Chapter 8 Flashcards
(23 cards)
If it’s normal for students to first sit down with a few negative feelings about beginning their work, what can you do to help yourself get over this hurdle?
What is the best way for you to gain control of habits of procrastination?
Why would you want to write a task list down the evening before you intend to accomplish the tasks?
How might you reframe something you are currently perceiving in a negative way?
Explain why having a daily quitting time to work toward is so important.
A POSITIVE APPROACH TO PROCRASTINATION
I tell my students they can procrastinate as long as they follow three rules:
1. No going onto the computer during their procrastination time. It’s just too engrossing.
2. Before procrastinating, identify the easiest homework problem. (No solving is necessary at this point.)
3. Copy the equation or equations that are needed to solve the problem onto a small piece of paper and carry the paper around until they are ready to quit procrastinating and get back to work.
“I have found this approach to be helpful because it allows the problem to linger in diffuse mode—students are working on it even while they are procrastinating.
ISOLATION VERSUS GROUP WORK—TREATING PROCRASTINATION DIFFERENTLY THAN SIMPLY STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND
A tip I have to address procrastination is to isolate yourself from things you know will distract you, including people.
Go to a room all alone, or the library so you do not have anything to distract you.”—Aukury Cowart, sophomore, electrical engineering“ If I’m struggling in a subject, I find it helpful to study with other people from the same class.
That way, I can ask questions, and we can work together to figure out what we are confused about. Chances are I might know what he or she is confused about and vice versa
NOV. 30 how to make a list
PNAS paper (1 hour)
Go for a walk
Book (1 section)
ISE 150: demo prep
EGR 260: prepare 1 question for final exam
Finalize upcoming talk
Focus, fun!
Goal finish time for day: 5:00 P.M.
THE FREEDOM OF A SCHEDULE
To combat procrastination, I make a schedule of everything I have to do.
For example, I tell myself, ‘Friday, I need to start my paper and then finish it on Saturday.
Also, on Saturday, I need to do my math homework.
On Sunday, I need to study for my German test.’
It really helps me stay organized and practically stress-free.
If I don’t follow my schedule, then I have twice the amount of the work to do the next day, and that’s really not something I look forward to.
Setting Reasonable Goals
I would like the end of this chapter to be the beginning of your own.
For the next two weeks,write your weekly goals down at the beginning of each week.
Then, each day, write out five to ten small, reasonable daily goals based on your weekly goals.
Cross off each item as you complete it, and mentally savor each completed item that you cross off your list.
If you need to, break a given task out into a “mini task list” of three small subtasks to help keep yourself motivated.
Remember, part of your mission is to finish your daily tasks by a reasonable time so that you have some guilt-free leisure time for yourself.
You are developing a new set of habits that will make your life much more enjoyable!
You can use paper or a notebook, or you can get a chalkboard or whiteboard to post by your door. Whatever you think will work best, that’s what you need to do to get started.
ENLISTING LISTS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF STARTING
I stay organized during the week by making a list of things that need to be done for eachday.
The list is usually on a lined sheet of paper that I just fold and stick in my pocket.
Everyday a couple of times a day, I’ll pull it out and double-check that I’ve done or am going todo whatever is on the agenda for that day.
It’s nice to be able to cross stuff off the list,especially when it’s super long.
I have a drawer just full of these folded-up pieces of paper.
“I find it’s easier to start one thing, or even a few things at a time, and know that the next time I go to do them, they are already partly done, so there is less to worry about.”
AVOIDING PROCRASTINATION—INSIGHTS FROM INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING STUDENT JONATHON MCCORMICK
- I write down assignments in my planner as being due one day before they are really due.
That way, I never rush to finish at the last minute, and I still have one full day to think my assignment through before turning it in. - I tell my friends that I’m working on my homework.
That way, whenever one of them catches me live on Facebook, they’ll hold me accountable to the fact that I’m supposed to be doing homework. - I have a framed piece of paper with the starting salary of an industrial engineer on my desk. Whenever I can’t focus on my task at hand, I look at that and remind myself that it’ll pay off in the long run.
Planning for Success
Pick a small portion of a task you have been avoiding.
Plan where and when you will tackle that portion of the task.
Will you go to the library in the afternoon, leaving your cell phone on airplane mode?
Will you go into a different room in your house tomorrow evening, leaving your laptop behind and writing by hand to get a start?
Whatever you decide, just planning how you will implement what you need to do makes it far more likely that you will succeed in the task.
Best Apps and Programs to Keep on Task (free versions available unlessotherwise noted)
TimersThe Pomodoro technique
(varied prices and resources)
:http:/pomodorotechnique.com/
Tasks, Planning, and Flash; Cards30/30—combines timers with a task list: http:/3030.binaryhammer.com/StudyBlue—combines flash cards and notes with text messages when it’s time tostudy again, along with a direct link to the material:
http:/www.studyblue.com/Evernote—one of my personal favorites; very popular for noting task lists andrandom pieces of information (replaces the little notebook writers have long carried tokeep track of their ideas): http:/evernote.com/Anki—one of the best pure flash card systems, with an excellent spaced repetitionalgorithm; many excellent premade decks are available for a variety of disciplines:http:/ankisrs.net/Quizlet.com—allows you to input your own flash cards; you can work withclassmates to divide up the duties (free): http:/quizlet.com/Google Tasks and Calendar: http:/mail.google.com/mail/help/tasks/
Limiting Your Time on Time-Wasting Websites;
Freedom—many people swear by this program, available for MacOS, Windows, andAndroid ($10): http:/macfreedom.com/StayFocusd—for Google Chrome:https:/chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankejkbhbdhmipfmgcngdelahlfoji?hl=enLeechBlock—for Firefox: https:/addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/leechblock/MeeTimer—for Firefox; tracks and logs where you spend your time:https:/addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/meetimer/
Cheering Yourself and Others;
-On43 Things—a goal-setting site: http:/www.43things.com/
-StickK—a goal-setting site: http:/www.stickk.com/
-Coffitivity-modest background noise similar to a coffee shop: http:/coffitivity.com/
Easiest Block of All
Disable sound notifications on your computer and smartphone!
What’s are some tricks that can help you avoid distractions? How can you turn them into habits? Give an example of a time you used one.
Trick involves using meditation to help you learn to ignore distracting thoughts.
(Meditation is not just for New Age types—a lot of science has revealed its value.)
A short, helpful guide to getting started with meditation is Buddha in Blue Jeans by Tai Sheridan.
It’s free as an electronicbook and is suitable for people of any faith.
And of course, there are many meditation apps—just Google around to see what looks workable for you.
A last important trick is to reframe your focus.
One student, for example,is able to get himself up at four thirty each weekday morning, not by thinking about how tired he is when he wakes but about how good breakfast will be.
How do you improve at something you can’t find the time for? Does that mean it’s impossible to succeed at it? How can the brain use negative tricks to hurt you?
Mr.Banister did not focus on all the reasons why he logically had no chance of reaching his goal.
He instead refocused onaccomplishing his goal in his own way.
On the morning he made worldhistory, he got up, ate his usual breakfast, did his required hospital rounds, andthen caught a bus to the track.
It’s nice to know that there are positive mental tricks you can use to youradvantage.
They make up for some of the negative tricks you can play thateither don’t work or make things more difficult for you, like telling yourselfthat you can polish off your homework just before it’s due.
It’s normal to sit down with a few negative feelings about beginningyour work.
It’s how you handle those feelings that matter.
Researchers have found that the difference between slow and fast starters is that thenonprocrastinating fast starters put their negative thinking aside, saying thingsto themselves like, “Quit wasting time and just get on with it Once you get it going, you’ll feel better about it.”
Why is it better to break apart distant deadlines instead of cramming? How do you know what’s most important to be working on? How can the law of Serendipity help you manage time?
It’s important to transform distant deadlines into daily ones. Atack them bit by bit.
Big tasks need to be translated into smaller ones that show upon your daily task list.
The only way to walk a journey of a thousand miles isto take one step at a time
You may think, Yes, but what about a time management system? And how do I know what is most important for me to be working on? That’s what the weekly to-do list is all about.
It helps you calmly step back, look at the big picture, and set priorities.
Seting out your daily list the evening before can also help prevent you from making last-minute decisions that can cost you in the long run.
Do you need to sometimes make changes in your plans because of unforeseen events?
Of course! But remember the Law of Serendipity: LadyLuck favors the one who tries.
Planning well is part of trying.
Keep your eye the goal, and try not to get too unsetled by occasional roadblocks.
Why is the the you set for quitting just as important as the time you spend working? Give some examples.
Ny goal finish time for the day: 5:00 P.M.
Doesn’t seem right, does it?
But it is right, and it is one of the most important components of your daily planner-journal.
Planning your quitting time is as important as planning your working time.
Generally, I aim to quit at 5:00 P.M., although when I’m learningsomething new, it can sometimes be a pleasure to look at it again after I’ve taken an evening break, just before I go to sleep. And occasionally, there is a major project that I’m wrapping up.
The 5:00 P.M. quitting time comes about because I have a family I enjoy hanging with, and I like to have plenty of time for a wide variety of reading in the evening. If this seems like too easy as a schedule, keep in mind that I rise early and do this six days a week, obviously not something you need to be doing unless your study and work load is extra heavy.
What parts of your task list help you remember it exists? How can you make sure you don’t forget to make one and check it?
If you’ve tried starting a planner or journal before and not had itwork for you, you might try a related technique that has a more obvious reminder function built in: Keep your task list on a chalkboard or whiteboardby your door.
And of course, you can still feel that visceral thrill of pleasure every time you check something off your list!
Which jobs on the task list should be done first? And when should they be done?
Do the mostimportant and most disliked jobs first, as soon as you wake up. This is incredibly effective.
Aside from rewiring your cues, what is the best way for you to gain control of your habits? How does this help? Give an example of using this a week from now.
The best way for you to gain control of your habits is simple: Once a week,write a brief weekly list of key tasks.
Then, each day, write a list of the tasks that you can reasonably work on or accomplish.
Try to write this daily task list the evening before.
Why the day before?
Research has shown that this helps your subconscious to grapple with the tasks on the list so you figure out how to accomplish them.
Writing the list before you go to sleep enlists your zombies to help youaccomplish the items on the list the next day.
Most people use their phone or an online or paper calendar to keep track of important due dates—you are probably using such a system.
From your“due date” calendar, write down a weekly to-do list of twenty or fewer key items.
Each night, create the next day’s daily to-do list from the items on the weekly to-do list. Keep it to five to ten items.
Try not to add to the daily list once you’ve made it unless it involves some unanticipated but important item(you don’t want to start creating endless lists).
Try to avoid swapping out items on your list.
What is self experimentation? How can it improve your habits and lifestyle?
As Roberts noted, “From my acne research I learned that self-experimentation can be used by non-experts to (a) see if the experts are right and (b) learn something they don’t know.
I hadn’t realized such things were possible.”
Over the years, Roberts has used his self-experimentation efforts to study his mood, control his weight, and see the effects of omega-3 on how well his brain functioned.
Self-experimentation can help reveal unexpected side effects. . . . Moreover, daily measurements of acne, sleep, or anything else supply a baseline that makes it even easier to see unexpected changes
By logging your reaction, you can apply the subtle pressure you need to change your response to your procrastination cues and gradually improve your working habits.
In his excellent book The Now Habit,author Neil Fiore suggests keeping a detailed daily schedule of your activities for a week or two to get a handle on where your problem areas are for procrastination.
There are many different ways to monitor your behavior.
The most important idea here is that keeping a written history over several weeks appears to be critical in helping you make changes.
Also, different people function better in certain environments—some need a busy coffee shop, while others need a quiet library. You need to figure out what’s best for you.
