CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Mapping Your Patterns of Delay

Psychology Today: If you have an automatic procrastination habit (APH), you are likely to languish. To change the pattern, take an essential step. Create a procrastination log to find out what is going on. Transform procrastination distractions into productive actions. Here’s where to start. Map what you do when you procrastinate. Evaluate what is happening. Develop procrastination prevention skills. Via lifehacker.com

3 comments:

Unknown said...

This article definitely rings true in my experience. This seems to be a very scientific method for diagnosing and attempting prevent procrastination, which I applaud. I know that in my own case, I tend to procrastinate and get distracted when I encounter difficulties with a task or project. As soon as I get derailed by a challenging problem and obstacle, I lose focus. Its a constant struggle to stay motivated and stay on task. Maybe by analyzing exactly how I feel, as the author suggests, I'll be able to make some positive adjustments. I definitely look forward to trying the article's suggestions out!

Emily Potter said...

This is the most relevant article to my summer. Before coming to CMU I was a heavy procrastinator. The intensity of the workload of this past 4 weeks has kicked me into gear for determining what makes me procrastinate and stopping the trend. Logging one's habits can see, like a pain, and slightly dorky, but the benefits of tracking the causes of bad behavior has really helped me (and apparently others) stop forming bad habits.

Emily Bordelon said...

Being a procrastinator myself, I find this article to be helpful, but not likely to be easily applied to my situation. As it takes more time to map out your procrastination process, I would get even less done than I already do. I am however getting better at planning my workload, and only putting off what I know I can manage. When there is work that I enjoy, I am less likely to procrastinate, but with long term projects in less desirable subject, I tend to put the assignments off until later. But in the future, I will keep these tips in mind and maybe I can break my habit.