Lesson 16 Procrastination

Coaching for College Students

Lesson 16 Procrastination

I was going to write this post three days ago!!!  So this lesson is for the author as well as for you.

There are times when the voice in my brain says “no rush”.  If I listen to that voice in my brain, I can put things off and procrastinate. 

To get this lesson, I want to give several quotes (taken from http://goodreads.com)

“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” 
― Charles Dickens

“It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.” 
― Leonardo da Vinci

“Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone.” 
― Shannon L. Alder

“We are so scared of being judged that we look for every excuse to procrastinate.” 
― Erica Jong,

“The thing all writers do best is find ways to avoid writing.” 
― Alan Dean Foster

“If you take too long in deciding what to do with your life, you'll find you've done it.” 
― George Bernard Shaw

“Procrastination is opportunity's natural assassin.” 
― Victor Kiam

Yes, it sometimes is easier to put off until tomorrow or the day-after-tomorrow – or “someday”.   

The author finds that for me, it sometimes is as easy as just starting.  Even though I put off this lesson, once I started, it is moving along. 

Another story from my experience:  I know I need exercise and that is frequently walking.  Yesterday I just “didn’t feel like walking”.  I had another cup of coffee, I checked my email (for the fourth time since getting out of bed, I played another game, I finished my coffee and had another, then I needed the restroom.  Finally about an hour after I normally walk, I got my shoes and got going.  I ‘plodded’ for a few blocks, barely putting one foot in front of the other and then, “zing”, my brain and my attitude picked up and my pace picked up and I started moving at my normal pace.  By the time I finished, I felt good, got a good walk done, and on to the rest of my day.

 

Assignment: 

• Do you procrastinate?  Why?
• Any particular area do you procrastinate more?
• What is holding you back?
• Do you really work better on a project when you start late?  (Think on that)
• Do you have an assignment book for classes, where you block your time for study and doing assignments and due date?  Why or why not?
• How can you avoid procrastination in the future?