Time Wasters and Admitting the Consequences

Hey everyone! I hope you all have had a great weekend!

This week, I decided to use Time Wasters and Admitting the Consequences as procrastination strategies and applied them in all of my courses. Both of these strategies helped me straighten out my priorities and realize when and how I procrastinate.

For Time Wasters, I created a chart showing the things that are the cause of my procrastination and listed the tasks that I avoid. Since I am a visual learner, this chart helped me figure out what were the sources of my distractions. These "time wasters" can be easily avoided. For example, the internet and social networking sites like Facebook are probably the number one cause for my procrastination. But by blocking and disconnecting myself from the internet, I can get my work done without distraction. I get distracted very easily and I have a short attention span so by eliminating the distraction, I can focus on my work better.

Here is my Time Wasters chart:


Now for the Admitting the Consequences strategy, I created another chart outlining the tasks that I avoid, the consequences for not completing those tasks, and the rating of each consequence. This helped me realize what the consequences would be if I did not complete a task. I can now plan out what I need to do in order to eliminate these distractions, therefore avoiding these consequences.

Here is my Admitting the Consequences chart:



I liked using these two procrastination strategies because they helped me acknowledge the reasons for my procrastinating and the consequences for not doing my work. Now I can successfully do my work without procrastinating as much because I'm aware of the consequences.

Time waster and My Poem Reads Dandy

Hi, all! How was your weekend? Thanksgiving is coming and it seems everybody is waiting for it!!

This week, I used Time Wasters to trace the reasons for procrastination and think about what I can do eliminate the bad effects. Procrastination is my really big problem recently and I really need a anti-procastination strategy right now. In order to know whether Time Wasters is beneficial for me, I tried this strategy this week.

After listing down the time wasters and avoided tasks for me, I found in most of the situation I procrastinated is because I felt overwhelmed or I did not finish what I should do before and I began to have those interruptions. This strategy helps me to realize what are the causes of my procrastination so I decided to think about how I can do in order to anti-procastinate. So the other anti-procrastination strategies came to my mind, why not use 10-minute strategy and chunking the tasks together after Time Waster? I can chunk those long and boring tasks into small, achievable and productive assignments and then assign 10 minute for each one. This strategy is effective for me and it helps me to define my personal reasons for procrastination and come up with a personal solution with procrastination.

The second strategy I applied this week is My Poem Reads Dandy, another reading strategy described in the textbook. I used this strategy for my accounting class, because the professor covered a lot materials in the class and I thought I could not handle them very effectively and I have a conceptual quiz next week so I have to review this chapter this week, and another reason I chose this strategy is I am a kinesthetic learner and I need to do something in order to learn it very well.

Measure

I had 40 pages to read and I could do 10 pages at a time so I assign the whole task into four times.

Preview

I previewed the chapter by looking at the summary and organization and then I got a overview of this chapter.

Read

When I read the chapter each time, I highlighted the concepts I need to remember in order to create my review notes in the next step.

Draw

I did not draw a graphic organizer as it was described because I think I am not a good artist and it takes more time to think before drawing. Because I am a linear learner so I used a more simple and clear way to summarize those concepts and conclude their relationships in this chapter. Here is what I do:

It is beneficial for me to use this strategy this week and I found another way to review the materials and because it combines with chucking the tasks and study aids so it is helpful for me to finish reading the whole chapter and prepare for next quiz.

Time Wasters and 24-Hour Rule

Hi, girls! How is your weekend? Hope you liked the sunny day today!( Yesterday was so bad, so cold!)

For this week, I chose to use Time Wasters and 24-hour Rule. Actually, they are both strategies for saving time and make sure finishing assignments before due dates. I applied them in all of my courses.

Let me talk about TIME WASTERS first. I always complain that I have so little time to do so much homework. I wish I could have 30 hours a day. But everybody has 24 hours everyday, some people can use their time well, they can do much more things than what I can do in one day. So I used Time Wasters. Here is my chart.

I listed 6 "thieves" who steals my time all the day. Since I am a visual learner, I use one color for one reason. From the chart, I can clearly see that Internet chat tools and Interruptions are the "biggest thieves" for my time. I almost waste 2 hours everyday on them. Social life is amazing, but at the same time, it wastes me a lot of time. As a result, I have to sacrifice my sleeping time for homework. I FIND THAT ALL THE TIME-WASTE CAUSES ARE ALL BECAUSE I AM ATTRACTED BY OTHER STUFFS INSTEAD OF HOMEWORK, SO I WASTE A LOT OF TIME!

In order to find some ways to solve my time-waste problem, I figure out some solutions for helping myself.

So in general, I choose to keep myself from any kinds of interruptions when I want to study. I turn off my wifi search on my computer, I set my phone in silent model and put it in my drawer. I study in quiet places and I always spend friends after I finish my homework.

It is really worked for me to save time. I can go to bed every day before 12 right now and I have energy for my morning classes.

TO BE HONEST, SAVING TIME IS A METHOD OF SELF-CONTROL. If you want to save time, if you do not want to be disturbed, you will find some ways to save your time when you do your home.

Now I will talk about my 24-HOUR RULE. I made a new chart about what should I finish everyday.

I have three columns, one for Due Dates, my plans before and my plan nowadays. I found that because I tried to pretend the due days one day ahead, I was pressed for time. But amazingly, I could do more by obeying my new plan. Sometimes it is not that we do not have enough time for finishing, it is because we always want to work on them on the last time right before due time.

But by using 24-Hours Rule, I can finish my assignments one day earlier than usual and even have some time to proof them again.

I love using these two strategies. They all help me by push me save time during daily life. I split my assignment into 2-3 days. I have enough time think about my assignment more in detail in order to improve the quality of my assignments. But anyway, self-control is of importance in saving time. If I do not have the desire for saving time, so no matter what kind of good strategy I use, it will never be work.