Is there any hope?

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 12, 2006

I do not know if you can pull off a miracle; I am not a lucky person. As a former procrastenator, there is only one thing I can tell you to improve your grades. You have to work hard!

I know you think you know this, but as a procrastenator I only knew the WORDS "hard work", I did not know the actions. Cramming only feels like hard work. Cramming is not working hard and it is not hard work. Cramming is barely working.

I recieved all A's in my science courses because I worked hard. This means I studied all day/everyday. Every chance I had to look at the text, pull out note cards, review my notes, ask a question, recall information, quiz myself, I did it!

Like I said before, I do not believe I have luck. I got those As because I ate/breathe/slept the material. I prayed too, but God just helped me to continue to eat, breathe, and sleep the material. :wink2:

IaCountryGirl · Sep 13, 2006

I've been in your position before. I vowed to not let it happen this time and so far, I've been ahead.

Make a commitment to sit down each day at a certain time to catch yourself up. If you are attending lectures, tape them. Take notes. Review everything that same day, later on. It's more likely to stick into your head. Chemistry can be very hard. Especially if you are relying on just the textbook to help you cram. All the funky wording can make anyone's eyes glaze over! But break it down, read the captions under the pictures and if you still dont' understand something- ask your instructor to explain it in more simple terms. Have you tried visiting the Chemistry thread?

Over time I have learned to just say no to outside things (except if I have to work). Sometimes this sucks, sometimes people get mad at me and I feel bad about it because I do want to go do something. But I know if I say "Ok" and go, with the intentions of working on it later, it will never happen.

Some people post sayings or pictures on their fridge or mirrors to remind them of their goal and to keep working at it. Maybe this will help you.

Columnist · Sep 13, 2006

I also am a reformed procrastinator. What worked for me is scheduling study time away from home. If I commit myself to a particular timeframe at a particular location (say, 11:00 - 12:30 at the health sciences library), I find I have no problem actually devoting that time to studying. Basically, I treat it like another class: study hall.

Hope this helps.

narcissistic · Sep 13, 2006

Wow. You guys are very inspirational. I wish there was a recovery center for procrastinators. I could really admit myself. I think I'll try your advices. Thanks.

catzy5 · Sep 14, 2006

Dear Narcissistic,

I notice your age is 19 so I am going to chaulk this up to immaturity, however also at 19 you are responsible for your self now, no one is going to hold your hand, if you want to do this then YOU have to work your butt off to do it. The work is not going to get to you thru osmosis you have to make a schedule sit down read the material take notes, study and do all the homework before EVEN going to the lecuture. If you want it bad enough you will. I will tell you though before you know it you will wake up in your 30s and realize you haven't done what you needed to do (Been there done that) consider this your wake up call pull your self up and start doing the work only you can do it

Nurse-To-Be-Joy · Sep 14, 2006

I'm also a former procrastinator (and at 23, also fairly young). I finally realized I needed to get up EARLIER to start my day, mainly with studying. I was amazed how much I got done by getting up at 5:30am. There is no distractions (I have a husband, 3 year old, and there is just nothing good on tv at that time, lol.) To get good grades, you have to work HARD. Maybe you need to make some sacrifices. Every chance you get, STUDY. And find a variety of ways to study... takes notes, make flash cards, tape your lectures, etc. I find that material "sinks in" better when I have studied it from several different forms. Good luck to you!

nanay · Sep 14, 2006

Hi

You're not alone. I, myself is a certified procrastinator. And I know that this habit is not doing me any good.

I am already a third year nursing student but I still have this problem. I still struggle to really focus on my studies.

Im trying everything right now. From posting a study schedule in my study table to "no time for love" rule (heheh...time for things you love to do really).

But so far, whats really working for me was what our clinical instructor advised us to do - to always hold a reading material in our hand or bag. So whatever we do, like waiting for somebody or for an activity to begin, we read, or if during breaktime, we read while eating. Although, you can finish 1 page at a time but at least, every minute was productive.

Good luck!

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 14, 2006

I've been a procrastinator all my life -- and I have had a very successful career. My "trick" is to break big projects down into little ones and give myself strict deadlines for finishing each little piece.

For example: if I had a paper due at the end of the semester, I would say something like ...

1. By the end of September, I will have browsed the literature and chosen a topic.

2. By mid-October, I will have collected most of the resources I will need for the paper and begun to think about how the paper will be organized and what my major points will be.

3. By the end of October, I will have sketched out a brief outline of the major points.

etc. etc.

That way, it doesn't seem overwhelming to start. I find myself hesitating to start working on something sometimes because it seems so big and overwhelming. By breaking it down into steps, I feel less overwhelmed and can get myself started because I am not trying to do the whole thing -- just one little step.

I'm old now (51) and still work that way in my job.

Good luck,

llg