Dear Reader,
*snap snap* ‘Tis I, the procrastination crustacean! Grad school, only a few weeks in, has morphed my procrastination into a lot of over-doing. Hello active procrastination! Remember how I said that there isn’t time for that? Well, apparently there is if you only sleep for five seconds a day. In September, I spent almost four hours on a discussion post that is worth 2% of my final grade. I read (and re-read) a 50-page chapter that I was too tired to digest the first time. I just spent 20 minutes deciding what else I should include in this blog. That speaks for itself. Thank you, chronic perfectionism, for turning me into a non-stop machine.
One of my new best friends is the “Prioritizing” SASS resource. When making lists, I use the A-B-C method (A: must do today or tomorrow; B: might do today if there’s time, but can delay for a few days or a week; C: can delay for more than a week). By organizing the tasks in my Google Calendar using this method, I force myself to spend less time on the lower-priority tasks. Instead of putting off starting my 30% assignment for the third day in a row, I mark an “A” next to it so that I have to start it before moving onto tasks that are less daunting. I include lots of small tasks in my calendar too, such as “making lunch” to take with me to the office, and this helps find motivation for the day. By 9am, I have already completed a handful of mini tasks and it makes me feel better about tackling the next tasks. This type of time management doesn’t permit over-doing; by the time I get to the tasks I keep exaggerating, I don’t have enough hours left in the day to dedicate to drastically labour over it.
Besides lists, I find that taking real breaks is beneficial. Did you know that humans were not put on this Earth to read for 24 hours a day? Newsflash! Who’d have thought that? In all seriousness though, standing up and walking away from the work when I am feeling unproductive is truly revolutionary. Instead of struggling through the same paragraph for 30 minutes, I can walk away and return with fresh eyes and get the whole article read in the same timeframe. Whether I go to make and eat dinner, take a walk around campus, or announce my frustration to my desk mate in my office space, a break is often the best possible option to enhance my productivity. If you’re finding that there isn’t enough time for a break, try the A-B-C method first to get yourself on track.
*snap snap* That is the sound of my incredible claws reaching at this lovely bag of trail mix I see before me. Time for a break, and I suggest you do the same if the time is right. Get those “A” tasks done soon, everyone!
Wishing you well until next time,
April