Workshop Gives Tips to Avoid Procrastination

Commentary Editor

Photo by Eric Bell

Stay Motivated - Counselor Phyllis Waldron gives students tips to stay motivated until they succeed. Waldron gave students tips on how to stop procrastinating April 22 at the Gateway Student Support Services workshop.

   Gateway Student Support Services held a workshop titled “Stop Putting It Off! Avoiding Procrastination” April 22.

   Counselor Phyllis Waldron explained procrastination as putting off or avoidance of an activity or task by focusing on something else.

   While most people procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it keeps you from completing tasks. Symptoms of procrastination include:

• Inability to finish tasks
• Inability to meet deadlines
• Inability to keep promises
• Poor concentration
• Negative internal messages
• Inability to organize and work constructively
• Mostly caused by low self-esteem

   Waldron said, “Self-esteem is rooted in childhood because we learn so much at this time in our lives.”

   Causes of low self-esteem include:

   Junior Bonnie Crump said, “The pressure of waiting until the last minute could hurt some students.”

   To stay motivated, one should set a goal, tell someone about the goal and complete an unwanted task and reward yourself for achieving the goal.

   To avoid procrastination, students must prioritize their daily tasks and get the worst out of the way first or delegate unwanted tasks on your list to others.

   “Tasks should be completed according to importance, ‘A’ tasks must be done, ‘B’ tasks you would like to get done and ‘C’ tasks are of least importance to you,” Waldron added.

   In academic matters, writing down assignments, calculating the hours needed to complete the assignment, doing a little each time and rewarding yourself also helps avoid procrastination.

   Junior Keith Franklin said, “Procrastinating could cause you to get behind on many things aside from school.”

   For more information about Gateway Student Support Services, please contact Gateway Counselor Phyllis Waldron at 460-1054 or at waldronp@uamont.edu.

Have a comment? Please e-mail us.

©The Voice 2008