Help Your Student Avoid Procrastination Pitfalls

​Did you know that 80-95% of college students procrastinate? Maybe you’re rolling your eyes and saying, “Duh, who doesn’t know that college students procrastinate?” And maybe you were one of those students.

But when you’re trapped in a procrastination cycle, it can feel as if everyone around you has it all together and you’re the only one who has, once again, gotten yourself into trouble with the doom of an approaching deadline.

In her new book, How to Do It Now Because It's Not Going Away: An Expert Guide to Getting Stuff Done, Leslie Josel tackles the sticky problem of procrastination.

If you have a high school or college student in your life, you MUST buy them this book! I so wish I’d had it when I was a student -- maybe then I wouldn’t have become a master procrastinator as Tim Urban hilariously described in his TED talk.

But don’t just take my word for it. The best testimonial for How to Do It Now is that it didn’t annoy my teenage daughter! Instead of sounding like a nagging parent, the writing is so matter-of-fact and non-preachy that my daughter just saw it as reasonable, straightforward advice to consider. That’s a huge win!

Leslie’s time management and task-tackling advice is also great for those of us who aren’t students. As someone who is self-employed, and therefore needs to be self-motivated, I sometimes find it tough to force myself to get through routine chores and can slip into old procrastination habits.

“How are those working out for you?”
Leslie asks this simple question when the students she coaches tell her about their current strategies. Her counterintuitive tips help get them out of the ineffective loop of relying on the same old strategies.
​
Here are some of my favorite of Leslie’s out-of-the-box ideas:

Old Way	Leslie's Way
You should study/work at your desk.	​Mix it up and find new, fun places to study/work! This will keep you from getting bored and zoning out.
Set goals based on completion of tasks. ​	Set time goals to help you break tasks into finite chunks so they don’t seem to drag on forever. Say, “I’ll write for ½ hour” not “I’ll write my whole essay.”
Listening to music is too distracting. You need to study/work in silence. ​ ​	Music can be beneficial -- drowns out noise, gives energy, helps focus --  if used correctly. Figure out what music helps you focus. A set playlist is less distracting than the surprise of random music. Use a playlist as a timer for work sessions and, like the bell for Pavlov’s dogs, as a cue to get into the study mindset.

Whether you know a student who could use help developing good study skills or you yourself could use a nudge with kicking procrastination, pick up a copy of How to Do It Now Because It's Not Going Away: An Expert Guide to Getting Stuff Done by Leslie Josel.

• Do you ever feel as if an Instant Gratification Monkey lives in your brain?
• What's your #1 strategy for combatting procrastination?
• What incentive could you offer to get your favorite student to read Leslie's book?

NOTE: Because I am a firm believer in the excellence of Leslie Josel’s products, I am an Order Out of Chaos affiliate and, at no expense to you, earn a small commission on sales through the Order Out of Chaos links provided in this blog.

Bonus Tip:

​Playlists aren't only great for studying, they can also help you organize!

When organizing with clients, I often use music to help energize and motivate us.

I once had a client who played really moody, depressing music when we first started working together.

​After she took my suggestion to switch to something more upbeat, our sessions were much more productive, her organizing skills took off, and her confidence soared. The right music made a difference!