<p>One would think that after 5 semesters of trial an error, I would have mastered the skill of time management... </p>
<p>I'm a chronic procrastinator, and I really want to change. It's just amazing how the hours just whiz by, and all of a sudden, my engineering homework is due tomorrow, it's 10:37 pm, and I haven't even read the problems. </p>
<p>What strategies have you implemented to help you combat distractions, and become the hard working, studious person that you used to be?</p>
<p>working in a supermarket for several months was the motivation i needed to do well in uni</p>
<p>either my brain has lost the ability to do math, or taking 4 engineering classes in 1 semester is deceptively hard.</p>
<p>Math usually comes easy for me. But now, everyone else is better than me at math.</p>
<p>I think you should just sit down and make yourself do some work, so that you can motivate yourself to get ahead of things. Work in small steps - instead of doing things late at night, do it earlier that day, and then keep working at it so that you start to do homework 3 or 4 days before it’s due. It’s up to you - you just have to motivate yourself and do the work beforehand.</p>
<p>I haven’t completely gotten on track, but I’ve started to do my homework a few days in advance, or at least earlier in the day if I leave it for the last day. To be honest, the main reason why I find it easier to do it earlier is because at night, I can goof off and play mario kart or surf youtube or do stuff like that instead of having to worry about scrambling to get things done lol.</p>
<p>Download the Google Chrome extension called StayFocusd (not a typo). Put all the sites you waste time on on its block list, and make friends with Nuclear Mode.</p>
<p>I’m probably going to have to put talk.collegeconfidential.com on that block list.</p>
<p>If I post on this forum again, you should just ban me. :)</p>
<p>I’ve found that I work most efficiently when I micro-manage my time via Google Calendar.</p>
<p>Definitely a calendar or planner of some sorts can be a saving grace. I’m not a huge fan of planners because it gets tedious holding it around and whipping it out everywhere, but it can help you get your rhythm going. Also, try and set a time frame to complete an assignment. If you get stuck, skip it and come to it later instead of crying your eyes out for long periods of time when you could be getting other work done.</p>
<p>well… that’s chemical engineering. At higher level courses, you are expected to read the textbook and grasp the concepts thoroughly. We don’t go over examples that are similar to the homework. It’s unlikely that you’ll find a homework set that takes less than 4 hours to complete… Unless you have the solutions manual, and a lot of people do, apparently. </p>
<p>And I do use google calendar. It lets me know when my exams are.</p>
<p>I think I just need to dedicate more time to studying and less time working in the labs.</p>
<p>Get a planner. Plan out little parts of homework/activities to do each day, and plan for flexible/free time for when unexpected things come up. I used one of those site blocker/timer things too, to keep me from checking Facebook and other sites during “homework times.” </p>
<p>Reward yourself after you stick to each plan, whether it be with candy, getting to go online for 10 minutes, listening to music for a little, whatever works for you to motivate you. </p>
<p>I am still a chronic procrastinator and I graduated college a year ago 
I found that I work better under pressure - I think clearer and faster, and thus I take less time to produce good work. If I start a paper far in advance, I struggle, edit a lot, and just can’t think because I have other things on my mind that I’d rather focus on. But when the deadline is near, I know I have to crack down and get it done. So even though I fought the procrastination when I could, it is very difficult to change unless you stick to a plan and have a strong motivation/reward for doing so. Otherwise, you’ll just find other ways to waste your time even if your internet is blocked.</p>