By Bailey Garrison/reporter
NE academic advisors Amy Reece and Brittany Turner provided tips and tools to combat procrastination during “Procrastination Extermination” Oct. 16.
Procrastination was defined as putting off responsibilities due to habitual laziness.
“I am always too tired after classes,” said student Amina Mutaucic. “All I want to do is take a nap.”
People often find a lack of motivation or lack of interest in the tasks they need to accomplish. The advisors said other reasons for procrastination include skill deficits, fear of failure, fear of success and rebellion.
“Some people have their life planned out for them,” Turner said. “Kids are not interested in these plans but do it for the parents. Students then start to fall off, flunk assignments and earn low grades. In return, they become rebellious and resistant to their parents’ plans for them.”
The advisors also discussed some solutions to help reduce and eliminate procrastinating.
“Getting started is the hardest part,” Reece said. “But once you start, it will keep going.”
Some of the tips were about avoiding burnout by dividing large projects into smaller parts. Having breaks in between parts allows people to mentally prepare themselves for the next task without overloading the work all at once. Breaks could include eating a snack, playing with a pet or washing the dishes. These should be shortened to 15 minutes or less to avoid losing interest or giving up on the initial task.
Other tips included having others enforce accountability, minimizing distractions and rewarding oneself when the assignment is completed.
“Create the mentality to get started and keep the momentum,” Reece said.