Time Management and Procrastination

Even more important than the kind of calendar used is what should go on that calendar. Students who use time management wisely do not just put final deadlines on their calendars. They also put specific dates that they will actually do the work.

For example, if a paper is due on October 30th, a student might schedule specific dates and times to research, write an outline, and to write each section of the paper, all well before October 30th, like this:

• Complete research: Sept 30th

• Paper outline: Oct 5th

• Write introduction: Oct 8th

• Complete 1st two pages: Oct 11th

• Complete paper: Oct 20th

• Revise completed paper: October 28th

This helps to keep things moving along, in terms of getting the paper done - and also helps the student fight procrastination by making each task seem less overwhelming. It also gives some room for adjustments, in case something comes up to prevent a step from being completed on ti

The single best strategy to overcome procrastination is to schedule one small task to start. For example, if a student has a paper due, this can often be seen as an overwhelming task. That student will likely prefer the instant gratification of a video game or a check on their social media.

An effective way to deal with that is for students to schedule a time to do a small part of the paper. For example, he or she might say, "At 5:00 PM today, I am going to spend twenty minutes writing the introductory paragraph for the paper - and then I can play a video game." Research shows that once the first small task is accomplished, a procrastinator is much more likely to continue on with the required task.

For a great (and fun) video on the issue of procrastination, please see the TED Talk, "Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator" below.