The Anti-Procrastination Guide

(From the Unofficial UTK Handbook)

These methods have been rigorously tested over my 4+ years of higher education. They work! I was asked by one of my professors to give her future students some insight on why I was so successful in her class. A lot of what I gave her is in this guide.

Top 5

1. Write it Down
2. Organize
3. Prioritize (Top 3)
4. Start early finish early
5. Continual Consistent Progress

Write it down

I highly recommend a written planner versus a digital planner. There are many studies about the special way your brain processes, recalls, and records information when it’s written down, written not typed. Writing things down, for me at least, minimizes stress by clearing the brain, not having to remember so many things, and worrying if you’ve forgotten something.

Organize

I can’t stress this enough, you need to PLAN. Refer to the assignments page of your syllabus. Write down every due date: quizzes, exams, papers, assignments, everything. You’ll see that once you’ve written down all the tasks/assignments you’ve created a deadline timeline. PRO TIP : I like to consolidate all my class materials. Every semester I have one binder (The Master Binder) with the class syllabi and assignment lists separated by dividers, one for each course. I’ve found it to be very helpful having these consolidated and close at hand to be easily referenced.

Prioritize

Once you’ve written down and organized your information, the next step is to prioritize. G.O.A.L setting is essential in this step. After you’ve set up your “timeline.” It’s time to prioritize. I use two methods in prioritizing. First, What needs to be done immediately? What is the soonest deadline on the timeline? Second, what tasks/assignments will take the least amount of time? I do this so I can free up time for the more lengthy assignments. PRO TIP: Every day I choose three goals that must be completed that day and I indicate the order of importance by numbering them.

Start early finish early

Out of these five I find that this is the death nail for procrastination. It’s also the hardest habit to develop. Start an assignment as soon as possible. Even if the deadline is far off. Starting is the hardest part of doing anything. In my experience starting an assignment early achieves 3 things. 1) Creates a motivation to continue working and completing the task. 2) Lifts the mental stress of starting the task. 3) expedites the process, allowing the assignment to be completed on or well before the deadline. In my senior year, I finished writing my 2,000 word final a week before the deadline. Giving me a week to edit and “perfect” it.

Continual Consistent Progress

The first time I had to write a paper over 5 pages, I was so overwhelmed by the length of the project that I didn’t know where to begin. When I expressed my concerns to my friend she told me, “Just keep working on it and you’ll get it done.” That very simple piece of advice broke down all my concerns. A teacher once said after assigning a project, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” A strange metaphor but the message is clear. Take the elephant ( 9 page paper), break it down into little bites and eat it one bite at a time (write a little everyday). Continual-consistent progress.

For the type A’s, these are some extra things you can do to boost the “Top 5”.

Extra Mile

1. Color Code
2. Daily Study
3. Work Ahead
4. Extra Credit
5. 3 Step Study Process

Color Code

Going back to the planner and the binder, I color code the courses by the course dividers in the binder and highlighting tasks/assignments in the planner. The brain will associate the color with the course so before even reading what’s highlighted the brain already knows what course that assignment belongs to. This technique is useful for a quick overview of which courses need attention for the week, plus it’s pretty.

Daily Study

Reviewing the material covered in class the same day will help in cementing the information in your long-term memory. It will also help come exam time, in avoiding cramming and information overload. Do this by reviewing power points, writing down key terms (starting the study guide), and making flash cards for review I like to use the app Quizlet (this is the one area were I bend the rule of writing things down) I balance it out by handwriting the study guide and the class notes.

Work Ahead

Take every opportunity to work ahead. You may not want to write that extra 300 words or start the next problem at the moment but your future self will thank you for pushing through and putting in overtime.

Extra-Credit

Always do the extra credit. I can’t tell you how many times extra credit has saved me many times. Including bumping up my final grade a full grade “letter”.

3 Step Study Process

When setting goals always use the acronym SMART: Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Time Based. For example one of my 2021 goals is to write at least 1,000 words every week. This would be my SMART goal: “I will write at least 1,000 words every week by Saturday 11:59PM.”

The brain demands structure, following a routine will help to create structure in this structureless learning environment. I hope that these techniques will help you beat procrastination or stop you from even forming the habit.