Stop procrastinating – tomorrow
- posted: 13 Nov. 2007
- scrolllifestyle@byui.edu
It’s here. That paper assigned two weeks ago is due in 30 minutes. Time to hurry and throw something on the page, along with an excuse on why it is so bad. Procrastination happens all the time, and BYU-Idaho students are speaking out on how to break the habit.
“One idea that I have always had is to buy a large calendar that I could copy all assignments onto from class syllabi, then put it on my wall, so I could visualize all the assignments that need to get done,” said Aaron Pike, a senior studying music.
Many other students like to make personal schedules to remember incomplete assignments.
“List all the tasks you have to do, and organize them in an ABC format—with A being most important and so on. I did this on my mission, and it seemed to be effective,” said Tyson Rothwell, a senior studying health science.
Rothwell said if assignments are due the next day, do the hardest and most important things first, then move on to the easier or more fun things.
“I try to set time aside from my studies to play piano and do other relaxing things,” said Abbie Thetford, a sophomore studying early childhood special education. Many students are inspired by words of the latter-day prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who encourage avoidance of procrastination.
“Elder M. Russell Ballard’s talk ‘O Be Wise’ reminds me to keep things in order and not procrastinate,” said Sandra Murphy, a senior studying social studies education.
Murphy said it can be hard to sacrifice a little bit of fun to do homework, but it’s worth it. “I may not have been able to watch The Office with my roommates, but I learned something great in my studies,” Murphy said.
Murphy is not the only one who was motivated by a talk given at general conference.
“During conference, my wife and I realized we were lacking in our personal reading of the scriptures,” said Evan Hansen, a senior studying agricultural science.
“I went to the Priesthood session Saturday night and came home to find that Christi had made signs and put them all over the house to remind us to read our scriptures. Now it is a daily reminder, and it helps,” Hansen said. 
