Procrastination and "offering up" work

[sugarmouse]

I’ll keep this brief. I’m a university student, and I really struggle with procrastination, leaving essays etc. to the last minute. I’m working on a paper right now (actually have a week left, so not too bad) and trying to power through and get it done early.

I have a few questions:

1. Does anyone have advice (prayers, etc.) about dealing with procrastination?
2. I think perhaps I’ll find it easier to get work done when it’s really difficult if I’m “offering it up”. Again, I’d appreciate advice, prayers, personal stories, and so on about ways to offer up tasks to God.
3. I’d imagine it’s better to offer up voluntary work instead of stuff I’ve actually got to do for my course, but do you think offering up essays and things will be spiritually beneficial? It is still work I find difficult (I’m sure most people here know what it feels like to write essays which feel emotionally and physically draining).

Thank you!

 

[CRATUS]

I’ll keep this brief. I’m a university student, and I really struggle with procrastination, leaving essays etc. to the last minute. I’m working on a paper right now (actually have a week left, so not too bad) and trying to power through and get it done early.

I have a few questions:

1. Does anyone have advice (prayers, etc.) about dealing with procrastination?
2. I think perhaps I’ll find it easier to get work done when it’s really difficult if I’m “offering it up”. Again, I’d appreciate advice, prayers, personal stories, and so on about ways to offer up tasks to God.
3. I’d imagine it’s better to offer up voluntary work instead of stuff I’ve actually got to do for my course, but do you think offering up essays and things will be spiritually beneficial? It is still work I find difficult (I’m sure most people here know what it feels like to write essays which feel emotionally and physically draining).

Thank you!

Study with a friend, someone who will hold you accountable. Do not think too much about, just do it. Reward yourself a little for completing a task. Establish a schedule for yourself.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

We have a saint for that. St. Expeditus is the patron saint of procrastinators. You could try for his intercession.

I struggled with procrastination all throughout university because I was always afraid of not doing my papers right. I tried to overcome it with self help books, but I kept putting off reading them.

 

[bardegaulois]

I’ll keep this brief. I’m a university student, and I really struggle with procrastination, leaving essays etc. to the last minute. I’m working on a paper right now (actually have a week left, so not too bad) and trying to power through and get it done early.

I have a few questions:

1. Does anyone have advice (prayers, etc.) about dealing with procrastination?
2. I think perhaps I’ll find it easier to get work done when it’s really difficult if I’m “offering it up”. Again, I’d appreciate advice, prayers, personal stories, and so on about ways to offer up tasks to God.
3. I’d imagine it’s better to offer up voluntary work instead of stuff I’ve actually got to do for my course, but do you think offering up essays and things will be spiritually beneficial? It is still work I find difficult (I’m sure most people here know what it feels like to write essays which feel emotionally and physically draining).

Thank you!

If there’s a talent that all humans have, it’s procrastination. Accepting that you are a procrastinator and that this is a problem is a good first step. Now you can pray all you want about this, but you’ll remain a procrastinator until you actually co-operate with graces received and do something about this, like keeping yourself to a definite schedule and developing good time-management skills. Moreover, let’s hope that that prayer isn’t something you’re doing instead of what you should be doing.

This article recommends a few things you can do to get started on your quest to overcome your propensity to procrastinate: mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm.

 

[WesleyF]

I’d imagine it’s better to offer up voluntary work instead of stuff I’ve actually got to do for my course, but do you think offering up essays and things will be spiritually beneficial? It is still work I find difficult (I’m sure most people here know what it feels like to write essays which feel emotionally and physically draining).

I have just a little piece of advice for you my friend -

“Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ” - Colossians 3:23-24

And if you think you are not succeeding, remember this -

“God has not called us to be successful; he has called us to be faithful.” - Mother Teresa

 

[AttendeDomine]

Fulfilling your present vocation as a student is in itself pleasing to God, and, so long as you make sacrifices out of love for Him, then those sacrifices will be meritorious. The key is love: the difficulty of the assignment is not what perfects your sacrifice so much as the love with which it is performed, and the amount of cooperation with grace that is present in your motivations.

St. Therese’s Little Way is a beautiful way to accomplish such things.

Yes, my Beloved, it is thus that my life’s brief day shall be spent before Thee. No other means have I of proving my love than to strew flowers; that is, to let no little sacrifice escape me, not a look, not a word, to avail of the very least actions and do them for Love. I wish to suffer for Love’s sake and for Love’s sake even to rejoice; thus shall I strew flowers. Not one shall I find without shedding its petals for Thee…and then I will sing, I will always sing, even if I must gather my roses in the very midst of thorns - and the longer and sharper the thorns the sweeter shall be my song.

Insofar as natural ways to avoid procrastination: make a detailed agenda and, come what may, stick to it as best as it is possible. Laziness is a vice, or a bad habit. Vices can only be overcome by virtue, or good habits. Good habits can only be formed by practicing them and consistently applying them.

 

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

I think “offering it up” is a good idea - but don’t wait till you are sitting in front of it. Do the offering as you wake up in the morning and before breakfast.

With modern-day word processing there are easier and more effective ways of “chunking it down” than ever before. If your essay should cover 5 points each of 5 sub-points, and you have a brainwave about any of the sub-points, you can get that written up as it comes to you.

If you’re like me it’s far more relaxing to come at the topics in the “wrong” order.

Later, just paste all the paragraphs in sequence and re-check the wording of phrases that lead from one point to the next.

All the while, you can have a plan or plans in another “window” alongside to refer to from time to time - and which you can in their turn alter as you go, if appropriate.

Else use piles of bits of paper to keep notes and plans handy on - or a combination of computer and paper.

If into bits of paper I can recommend colour coded foldback clips for different categories.

Using pencil, and erasing neatly if needing to alter, can be clearer for the eye to follow than biro and having to scribble over and around it. However, sticky labels are also a good wheeze! (Or, spacing the lines to leave inserting space.)

(Though my “literacy” was excellent I have found over the years that I still need to make adaptations to suit my reading or writing styles.)

I sometimes reach for a pencil and paper from my bed at 3 a.m to commit to posterity a brilliant brainwave regarding science or philosophy. Don’t let the fruits of your brain go to waste! (Keep on floor by bed.)

The “easy” bits that you can write up in advance, and the brainwaves by the bedside, are in fact the “work before the work” so that by the time you “knuckle down” you are actually a good way into it already

Mind maps (spider diagrams) may have their place to unpack some groups of concepts.

Have you got a convenient selection of cardboard or plastic folders, wallets, box files, magazine holders? You might like these to be colour coded? Write on any spines or fronts in pencil so easily renamed.

It’s of value to have enough shelves (go up the walls to save going up the wall).

These are things recommended to me by a workplace coach, and subsequently support workers when I needed to tidy my home.

Make your profile of skills, styles and strengths - and your roomfull of bit and pieces - work for you and not against you. A sailor can sail at almost any angle to the wind that (s)he likes (so I’m told).

Thank God for words, ideas, colours, etc. I wish I knew all those things in my student days!