Procrastination is a big problem for many students. Almost everyone deals with it at some point in his or her life. Whether it is a research paper for school, a project at work, or cleaning the garage at home, the reasons people procrastinate are the same:

· They aren’t interested in the task at hand.

· They underestimate the amount of time a task will take.

· They are unorganized.

· They feel overwhelmed by the task at hand.

· They think they work better under pressure.

Here are a few tips for avoiding procrastination:

· Break your task up into smaller, more manageable pieces.

· Set very specific goals for each of the smaller pieces.

· Use a planner and list goals and what is needed to reach them (located on next page).

· Collect all materials needed before sitting down to work on the task.

· Avoid distractions. Whether it is television, phone calls, or your email, avoid whatever it is that keeps you from getting the job done.

· Do something. Even if it is just jotting down free-flowing thoughts, it will get you moving forward.

· If you’re having trouble getting started, make yourself work on the task for as little as five minutes to get you started. If you continue to do that, it will become easier to sit down and work on it for longer stretches.

· Give yourself more time than you think you will need to complete the task.

· Reward yourself when you meet each small goal.

For more tips on avoiding procrastination, click on the following link:

http://www.law.georgetown.edu/writingcenter/documents/procrastination.pdf

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time management