Many of us struggle with procrastination. School is starting soon for most college students and for the procrastinator, it may be a dreaded day. Syllabi and class schedules threaten the nonchalant vibes the summer was giving. In this article, there will be tips on how to combat procrastinating to be successful this semester (and every semester).
First Tip:
Highlight deadlines and due dates on syllabus day. Using a planner, write down all of the dates that your tests, papers, and quizzes are on. Also, be sure to remind yourself of appointments with professors and study sessions with groups. Try to remind yourself 2 weeks before quizzes, tests or midterms so that you have extra time to study. This will help to be well prepared for any assignments.
Second Tip:
When you are given a research paper, look for your sources immediately. Firstly, you should create an outline of the paper; the main topic should be related to all of the sources. Once you receive the topic, go to the library and find the books (or your library's online research paper library, if they allow you to use online papers) and order them. Every week (way before the deadline, for example, 3 weeks ahead of the deadline) fill in the sections (intro, 3-4 body paragraphs, and a conclusion) and edit it. If your school has a writing center where someone can proofread your article, you will be in luck. They can catch any errors that you may have made. Also, if you complete your essay earlier than the day before the deadline, you can send it to your professor to ask them to proofread it.
Third Tip:
When you are given reading assignments, break them up into smaller sections. Instead of reading 80 pages at once, read 20, then take a 10 minute break. This way, you will not feel bored reading your assignments. If you have to read chapters, try to read the chapter, then summarize the chapter afterward in order to remember better what you read. If you have an assignment that is answering a question for the reading, read the question before and then read the material.
Fourth Tip:
Schedule time for fun. Make sure that you are not just doing homework all of the time. Beware of the temptation of binge watching, though. Limit your "Netflix" sprees to the weekends, preferably one day. In order to keep a perfect balance, make sure your priority homework assignments and papers are worked on, if not completed, before you decide to relax. Doing reviews after lectures and homework assignments right after learning the material will help you to more accurately complete the assignments. Don't forget that the semester is only 4 months long! You can do this!
