buzzing phone on your desk so you cancheck your texts. No TV blaring in the back-
ground. No noisy little brother begging you
to play a game.
Sometimes it’s good to shake
things up. Studying in a new
place can perk up your mind
and help you retain information.
Try working at the library, in a
different room in your home,
or even outside.
Is Time on
Your Side?
Get right to these questions to
see if you tend to procrastinate— that is, to put things off until the last minute.
1. Your report on Mexico is due tomorrow.
This evening you still need to . . .
a. proofread what you’ve written one last time.
b. take a look at one last website, and write the final page of your report.
c. research and write the report.
2. It’s only one week till Halloween! Your
costume . . .
a. has been hanging in your closet for a month.
b. still needs a few finishing touches.
c. will come together sometime soon— why worry about it now? You’ve still got a week.
3. If your spelling test is Friday, you study
the words . . .
a. Monday and again on Thursday.
b. Wednesday or Thursday after the rest of your homework is done.
c. Friday morning, on the school bus. Might as well make use of the ride time!
4.You take piano lessons on Tuesdays
after school. You practice piano . . .
a. for a few minutes every day.
b. after your lesson Tuesday, while the music is fresh in your mind, and a couple more times during the week when you get the chance.
c. Monday night and Tuesday morning. You feel ready for your lesson— sort of, at least—if you practice right beforehand.
5. If you have a week to complete a
challenging math assignment, you . . .
a. do as much as you can over the week- end, when you don’t have much other homework and you can concentrate and figure out the tough problems.
b. do a problem or two every day and finish up the remaining work the night before the assignment is due.
c. get to work after dinner the day before the assignment is due. You like to think you do your best work under pressure.
Answers
Did you choose . . .
Mostly a’s? You understand the perils of procrastination. Good for you! If you put off a job until the last minute, you might not have time to give your best effort. You understand just how good it feels to get your work done ahead of time.
Mostly b’s? You don’t intend to put things off, but sometimes that’s what happens. Remember, it’s as important to organize your time as it is to organize your materials. Planning your time for each task and stick- ing to your schedule will help keep you from procrastinating.
Mostly c’s? You probably already know that you are a procrastinator. You put off tasks you need to do until the last minute. You may tell yourself that you do good work when you feel the pressure of a deadline. But what happens when you run out of time to get a job done? Practice planning your time. Break big jobs down into small tasks that you can complete, one at a time. Make a schedule for doing each small task.
Top Tips for
Procrastinators
1. Plan to get done early, not right on time.
2. Use a kitchen timer to motivate
yourself for short bursts of effort.
Set the timer for 5 or 10 minutes (or whatever feels right to you) and don’t let yourself be distracted from the task at hand until the timer beeps. Just keep on working.
3. Use a planner or calendar. Make sure to note due dates and test times, but also plan out what you need to do each day to get the job done.
4. Ask your family to check in about your progress on big projects.
5. Get started! Just digging in can be the hardest part of any task, especially one you don’t enjoy.
Calendar Girl
Feeling puzzled about how to squeeze everything you need to do
into your busy schedule? Use a calendar, planner, or assignment
notebook to see how all the pieces of your school life fit together.
Note all test days and project due dates. Write down what you need to do each day to prepare for upcoming tests or projects.
Note practices, performances, and games.
Write down each homework assignment clearly and completely—that’s always worth the time it takes. Check off each assignment when it’s completed.
Use colored pens or highlighters to make
your pages more fun to look at!
Perfect
