<p>Hey everyone,
I posted in this form because I hope some current college kid can relate and maybe help me. So I've always been a pretty lazy kid. Finding the easy way out of work, finding shortcuts and always trying to find little ways to work the system. I've always been a pretty unproductive procrastinator and just recently got into my states flagship school. Wondering if anyone has any advice on how to change when you enter college. I feel as if I can always do better and achieve much more but I'm too lazy to do so and just can't focus and lack all motivation. The few times I do study for tests I always ace them and my SAT, which I didn't study for at all but was planning to, is higher relatively than my GPA showing I'm not much of a hard worker. Anyone lazy in high school change an become productive and hard working in college and have any tips?</p>
<p>There’s no easy way to become unlazy. Discipline yourself. You’re going to be an adult soon enough, act like it. </p>
<p>Make a realistic schedule and stick with it. Make an itinerary of what you should do everyday. Keep track of due dates and “scaffold” your assignment, so it’s not just last minute crap. Best thing for your grades would be to treat college like a job (working 8am-5pm ish). Disconnect Facebook, don’t bring your Xbox, get a dumb phone with no games depending on how you procrastinate. If you still can’t focus, trim your distractions more. </p>
<p>Last thing you want to do is graduate with a lower GPA than you could have achieved and closed many doors for your future because of it. </p>
<p>Think of the consequences of your actions and get on with it.</p>
<p>“Discipline yourself” is useless advice for a lazy person… That’s like saying “stop being lazy,” it’s not that easy. Minimize your distractions and hold yourself accountable to other people until you have the self-control to work hard and focus on your own. </p>
<p>^ Most advice is useless for a lazy person unless they want to change. Any change at all requires effort. Minimize distractions? I can go on Facebook for just five minutes, it’s fine… </p>
<p>Indeed, but one act of shutting down and unplugging a computer will prevent multiple distractions. It’s easier to do things like that than just stop procrastinating and work.</p>
<p>One of my kids was a bit of an underachiever in high school, but found a higher gear in college and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. A few things she did:
She selected housing in a “learning community” of kids who were taking the same freshman seminar she was. She said looking back this was a really good thing – it drew the students who were serious about academics, and several of her friends from that group all made PBK together as seniors.
When heading off for dinner in the cafeteria, she would take what she needed to go right to the library to study. If she went back to the dorm she would get drawn into hanging out and never get to the library at all.
She kept a very detailed calendar so she never forgot an assignment or quiz or test. Everything went in it – work schedule, dorm events, classes, assignments due, etc.
She took advantage of the Writing Center on campus for paper review and feedback (also requires you to start drafts early if you are going to use them, which is good discipline).
She visited professors’ office hours and went to free tutoring sessions, and didn’t let herself get behind. When she didn’t understand, she went for help until she did.
She would reward herself for smaller chunks of work. Finish that paper draft? 15 minutes of internet time. Problem set done? Coffee drink. Reading for class done? Pack it up for the night and go back to the dorm.</p>
<p>You are probably going to do poorly your first semester and in that time period realize that your current study habits (or lack thereof) need to change. This happened to me when I took my first dual enrollment course. </p>
<p>If you really want to do well from the get go, there is one simple rule:</p>
<p>For every hour you spend in class, spend 3 out of class. That is, If your mechanical physics class meets three times a week for an hour, you should spend 9 hours a week studying, doing homework, reading the book, going to the professor during office hours, etc… If you truly want to do well, you will. Only you control that.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there is not easy way out of laziness. It takes effort to stop being lazy, as funny as it sounds. For some, it takes a semester to form good study habits. For others, two years. But if you want that degree with a respectable GPA, you will force yourself to work for it.</p>
<p>I actually think there is a key here. Set some goals, and set them often. Start large and break it down.</p>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>I want GPA X
This will take grades Y in my classes.
To get grade Y, I will need to miss no more than 2-3 assignments per semester and attend all classes.</p>
<p>Purely theoretical. This will allow you to budget you time well, and good budgeted time will prevent workload overflows and some procrastination, though that will take time.</p>
<p>I personally was the same until sophomore year and high school until I began using this system. I have a long term goal doc still, and short term goals and time management go in an agenda app on my phone/computer so it is always accessible and flexible.</p>
<p>There’s some really good advice here. Intparent gave some great practical examples, and I’ll add that it helps to designate set times for certain activities. For example, this past semester I scheduled 8-9 am Monday-Friday as my reading time. I’d do as much reading as I could for all my classes, and since I’m sharper in the morning, I got a lot more done. I did a similar thing at night for reviewing my notes, and it just became a set, habitual pattern after a while. </p>
<p>And like the others have said, you need to truly WANT it. You might need to fail first in order to sincerely motivate yourself, but it’ll come when the time is right. For me it was struggling with AP Bio in high school and realizing I had to put my all into it in order to get the college credit, and for you it might be something else. </p>
<p>@UFBoy123 - I was in your situation. I was what you call "lazy.’ I radically transformed myself and my GPA. First:</p>
<p>@intparent - the items you mentioned are EXACTLY what changed it for me (I didn’t do the first one though, but it’s an excellent idea). The LAST ONE “- She would reward herself for smaller chunks of work. Finish that paper draft? 15 minutes of internet time. Problem set done? Coffee drink. Reading for class done? Pack it up for the night and go back to the dorm.”</p>
<p>I literally get goose bumps reading that. I adopted that same system for myself several years ago. It changed my life. Using that, I transformed myself from a “lazy” person to a workaholic (not that you have to go to that extreme). </p>
<p>Now…
@UFBoy123 - Read everything @intparent said. I would add one more key ingredient. Self-discipline is like a muscle. You have to use it for awhile until it becomes strong. Therefore, when you start out, you need something external to keep you in line. You need someone or something to be accountable to.</p>
<p>Who NOT to use:
Yourself (as a recovering “lazy” person, I’m guessing you’ve tried this one already)
Your friends - Your friends want to hang out with you. You’re not afraid of your friends, they’re not going to be too hard on you. Not a good idea.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend - Also wants to spend time with you, even if you are afraid of your significant other, I’ve never seen this one work:). If your boyfriend or girlfriend could compel you to do your schoolwork, they likely would have already.</p>
<p>Who/what you SHOULD use:</p>
<ul>
<li>Someone you will never allow yourself to lie to.</li>
<li>Someone you will not allow yourself to break a promise to.
This could include, but is not limited to:</li>
<li>A family member, but do not use that person if you have a history of doing the above to items to that person.</li>
<li>If you’re religious that works. If you’re superstitious, that can work too.</li>
<li>It doesn’t even have to be anything real, but it has to be something that means something to you. to you.</li>
</ul>
<p>Do yourself a favor, try this TODAY (you can use this for other things as well besides school). I was in your position, I’ve helped others in your position.</p>
<p>Do me a favor, let me know how it turns out.</p>
<p>Well… one thing I didn’t mention about my D1 is that she started dating a young man just after winter break of her freshman year who actually worked harder than she did. She told me she would feel guilty if she tried to pull him away from studying to hang out, so they started setting goals together on studying for a period of time, then going to have fun. So if you can find an SO that is a good influence on your study habits, that is a bonus. But it doesn’t always work out that way, and you need to develop your own self discipline habits that don’t depend on the people around you pulling you in either direction.</p>
<p>On the other end of that spectrum, my D2 is a college freshman, and she broke up with her boyfriend around spring break this year because he wanted to spend more time together than she could give and still keep up her studies. She goes to a tough STEM school and came in with less prep in the subject matter than a lot of her peers. Her boyfriend just does not have to work as hard to earn decent grades, and was giving her a hard time about how much she was studying. I give her great credit for having sense enough to know what she is really at college for (note that she is not gunning for all As, far from it, just trying to keep her head above water).</p>
<p>I smiled throughout your whole post. You described me perfectly. I was just like you in high school. I just finished my first year in college and I got a ~3.6 GPA (which is a major improvement for me). </p>
<p>I remember asking people for advice and everything gave me some really professional and scientific stuff that has been proven to help. However, all that sounded like SOOO MUCH work. So I didn’t do any of it. It just wasn’t me. This is probably really bad advice, but embrace your life style. I don’t mean give in and just be lazy and everything, but I mean make things work for you. </p>
<p>I always put things off until night and that use to always get me in trouble, but when I tried to do day time stuff way in advance it never worked out. I made a system to where I would work on things at night. Honestly I think if you are serious college just kinda forces you to actually try. You’ll learn to work hard and fast. Don’t try to be somehting you aren’t, but don’t just give up. Find things that work for YOU. </p>
<p>Just get started on things. That is the hardest part. Once you get going on an assignment or essay, you’ll probably find it easier to continue. The first step is the most difficult one, but if you get past that you dramatically increase your chances at being productive! :D</p>
<p>Once you figure out why you procrastinate (i.e. perfectionism and bullying), then you can own up to your mistakes and finally use the tips in this thread to get that super high GPA</p>
But it doesn’t always work out that way, and you need to develop your own self discipline habits that don’t depend on the people around you pulling you in either direction.</p>