<p>i hope this is the right place to post this.</p>
<p>i started having really bad procrastination problems during the beginning of junior year, i guess. i'm a straight A student, still am, but it's really wearing me down. i stay up late to finish things that could've been done days, weeks before. and i can only get myself to do something when it's really down to the wire. every weekend, i tell myself i'm gonna finally catch up, but i can't and i never do. i'm really scared because i have a horrible work ethic. it's like i'm scared of not doing something perfectly so i wait until the last minute, when i really can't do my best. i'm so, so tired of this. my life would be about 60% less stressful if i could just do my work. i never have anything to do, so i just think about the homework i need to do and stress about not doing it. it's ruining my life. </p>
<p>i'm writing this post because i've been trying to get myself to do homework since 8:00 this morning, but now it's 6 PM and i've done hardly anything for my huge spanish project due thursday. and it sucks because on top of that, i have tons of other things to do. i feel horrible. i can't concentrate to save my life. while i should be looking up things on puerto rico, i'm reading gossip sites, looking at college stuff, and checking my email. over and over and over and i can't stop it. everyone thinks i'm some smart perfectionist who has everything under control, but i'm not and i really don't. how can i even go to college when i can't stop doing this? it's gotten so out of control, i can't believe i wasted the entire day. </p>
<p>i have no idea what to do. :( what's wrong with me??</p>
<p>You just need to focus. Remove all the possible distractions. You can do it, but you have to commit to working.</p>
<p>Maybe see a therapist to figure out why you are doing this and get help developing strategies to stop. You might be stressed about upcoming changes (college), and sort of sabotaging yourself because of your fears or insecurities.</p>
<p>Everyone procrastinates some. It’s a matter of controlling it, and learning to focus.
I agree on getting rid of distractions. Turn off your phone. If you don’t need your computer for something you’re working on, put it in another room. If you do need your computer, try an extension for your web browser that will block websites for a period of time. What I have discovered works well for me is making schedules. I will lay out what I have due on certain days for an extended period of time and plan out specific times to work on certain things each day. Do I end up following this schedule? Heck no! But I’m better than if I didn’t plan at all, and I have set some specific goals to get there. It also helped me break things down and work in pieces, so I didn’t feel like I had to do an entire project in one sitting (which tends to result in me getting overwhelmed, shutting down, and accomplishing nothing). Also try rewarding yourself. Once you finish X, Y, and Z in your project, for example, let yourself watch the latest episode of your favorite TV show on Hulu.</p>
<p>I totally sympathize with how you’re feeling. I always felt like I procrastinated a ton (and still do). As the stress level and workload increase, you have to figure out new and more efficient ways to handle it, which adds even more to the stress load. Also try talking to someone who can help you calm down, sort through all the things you have to worry about, and give you a confidence boost. I don’t think I would have been able to get through IB exams without my making my mom help me schedule it out and providing intermittant hugs and cocoa.</p>
<p>When you have an assignment or something, don’t think you have to do it all in one day. Maybe work on it for like 10 minutes each day and you’ll be done in no time!</p>
<p>I can totally relate to this. My daughter is very smart and driven … With big dreams of going to a top school. Yet she can’t bring herself to write the required essays or even to ask teachers for recommendations. But if a teacher gave an assignment to write an essay, she would do it and do it well (770 on the writing portion of the SAT). It is causing us a lot of stress and strain in our household.</p>
<p>it sounds like you might need some help with organization (not in getting things tidy) but with time management skills and organization of priorities. There are counselors that help with anxiety disorders. I would suggest that you call your pediatrician’s office and ask the staff about therapists that can help you with the anxiety you’re experiencing.<br>
If you can’t do that, you need to get some “graphic” organizers that can help to organize your commitments. This means lists in small steps. For your spanish due on Thursday, you would write out a list like:<br>
<em>**research 3 sites with Puerto Rico facts-spend no more than 45 minutes
*</em><em>take a snack break of 10 minutes
*</em><em>then walk to corner and back
*</em><em>WRITE AN OUTLINE with Spanish Vocabulary, culture, idioms-no more than 30 minutes
*</em><em>Take 5 minute diet CAFFEINE FREE coke or Water break, feed the dog.
*</em><em>Make a list of other subjects’ homework this week-5 minutes! walk in house and up the stairs.
*</em>*Start a rough first paragraph with 2 statements . . . 30 minutes max! no computer surfing.</p>
<p>Does this make sense? Don’t procrastinate, just take it slowly.</p>