by L. Layendecker

Created on: April 22, 2007   Last Updated: September 10, 2009

Procrastination your middle name? Deadlines rearing an ugly head? Found yourself in last-minute-land...try these tips:

1. Pain is Power - Think writing a research paper is painful? Make a list of the top ten things that would be more painful (i.e. ripping off your toenails one by one with a pair of pliers, or gouging out your eyeballs with a dull icepick). Still finding that research too boring to start?

2. Keep your Friends Close, and Their Ideas Closer - Having trouble starting a project? Start a casual conversation with some friends in the same class about what their projects entail. You'll be sure to pick up a useful tip or be able to learn from their mistakes. This will save you time and aid in your motivation.

3. Go Old School! - Resort to old-fashioned methods involved paper (an 8 1/2 by 11 inch thin strip of condensed tree bark) and pencil (ten inch wooden cylinder filled with lead). The computer has too many temptations - email, chat rooms, myspace. Before you know it, that all night cram session will turn into an all night blogfest.

4. Rid yourself of all Evil - In an effort to stay organized and on top of things, you will need to...are you sitting down? you should be...turn off your technology. That's right - while you're doing homework, you will need to learn to live without your cell phone, sidekick, or mp3 player. In the world of procrastinators, they are pure evil - technological demons that exist only to distract you. If you want to accomplish something - turn the cell phone OFF. Not on vibrate. Not on silent mode. OFF!

And for the last and final tip...

STOP DOING ON-LINE RESEARCH ABOUT PROCRASTINATION, AND START DOING ALL THOSE THINGS YOU SHOULD HAVE FINISHED YESTERDAY!

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