Behavior Modification: Procrastination

Procrastination

Contemplation

Conclusion

• Procrastination will only make things worse - I can only benefit from getting work done ahead of time & will have more time to do more of whatever I want!

• Have been stuck in this stage since I got to college
• Still getting good grades (aside from Bio 118), but high stress levels
• A lot of all-nighters
• "I'll never do that again".. until next time
• Knew I had to change and even wanted to, but still didn't take action
• This semester: presented to a freshmen class about time management for my job

Video: Problems Only Procrastinators Understand

Preparation

• Identified why I was procrastinating
• Bought a nice planner and wall calendar
• Wrote down all due dates/test dates for the semester
• Was able to pinpoint which weeks would be the worst
• Kept preparing at the beginning of each week
• To-do lists
• Breakdowns of which days I would do certain assignments

Action

• Designated library time
• Kept up with to-do lists and following schedules
• Prioritized
• Did assignments in advance
• Set personal deadlines
• Rewarded myself

Maintenance

Week 2

Week 5

Week 3

• 10/1: Finished my readings for my night class ahead of time so I was able to completely focus on studying for my test tomorrow"

I plan to maintain my behavior modification by:

• Continuing to make to-do lists/use planner
• Staying committed to library days
• Next semester: 1 Tuesday/Thursday class on campus
• Breaking down assignments into parts
• Constantly reminding myself about how good it feels to finish things ahead of time - and not completely giving up when I have the occasional relapse

10/23: "Met my personal deadline for submitting my application that is due in a few weeks - felt great to get it done ahead of time!"

• 9/23: "Went to the library in between my classes instead of letting myself go home and relax"

Benefits of

Not Procrastinating

• Much lower stress levels
• More time to relax and hang out with friends without feeling guilty about it
• Better sleep schedule
• Feeling proud of myself
• Overall better mood and more positive attitude

Background/Pre-Contemplation

Relapse

• Week 7: "Didn't finish my paper due at 9 until 8:50 PM... and I still have to study for a test tomorrow morning"
• Even though it got done, waiting until the last minute was not worth the amount of stress it caused

• Started as early as middle school
• Procrastinated all throughout high school
• Free periods
• Saw no negative consequences
• Still got good grades which made it very hard to change
• Not a very stressful environment
• Didn't like the behavior, but didn't hate it enough to change

Obstacles

• Living in a house with 11 other people
• Having a time-consuming job on campus
• Working on school applications
• Lazy days
• Starting a new Netflix show