Back in the days when stumbeupon was a huge thing, I stumbled upon this mental exercise called "the list of 100." The purpose of this exercise is to brainstorm ways to solve a problem by listing 100 solutions in one sitting. (Here is a link to the original exercise: "Tackle Any Issue With A List of 100." )
When I was a freshman in college, back in November 2010, I decided to write a list on 100 ways to decrease daily procrastination (for students). As you read the list, you'll get a sense of the kinds of distractions and patterns of behavior that led to my procrastinating. Enjoy!!
100 Ways To Decrease Daily Procrastination For Students
Don’t turn on the laptop unless need be
Don’t go on facebook until the end of the day
Don’t go on facebook at all
Understand that youtube won’t delete videos
Understand that fantasy BB doesn’t need to be checked until the games are done
Finish what’s most important first
Take 10 – 20 minute breaks, not 1 hour
Eat and take breaks at the same time, not separately
Don’t smoke until everything is finished
Know what you want to get done
Don’t linger, just get up and do something
Sleep at an earlier time
Wake up at an earlier time
Go to the library to do hw
Go to the lounge to do hw
Don’t do lengthy hw in room
Use your damn planner
Save emails for later
Save blogging for later
Don’t lurk people on facebook, dear god
Don’t clean the room until night time
Don’t do work at home, therefore no cleaning required
Do things on a schedule, not randomly
If you didn’t plan on smoking, don’t smoke
if you take a break, limit it to 10 – 20 minutes
one game of brawl on a break only
one game of cod on a break only
don’t watch dexter until the end of the day
one episode of office on a break only
write your daily schedule the night before
don’t write the next day’s schedule until you finish the first one
go study with a friend
if you want to do something fun, do it on a break
understand that assignments are easier than they sound
understand that assignments are easier when started earlier
don’t eat TOO much, you get lazy as fuck
no smoking unless hw is finished
don’t sleep late as fuck, 2 am max
when they go smoke, instead, go run
don’t go on stumbleupon, unless it’s the weekend (that shit will kill you)
if you’re not going to do hw, at least do something good
don’t do work at home!!!!! Go to the damn lounge
don’t go immediately home after classes, do work somewhere
only take a break after 1 hour of diligent studying (drink water)
don’t change to sweats until it’s night time (you bum)
take a look at assignments immediately when they’re assigned (note difficult and time)
take advantage of odd hours
actually put some effort into your assignments
log out of facebook each night, and don’t check until hw is finished next day
don’t come home unless hw is finished
go to the library EVERYDAY
the farther away from home the better
stop going to the toilet every 10 minutes, foreal
instead of sweats go with either jeans or shorts with long socks and a hoody
just learn to say no
stick to your agenda, stick to your agenda
understand that school is MOST important
don’t smoke after 12pm if you’ve finished hw
seriously, facebook STILL hasn’t changed so stop looking
don’t check blogger, facebook, youtube, or fantasy basketball until hw is finished
work out in the morning
basketball at night
go the library after the last class of the day (don’t come back)
understand that everyone else is doing hw too
don’t do midterm studying at home
don’t do papers at home
chem hw can be done at home, but not advised
do engineering hw with Adrian
save household chores for the weekend
cleaning can be done after hw
understand that the assignments cant be turned in later
understand that most of the shit you do instead of them CAN be done later…whenever actually
do things that are ESSENTIAL (hw, study, read, workout, eat, sleep, shower)
if you’re going to procrastinate, do it socially
don’t eat sunflower seeds during break, oh god the iodine intake
after math class do the hw
after crd class look at upcoming assignments (write in planner)
after chem. class look at how long hw is
after eng. Graphics, look at how long the assignment is
LIBRARY god damnit
Find other good places to study
Don’t spend more than 2 hours on one assignment if not necessary
Always do brainstorms and outlines for essays
You need at least one day per 2 pages if you want to write a good essay
You need at least a week before a midterm or test to study well
Don’t tell anyone your plans, commit to yourself that’s it
“fuck it” is not acceptable during weekdays, even Thursday
It’s possible to eat and do work
15 minute naps are your friend
Don’t snooze
Go to wellman an hour early and do hw before class
Finish most of the assignment 2 days before it’s due
You’re most efficient when you take your time
Quit the overly excessive schedules and routines, you’re too ambitious in that aspect
Begin with the hardest assignment (but don’t necessarily finish)
Do homework on Friday and Saturday
Commit at least 4 – 5 hours of homework a day, you know that’s right
“I have homework” is a valid excuse if you actually do it
You get the most quality work when you give yourself enough time
The internet is the primary source of procrastination, BY FAR
Reflecting back on this list, 7 years later, it's so clear as to what was really the issue behind my procrastination - taking responsibility and setting priorities. Oh, hindsight. Always 20/20 and packed with more wisdom.
Next Chapter Incoming!!!