Procrastination Tips & A Governor's School Vlog

Hello friends! This Saturday I found myself in a position that I haven't been in quite a while- vlogging! While I usually limit my vlogging to vacations and unusual trips that I find myself on, I decided to film an average day for me while I am at Governor's School. If you would like to watch it, I will leave the video down below. I hope to vlog more often, so stay tuned for more! Also, If you have any questions regarding my experience here, let me know. I would be glad to answer them. Governor's School is an academic summer program for multiple disciplines from Choral Music to Mathematics. Personally, I came here for Social Science! It has been quite a contrasting experience in comparison to my everyday life. I am used to taking classes across the academic spectrum, while here I get to focus on the topic of my choosing.

While overwhelming at times, the educational opportunity has been beyond what the public school system has been able to offer me in the past. Mostly, it has given me a glimpse into what college might be like. Even though this program is only five and a half weeks long, I still notice myself falling into a pattern most every student, college, high school, or otherwise, finds themselves in- procrastination! For my class, we are required to present a research project on the topic of our choosing (my partner and I chose cults and cult recruitment) at the end of the term. Our presentations are due on Thursday and while we have quite a bit done, I still regret not having been more proactive.

I thought I might share some things that I wished  that I had done for the past four weeks- not just regarding my research project, but also regarding my summer homework and my personal goals that I had set for myself. My friends, may I present my tips to fight procrastination.

have a plan: 

One thing that really helps me solidify these "far in the future" deadlines is to break them into smaller ones. Rather than thinking "I have to have this project done by this date", reframe it to say "I need to have this portion done by this date, this bit done by then, etc, etc". By breaking a massive goal into tiny ones, it makes achieving the bigger project seem doable. For instance, I have summer reading for my classes next year. I made a plan for myself to tackle 20 pages a night, and write a reflection once a week. This makes the assignment much more manageable!

write it down:

During the school year, I have a planner for school and one for my outside life. During the summer, though, I usually condense down to one planner for every aspect. Since I am quite busy here at Governor's School, I have to remind myself to actually write down what I need to do for my classes and outside events. It is so helpful to have what you need to accomplish today written down where you can see it. This also plays into creating a game plan. If you know you have to check off your to-do list every day, you have a motivation to complete your bite-sized goals.

make working enjoyable:

While at Governor's School, I've found that I need to make working worthwhile for me to actually do it. One way I do this is by heading somewhere I enjoy to be productive. When it comes to research, my partner and I will always head to a local coffee shop to get some work done (as seen in the vlog below). This way, I have the incentive of drinking good coffee to keep me going. I also frequent the quad to be productive. I find that working outside is much more enjoyable in comparison to holing up in my room. I love to grab a picnic blanket and my book and just read outside weather permitting.

I hope these small tips help you get through your summer to-dos! If you'd like to watch my vlog, I will leave it down below. Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Sadie