I'm a procrastinator... Help?

[twss2323]

I'm a procrastinator and I always have been. Up until this point, I've been just fine. I've started writing many papers at 10pm the night before it was due and I'm no stranger to staying in the library cramming the 24 hours before an exam. Now, I am about to graduate with a bachelor's degree and have a GPA to be proud of. But I'm getting ready to start NS and I know if I procrastinate in NS, I'll fail out faster than I can say RN. Have any of you experienced this? I need tips on how to learn to not procrastinate. There's been several times in my life where I say (and mean it) that I'm not going to procrastinate, yet I still do. Help!

[BrooklynRN11201]

also, sign up for as many tutoring sessions your school offers as you can. hearing the same info from a bunch of different people will help you retain it. you seriously cannot get through nursing school by procrastinating because you need to RETAIN all the information you learned from semester 1 and be able to apply it to semester 2 and so on.

[Java_Wench]

I've always been a procrastinator, so I totally understand your hesitation. I'll tell you this much, I was still a procrastinator when I started my first semester of NS. However, I got a massive slap in the face by failing my first exam because I didn't allot myself enough time to really digest the material (it's not enough to just memorize, you have to be able to apply the information in "real life" situations and questions on real life situations and my biggest hates "choose all that apply", or "all the answers are correct, chose the MOST correct" are huge in NS). And then came my first clinical....and the chart study that went with it. When I began the paperwork at 8pm and finished it at 5:30am the next morning just in time to start clinicals at 6am. It sucked, and that kind of negative conditioning really helps you get over the procrastination thing fast!

What works for me is to allot myself a time slot every single evening. 3 Hours (for my it was 5-8pm because that was when my hubby could watch our daughter) to work on nothing but nursing...reading, writing, etc. At the end of that time, I could take a break for awhile to relax, and then I made myself go back to work. When something was finished, I rewarded myself with something. You'll want a planner if you don't already use one, because if your school is like mine, times for things will be all over the place (clinicals, exams, meetings, sim labs) and you have to keep track of so many different things. I just wrote my study time in there too, and when I was done, I got to check it off and it made me feel good to be able to do that. You'll find what works best for you, I'm sure! :) Just try not to feel too awful if you bomb that first test, it's not the end of the world and it won't mean the end of nursing school............just make sure you don't bomb any more than that! Good luck! :)

[bastidias]

**

huge procrastinator here

**

The biggest predictor of future behavior is... previous behavior. It sounds obvious, but its true.

So, first accept the fact that you are not going to change a large chunk of your behavior immediately.

I had to set small goals for the week, like "I will get my care plans done by Wednesday night." Eventually, meeting those first goals is easy and you can move on. Don't underestimate the power of small successes.

When you finally hit the floor, procrastination is just not an option. But that lesson enforces itself.

[mercy7889]

I love this: "bad time management in homework does not translate to bad time management in clinical/patient care." we need more nurses like you. i'm a nursing aide as well as a nursing student. i am fantastic with my patients. so on point with everything they need. my bosses love me, but school doesn't come easy to me. i failed my pathophysiology course. i'm retaking it now. i'm in an ABSN program. if i could go back, i'd eliminate all the distractions that were causing me to procrastinate (people, places, and things), write out EVERYTHING in my planner, work less, and make studying my number one priority. before EVERYTHING comes studying. that's what I'm doing now. i'm going to give this program my all. i learned from my mistakes.

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

"bad time management in homework does not translate to bad time management in clinical/patient care." yes, yes, yes

I'm not a procrastinator on the unit...

But I have a test tomorrow and look what I'm doing..

Just make sure to put all tests and assignments in your calendar, set alerts/reminders, and check it daily so you don't miss anything.

[Saraghawas]

Some of these tips really helped