The majority of my patients are college students, and working with this group of people is a great privilege. I get to watch people grow in leaps and bounds and rework and refine their personal styles of interacting with the world as they go. I have found that certain tips always give students the bang for their buck. That is, once they adapt the tip for themselves, there is always a dramatic improvement in their mood, performance, and outlook.
1) Exercise regularly. The importance of this tip cannot be overstated. This is the one tip I know will payoff for students 100% of the time. Once students find a way to start exercising, they notice they feel better. I think there is something very enlivening and empowering to determine for yourself you will exercise and you will put yourself together to get there and do the work. That act of initiating the activity then begins to transfer to other activities, and lo and behold, soon Procrastination is a distant memory. People who exercise begin to value it so much that structuring time during the day to exercise becomes a must. The act of structuring the day's activity also begins to transfer to other activities, and lo and behold, soon productivity rises noticeably. Of course, other benefits to exercising are many, including looking better, sleeping better, concentrating better, and having more energy and stamina.
2) Protect your sleep. It is important for all of us to understand what our sleep needs are. Do you need 7-8 hours a night? How do you fare when you have to sleep less? What factors tend to disrupt your sleep? What activities make it difficult to fall asleep? We are all aware that the college years seem to invite sleep deprivation. That is certainly part of the college learning process. We have to learn how to cope with change, stress, and lack of sleep when they happen. However, we can also learn how to protect our sleep needs over time too. Some ways of protecting your sleep include setting specific bedtime ranges, having good sleep hygiene (e.g. refraining from drinking caffeine after 2 p.m.), and limiting (as needed) the number of nights out partying.
3) Handle things one at a time. Once students begin to immerse themselves in college life — academics, social life, extra-curriculars, on- or off-campus employment — the challenges of time management seem to explode. Procrastination can take root when students find themselves feeling overwhelmed by the whole picture of what has to be accomplished. Avoid falling into a Procrastination pattern by choosing points of focus each day. What needs to get done first? What can be handled first so the rest of the items are easier to deal with? What is my first deadline? Once you are able to refocus away from your anxiety and towards your next action, you will find you will be able to handle your responsibilities in a timely manner.
4) Make it real. Procrastinators are good at imaginary thinking. And they tend to think in terms of imaginary time. Procrastinators will say “I have all day to do it,” when in reality, there are a few appointments and other items scattered throughout the day. They will plan to finish their 20-page term paper in two days, when they have never been able to write more than 5 pages in a single day. To up your chances of success in college, make sure you make it real. Understand what the stakes are. Understand what you're up against. Understand what the parameters of your assignment are. Understand what will happen to your academic status if you don't get above a B on the next test. Some ways to keep it real are:
- keeping in touch with your friends and staying social instead of being isolated
- speaking truthfully to yourself and to others instead of shading the truth
- being in consistent contact with people who can be helpful, e.g. deans, teaching assistants, and tutors
5) Write it down. One way to begin making things real a la Tip #4 is to write things down. Write your thoughts down. Write people's information down. Write your fleeting, but interesting thoughts down. Write the things you want to explore down. Doing this will help you to clear your mind and to take advantage of good, creative impulses that may arise. Writing things down will also help you to be more organized and help you to remember things more accurately. If you find yourself in a Procrastination funk and delay, just opening up a page of your detailed notes on your topic will get you motivated more quickly than if you had nothing but amorphous thoughts in your head.
I've got many more tips for success to share with you, and I look forward to doing so again soon.
I hope you can try one of these tips out this week. If you have any sure-fire tips for success to share, please do so by posting a reply.
