the comments that say "being a procrastinator is part of my personality." Being selfish, stubborn, and too emotional (sometimes, lol) is a part of mine - doesn't make it adaptive or healthy. I feel like nursing school is one of those situations where you can't just give yourself time to complete the assignment and call it a day; give yourself time to LEARN and absorb the information, not just regurgitate it. So I think that is an important distinction to make.

As for how to get through school, my suggestions are:

-Develop a list of your motivators to get through classes. Look at it when you feel like procrastinating.

-Keep a calendar and, as one PP said, make sure you know how long it will take you to get through certain assignments. Make dates to start and complete each PART of a project: e.g., for a paper, start research X day, finish research/complete outline X day, rough draft done X day, and so on.

-Develop a routine for studying. Same area each time, same materials, etc. Make it ritualized and automatic so it becomes natural and not a struggle.

-If you're a group studier, form a study group and assign everyone a section of reading to "teach" the others. For me, reading and studying is the easiest to push off, so not wanting to let an entire group down would definitely keep me on task.

Good luck, OP! I had the same problem before, but after all these pre-reqs I have learned how to study and am sure you have too. :) Plus, you are not going to have time to procrastinate, methinks

Stephalump · May 12, 2013

Procrastinators, unite!

I have a few adaptive things I've learned through the years - such as dividing up assignments into small chunks and putting it all in my planner (love my Uncalendar!) and scheduling in study/project time in the same manner you'd schedule classes.

But at the end of the day, I'm still the same person. I've done many a cram session the weekend before tests...I've stayed up to all hours doing care plans and projects the night before they're due. And even the most elaborately scheduled planner only helps if you LOOK at it and FOLLOW it.

But in the end, all types of people make it through nursing school. People who have all their reading assignments done by the first day of the semester, and people who are still reading the night before a test. It isn't a death sentence, just something to challenge yourself to change.

Mewsin · May 12, 2013

I am reading some of the comments that say "being a procrastinator is part of my personality." Being selfish, stubborn, and too emotional (sometimes, lol) is a part of mine - doesn't make it adaptive or healthy. I feel like nursing school is one of those situations where you can't just give yourself time to complete the assignment and call it a day; give yourself time to LEARN and absorb the information, not just regurgitate it. So I think that is an important distinction to make.

That was kind of mean.

Different does not equal bad, or unhealthy. I know I procrastinate, I call it being resourceful, but honestly that doesn't make me lazy or ill-prepared. During the personality quiz the person giving the quiz told others in the class people who are resourceful will get it done, but in their own time and way. Just because you work better doing it one way does not make another way wrong.

readyforachangenow · May 12, 2013

Thanks for starting this thread. I am a procrastinator at heart. I am worried when I start nursing school (whenever that may be) that my procrastinating would hinder my abilities in the program. I'm glad to know that other people with this same trait are able to complete the program successfully.

SunshineDaisy, ASN, RN · May 12, 2013

I, too, am a huge procrastinator. I work better under pressure. But, I have done better while in nursing school! What helped me was getting a planner. I got a medium sized one, so I could have it in my purse, and planned out everything. All my readings, times of all my classes/labs/clinicals/meetings. Test days. Everything! I also had a study group, we always met at the same place, same time and same days. Also wrote the dates everything was due. My papers I still procrastinated a little on, but not nearly as bad as I used to. Instead of doing them the day before I would start like 3 days before, and still did great on them.

CodeteamB · May 12, 2013

OK. Former procrastinator here.

If you can make a really good schedule and keep to it you will be less stressed out and you really will perform better. You may work well under pressure, but what about emergencies.

I was a dyed-in-the-wool procrastinator during my entire first degree. I was cocky, as I performed well in my classes without putting in a whole lot of effort. I wrote and studied everything last minute. Then, 1 week before my thesis project for my capstone course was due (and I had done only my basic research and topic statement as this was required for another assignment) I was dumped by the man I had been dating for 3 years and thought I was going to marry.

My project was a complete disaster. I completed it in about 48 hours, bawling the whole time. It was one of the more unpleasant experiences in my memory. I presented to my class with red eyes and nose (partly from lack of sleep, mostly from the crying) and the paper and presentation SUCKED. Like when I found it at the bottom of a box in my parents house it made me cringe how bad it was. It was also 75% of my grade for that class and since I got a 70% it made a hole in my GPA for my last year of university.

For nursing school I turned over a new leaf. I had an insane OCD planner. People made fun of me. Like really, it was colour-coded, with a legend, and key to deciphering. I had symbols on the calender pages indicating what my work load for the day entailed and detailed descriptions of what I needed to do on the larger day pages.

Be strict with yourself. If you have a paper make a schedule eg:

2 weeks out: choose topic, lit review

12 days out: write thesis statement, outline, choose quotes from literature

10 days out: introduction complete

6 days out: body paragraphs complete

5 days out: write conclusion

4 days out: proof read, edit

3 days out: final read and print.

Relax!

This worked for me. writing papers, studying, projects, etc. If I met my goals good for me, if I was behind I didn't get to do anything fun until I was back on track, if I got ahead I could reward myself by doing something with friends.

Being organized helped me do better in school, made me a lot happier and less stressed and has carried over into my life after school. I still make these schedules for myself whether I'm studying for a course, working on a home project or running errands. It is possible to leave procrastination behind!

twss2323 · May 13, 2013

Thank you for all the feedback. It's GREAT to hear from people who procrastinate and made it through, it gives me hope. It's even better to hear from people who used to procrastinate and over came it because you all have great suggestions. Thank you! Keep 'em coming if you have them (I'm sure I'm not the only procrastinator looking for advice (; )

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · May 13, 2013

I'm a procrastinator too-- hard core... you know what? It works for me. I have figured out how much time I need when the clock starts ticking to succeed and I do. You'll figure it out as you go... you definitely don't want to wait until the night before to start studying for an exam--- you do what works and adjust accordingly.

inforthelonghaul · May 13, 2013

I am a huge procrastinator as well. I have a few tricks I use. First get into a good study group. It keeps you accountable to other people, not just yourself. Second, schedule your study time and think of it like work. You would never be late to work would you? So you can take the same attitude to your studies as well. And the third thing that keeps me accountable is the fear of failing out. Seriously. You and I have both worked too hard to fail at this point. My NS is a cohort style, so if you fail your first semester for example you sit around for the next year until you can start at the first semester again with a new cohort. And not only that but you only get one more chance to make it through so if yo fail a second time your never graduating from my school. Add all of this on top of the fact that you never, ever, ever want to have to relearn the things some of these instructors want you to learn. This isn't to scare you, it's just what gets me through.

Sufficientchampagne · May 13, 2013

I didn't get a chance to read all the comments (I'm at work), though some of them seemed really helpful. Others...not so much.

If you have a really serious procrastination issue, it might be more than just procrastination - you might have a mild or moderate case of ADD or some anxiety/avoidance issues (and it's definitely not laziness - the last thing you need is to feel guilty for not "stepping up" or being serious enough or whatever. You got into nursing school, so you're obviously motivated, dedicated and organized enough to get through the application and pre-req process). If you think you might have ADD, take a look at the book Driven to Distraction. If not, a visit with a counselor/therapist or even a coach might be a good idea. (A coach probably won't address any anxiety issues though, if you think that's part of the problem)

As someone who has some experience with this, it's a really good idea to find out if your school offers any support to students with learning disabilities - they can also give you great tips on time mgmt/organization and provide additional services like note-taking.

My non-procrastination habits: A BIG list (more for weekly tasks) and Planner with due dates and exams for quick reference. Also, the hardest part was making it a habit to CHECK my planner DAILY, but it's the most useful. Another key tool - accepting that this is something that you do and that you have to make a big effort to overcome it if you want to be successful. For a long time, I thought it was just unfair that I was like this and that I shouldn't have to "waste" so much time organizing myself, especially since I've always been considered smart, but would make stupid makes. But in the end, you just have to accept it and be proactive (I hate that word, but it fits).

Sorry if that was long....I feel your pain! Good luck!

BrooklynRN11201 · May 13, 2013

get a calendar and carefully plan out your week ahead, include 1, 2, 3 hour blocks of studying EVERY day. even if things go sour and you can only read for a half hour before bed, DO IT.