Nay for Procrastination

[Munchies]

I have to make up a class for my diploma, and I'm really having a hard time staying motivated through it. It's online, which I don't mind. Any suggestions to decrease procrastination and increase motivation? 

[rntracy1]

OMG, you are talking to the BIGGEST procrastinator.  Add to it the fact that I am a perfectionist, and that is a recipe for disaster.  Meaning, when I do FINALLY get around to doing what I need to do, it is never good enough.  With my school assignments, I couldn't get them turned in, because I kept re-tweaking them until I felt they were perfect.  It got to the point where my mentor (I will get more into that in a sec) told me, you have to bite the bullet and just turn it in the way it is, because you can't afford to turn them in late either.

The online nursing school I went to was awesome because I had a mentor.  She called me every week.  I HAD to take her phone call or I was out of the program.  During the phone call, I had to tell her what I had accomplished during the previous week and what I planned to accomplish the next week.  Then, during the next call, if I didn't accomplish it, I better have a darn good excuse why I didn't.  And playing neopets wasn't a good excuse.  lol.  

When do you have to finish the class by?  My way of getting motivated was, I would say to myself, "ok, I am going to work on my schooling for 30-60 mins.  Then I will take 15-20mins break to eat, have coffee, do my dailies on neopets, etc. Then I will go back to another 30 mins and so on."  Usually, once I got going, I would work longer than the 30-60 mins.  It was just GETTING STARTED.  So, I told myself, just 30 mins.  And if you only do 30 mins, that's fine too.  At least you are doing something.  If you do 30 mins worth of work every hour for 4 or 5 hours, you have 2 to 2-1/2 hours of school work done!  Do that each day and that's 10-12 hrs per week.  Good luck.

[Munchies]

2 hours ago, rntracy1 said:

OMG, you are talking to the BIGGEST procrastinator.  Add to it the fact that I am a perfectionist, and that is a recipe for disaster.  Meaning, when I do FINALLY get around to doing what I need to do, it is never good enough.  With my school assignments, I couldn't get them turned in, because I kept re-tweaking them until I felt they were perfect.  It got to the point where my mentor (I will get more into that in a sec) told me, you have to bite the bullet and just turn it in the way it is, because you can't afford to turn them in late either.

The online nursing school I went to was awesome because I had a mentor.  She called me every week.  I HAD to take her phone call or I was out of the program.  During the phone call, I had to tell her what I had accomplished during the previous week and what I planned to accomplish the next week.  Then, during the next call, if I didn't accomplish it, I better have a darn good excuse why I didn't.  And playing neopets wasn't a good excuse.  lol.  

When do you have to finish the class by?  My way of getting motivated was, I would say to myself, "ok, I am going to work on my schooling for 30-60 mins.  Then I will take 15-20mins break to eat, have coffee, do my dailies on neopets, etc. Then I will go back to another 30 mins and so on."  Usually, once I got going, I would work longer than the 30-60 mins.  It was just GETTING STARTED.  So, I told myself, just 30 mins.  And if you only do 30 mins, that's fine too.  At least you are doing something.  If you do 30 mins worth of work every hour for 4 or 5 hours, you have 2 to 2-1/2 hours of school work done!  Do that each day and that's 10-12 hrs per week.  Good luck.

Thank you! It's over on July 29th, so 7 more weeks! I'm using my system from when I was attending school full time, one discussion post and a portion of the assignment (formatting it counted  ) So far it's helping but I have a feeling when I start working, it's going to fail with flying colors. I'll definitely try to do just 30 minutes each day. Since I still have a few of the assignments from when I previously took it, I already have the paper formats and some references.

[rntracy1]

30 minutes ago, Munchies said:

Thank you! It's over on July 29th, so 7 more weeks! I'm using my system from when I was attending school full time, one discussion post and a portion of the assignment (formatting it counted  ) So far it's helping but I have a feeling when I start working, it's going to fail with flying colors. I'll definitely try to do just 30 minutes each day. Since I still have a few of the assignments from when I previously took it, I already have the paper formats and some references.

Ok.  So you definitely have time.  Yes, that's what you need to do then.  I know it sucks but you HAVE to dedicate 30 min blocks of time.  If that's all you do is 30 mins, that is totally fine.  I found that once I got going, I was fine, it was "the getting going" part that was difficult.  The motivation.  However, DON'T work more than 2 hrs at a time without at least a 15-20 min break.  You start getting irritable and your brain won't process information.  So, at least 30 mins, but no longer than 2 hrs at one time.  If you do work for 30 mins and take a 15 min break, then work another 30 mins, I would do that for about 3-4 hours.

Keep me updated on how you are doing.  I will act as your mentor.  I will try to keep you motivated.  Plus, it's only another month and a half.  Then you are finished.  That is going to be a GREAT feeling!!! 

[jellysundae]

6 hours ago, rntracy1 said:

Keep me updated on how you are doing.  I will act as your mentor.  I will try to keep you motivated.

Speaking from much personal experience, Tracy is an EXCELLENT mentor, she'll keep you in line.