Effective Habits for Effective Study

Avoiding Procrastination

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Study Skills Self-help Information

 

Effective Habits for Effective Study

You can prepare yourself to succeed in your studies.
Try to develop and appreciate the following habits:

·         Take responsibility for yourself
Responsibility is recognition that in order to succeed
you can make decisions about your priorities, your time, and your resources

·         Center yourself around your values and principles
Don't let friends and acquaintances dictate what you consider important

·         Put first things first
Follow up on the priorities you have set for yourself, and don't let others, or other interests, distract you from your goals

·         Discover your key productivity periods and places
Morning, afternoon, evening; study spaces where you can be the most focused and productive.  Prioritize these for your most difficult study challenges

·         Consider yourself in a win-win situation
You win by doing your best and contributing your best to a class, whether for yourself, your fellow students, and even for your teachers and instructors. If you are content with your performance, a grade becomes an external check on your performance, which may not coincide with your internally arrived at benefits

·         First understand others, then attempt to be understood
When you have an issue with an instructor, for example a questionable grade, an assignment deadline extension, put yourself in the instructor's place. Now ask yourself how you can best make your argument given his/her situation

·         Look for better solutions to problems
For example, if you don't understand the course material, don't just re-read the material. Try something else! Consult with the professor, a tutor, an academic advisor, a classmate, a study group, or your school's study skills center

·         Look to continually challenge yourself

Partially adapted from the audio cassette by Steven Covey, 
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Avoiding Procrastination

Is your procrastination related to a project? or is it a habit?

To remedy procrastination:

Begin with one, modest project
Answer these basic questions
Keep the answers before you as you mark your progress: 

What do you want to do?

·         What is the final objective, the end result?
It may be obvious, or not

·         What are the major steps to get there?
Don't get too detailed:  think big

·         What have you done so far?
Acknowledge that you are already part of the way, 
even if it is through thinking!  
The longest journey begins with a first step

Why do you want to do this?

·         What is your biggest motivation?
Do not concern yourself if your motivation is negative!
This is honest and a good beginning.  
However, if your motivation is negative, 
re-phrase and re-work it until it is phrased positively

·         What other positive results will flow from achieving your goal?
Identifying these will help you uncover 
benefits that you may be avoiding:  Dare to dream!

List out what stands in your way

·         What is in your power to change?

·         What resources outside yourself do you need?
Resources are not all physical (i.e. tools and money), and include time, people/professionals/elders, even attitude  

·         What will happen if you don't progress?
It won't hurt to scare yourself a little...

Develop your plan, list

·         Major, realistic steps
A project is easier when it is built in stages;
Start small; Add detail and complexity as you achieve and grow

·         How much time each will take
A schedule helps you keep a progress chart  and reinforce that there are way-stations on your path

·         What time of day, week, etc. you dedicate yourself
to work.  This helps you develop a new habit of working,
build a good work environment, and distance distractions  (It is much easier to enjoy your project when distractions are set aside.)

·         Rewards you will have at each station
and also what you will deny yourself until you arrive at each station

·         Build in time for review
Find a trusted friend, elder, or expert to help you  motivate yourself or monitor progress

Admit to:

·         False starts and mistakes as learning experiences
They can be more important than successes, and give meaning to "experience"

·         Distractions and escapes
Do not deny they exist, but deny their temptation

·         Emotion
Admit to frustration when things don't seem to be going right
Admit that you have had a problem, but also that you are doing something about it

·         Fantasy
See yourself succeeding

Finally:  if procrastination is a habit of yours, forget it.
Focus on the tasks and project at hand, and build from there!

See also:  Avoiding Procrastination,  Learning Center, University of Texas at Austin

Study Skills Self-help Information

http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html