Activity 3: Taking Steps to Ensure My Success

Consider two common challenges we all face and ask yourself which one applies most to you right now.

  • Procrastination. You leave homework or chores until the last minute. Sometimes this hurts you.
  • Getting stuck. You get stuck sometimes working on a problem, and you don’t know how to get unstuck. You aren’t sure who to ask for help, or what to do.

In your portfolio, write down which of these challenges most applies to you. Write down five ways that you can move past this challenge, using the tips from the table below. These challenges are all habits, and habits can be hard to break. You’ll need to use a variety of techniques to change the habit. It’s up to you to find out what really works for you.

Procrastination
  1. People procrastinate because they find a particular job unpleasant. How to deal with this: get the unpleasant parts of a job over first and quickly. Then you can focus on the more enjoyable parts of the job.
  2. Get organized: break big projects down into smaller tasks. Make the first task something you can do easily. You’ll feel encouraged that you can check that first thing off! Work on each task until all are done.
  3. Make up rewards for yourself. Example: promise yourself a tasty snack after you complete a certain task.
  4. Ask someone to check up with you. A friendly ally can check in and ask if you accomplished the task.
  5. Best case/worst case game. What’s the best possible outcome of working on this task? Visualize it. What the worst possible outcome of not working on this task? Visualize it.
  6. Relive past successes. Think about the last time you completed a project. How did that feel?
  7. Do it for three minutes. Tell yourself you’re going to spend three minutes doing the dreaded task, and you’re allowed to stop after that.
  8. You may surprise yourself and find it isn’t that distasteful after all, and you keep working.
  9. See more tips about Moving Past Procrastination.

Getting Stuck in School and How to Get Un-Stuck

Read tips about getting unstuck here:

  1. http://southend.patch.com/articles/10-ways-to-get-unstuck-2b02dee3
  2. http://tinybuddha.com/blog/16-ways-to-get-unstuck/

CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING MODULE 1! 
Now let's go on to Module 2