PROCRASTINATION! How Do You Get Started?

I know what I need to do, but I just can't seem to get started. What can I do to avoid
procrastination and more effectively use my time? The more you put off starting an assignment,
the more likely it is that you will put it off until the last minute. These practical recommendations
will get you moving.

Why do you procrastinate?

The task seems enormous.

I do not know how to begin.
I do not understand the assignment.
I underestimate the amount of time things will take
I have too many obligations and too much to do.

How can you stop procrastinating?

Divide the task into smaller segments so that it is less intimidating.

Start small. Take some notes or draw a diagram to get going. Another approach is to begin with a
difficult task, such as writing an introduction, to get you over the initial hurdle.
Meet with the professor soon after getting the assignment and ask questions!
Plan ahead and get started early! Rushed work results in less than the best work and your grade
will reflect it. Reward yourself for finishing significant parts of your assignments, but remember
to keep the reward equivalent to the work.
Your primary focus should be your academics. Activities and organizations are an important part of
college but wise time management involves knowing when to sacrifice activities for academic study.

Planning for Change

You've identified your problems, clarified your goals, and developed a plan of action for taking
charge of your education. Now, you must come face to face with the reality of making choices.
Making appropriate choices is critical because friends and family may be frustrated with changes in
your behavior. Developing a plan of action for meeting your goals is the easiest way to make
changes for success. To give your Plan of Action a chance to work, it is important to make good
decisions on small choices! Good decisions are made when you do the following:
Determine what the choices are.
Explore the consequences of each choice.
Consider how you will manage this choice (possibility for success, potential obstacles).
Communicate your choices clearly to your friends and family.

Making Good ChoicesA Case Study

It is Tuesday, around 7:30 pm and you are writing an English paper. When you finish with the paper
you plan to work on your math homework. Your roommate and some friends decide at the spur of
the moment to go uptown and insist you go with them.
Choices:
1.
Go with your friends.
2.
Don't go with your friends.
3.
Set up a time and place to meet your friends when you finish your homework.

4.
Study at the library so you won't be around when spur-of-the-moment parties happen.
Consequences:
1. Going with your friends:
I might have a good time with my friends.
My concentration will be interrupted.
I might not finish my paper or math homework.
I will receive a lower grade for incomplete homework.
I may not know the answers to questions asked in class.
I won't be ready for a pop quiz in math.
I might stay out too late and not be awake and alert for my morning class.
2. Not going with my friends:
I may miss out on the fun.
My friends may feel I don't want to socialize with them.
3. Setting up a time and place to meet:
Setting a time and place to meet them later relieves me of some of the pressure of having
to get up and go immediately, allowing me time to finish my work.
Instead of concentrating on and putting forth my best effort to complete my homework, I
might think about being with my friends.
4. Studying at the library:
People walking around will distract me.
Walking to the library will use up some of the study time.
I don't like to walk to and from the library in the dark by myself.
I might get some quality study time in, or work on a research paper, which requires library
resources.

Making the choice and managing it:

As you go through the decision making process, (identifying the choices and considering the
consequences), you consciously choose what you are going to do or what action you will be taking.
Instead of relying on ways, which no longer help you take control and make choices which will help
you get what you want for yourself. (Condensed and adapted from "Turning Point: Getting Off
Probation and On with Your Education" by Joyce Weinsheimer.)

TIME MANAGEMENT! Where does your time go?

Place a check before ways that you waste the most time. If any of your biggest ones are missing,
add them in the blank spaces at the bottom
PLANNING AND SCHEDULING
Having the lack of a schedule and prioritized TO DO list.
Failure to use short blocks of time in between tasks constructively.
Making unrealistic time estimates.
Attempting to do too much at once.
Getting behind in one course because of pressing assignments in another course.
STUDY SKILLS
Being too tired or listless to concentrate on the assignment(s).
Accomplishing very little in relation to the amount of time spent.
Leaving tasks unfinished, jumping from one task to another.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
Studying on your bed versus at a desk.
Cluttered desk.
Not having or being unable to locate needed study materials.
Study area faces a window, door, picture, or other distraction.
Having constant interruptions by outside interferences such as the phone, visitors, other
noises.
BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT/DAYDREAMING
Taking a break that turns into a vacation.
Spending a lot of time socializing, playing games, etc.
Finding yourself unable to say no to invitations and various requests from friends.
Failure to listen carefully to assigned tasks.
Getting involved in unnecessary details.
Frequently waiting until the last moment before starting to study.
ACTIVITIES
Failure to delegate responsibilities that others could assume.
Becoming involved in too many campus clubs and organizations.
Suffering from if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself syndrome.
Organization meetings, both scheduled and unscheduled.
Receiving inadequate, inaccurate, or delayed information from others.

Time

Mon.

Tues.

Wed.

Thurs.

Fri.

Sat.

Sun.

6:00 a.m.
7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00 p.m.
1:00
2:00
3:00
4:00
5:00
6:00
7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
Fill in the hours you spend in class.
Fill in the hours you spend in meetings, work.
Fill in the hours you eat, workout, and other daily activities.
Where is your free time? How are you currently using your free time? Could this time be used
for studying? Where will you study? If you used this time would you still have free time?

CONCENTRATION! Do you have difficulty concentrating?

4

Why are you distracted or bored?

What are you thinking about when your mind is not focused on performing the assigned
task?

If you can identify specific problems with your concentration, you will be better able to deal
with them.
IF YOU HAVE SEVERE DIFFICULTY CONCENTRATING, SEEK ASSISTANCE !

If boredom and/or the lack of concentration affects many areas of your life, you may want
to consider personal or career counseling.

Do not be afraid of seeking support; we all need help at certain points in our lives. Make an
appointment by calling the Student Counseling Service in the Student Health building for
help.
Do you have a well-planned study schedule?

A well-planned study schedule will help remove your anxiety. Write out schedules for the
term and for your weekly work.

If you have study time carefully planned for each course, you will be less likely to worry
about one subject while you are working on another.
Do you reward yourself for accomplishments?

Set a goal and then reward yourself when you achieve that goal by taking a swim, going
uptown, going shopping, having dinner out, watching TV, etc.
Are there physical distractions keeping you from concentrating?

Remove physical distractions that may keep you from studying. Choose quiet, comfortable,
and well-lit places to study.

Do not study when you are sleepy or hungry. Do not study in bed as this location may
encourage your body to feel tired.

Use some assertiveness with roommates, friends, and/or family by insisting on your right to
uninterrupted periods of study time.
Do you actively study?

Learn to study actively. Your mind is less apt to wander when you are studying something
specific.

Recite aloud, make notes as you read, summarize your texts, etc., these techniques may help
you acquire an active reading and study method

Go to the Office of Learning Assistance in 31 Campus Avenue Building for further

assistance.
How long do you study?

Limit your periods of study for one subject.

Allow for brief periods away from your books; in the two-hour block, you might want take a
quick 5-minute break every 20 to 30 minutes.
Do you establish a purpose for each study session?

Have a purpose for each study session.

Reading with a purpose may allow you to avoid reading unnecessary material.

How to talk to professors

5

Step 1: Make an appointment.

Review the syllabus for your instructor's office hours.
Go to his/her office during those hours.
If you are uncertain of your instructor's office hours, ask him or her what they are!
If your schedule conflicts with the office hours, tell your instructor why you cannot make the
scheduled office hours.
Then tell him/her about your specific concerns.
Set up a specific time to meet with your instructor.
Step 2: Establish rapport.
Be on time for your appointment.
When you arrive; smile, introduce yourself, and remind your instructor which class you are in.
Step 3: Present your concern.
Focus on the specific questions you have identified as problems.
Have your problem(s) written out so that the instructor can see where your difficulties are.
Step 4: Provide background information.
Briefly tell your instructor about your high school background and preparation for the course.
Explain the study strategies you have used to understand the material.
Step 5: Redirect for clarification.
If the instructor's explanation isn't clear, redirect his/her attention to the specific point where
you become confused. "Talk through" your problem so that the instructor hears your reasoning.
Step 6: Summarize resolution of the problem.
"I was missing this step in... I need to apply this formula..."
Step 7: Thank your instructor.
And ask to come back if necessary.
(This advice, developed by the Retention Office at the U. of Toledo, first appeared in Recruitment and Retention in
Higher Education.)

CALCULATING YOUR GRADE POINT AVERAGE:

1.
2.

List each class, the number of credit hours, and the grade you will receive.
Each grade will be given certain quality points.
A+
B+
C+
D+

3.
4.
5.

A3.7
B2.7
C1.7
D0.7
F
0
Multiply the number of credit hours for each course by the points you will receive.
Add your point totals together.
Divide total points by the total number of credit hours to get your overall grade point
average.

Example:

4.0
3.3
2.3
1.3

A
B
C
D

Course
ENG 111
PSY 111
SPN 101
ZOO 115
PHS 170.A

Hours
3
4
4
4
2

Totals

17

4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0

x
x
x
x
x

Grade
C (2.0)
B (3.0)
B (3.0)
C (2.0)
A (4.0)

Points
6.0
12.0
12.0
8.0
8.0
46.0

GPA: 46.0 divided by 17 = 2.705

TO DETERMINE YOUR CUMULATIVE GPA:
Repeat the calculations to determine GPA for the semester, including every class you have taken
and dividing by the total number of credit hours you have attempted in courses at Miami's Oxford,
Hamilton, Middletown and Luxembourg campuses. Courses taken credit/no credit, AP courses, and
courses taken at another university do not count toward your cumulative GPA, though they may
count toward requirements of the Miami Plan, your major, or graduation. For assistance calculating
your cumulative GPA or the GPA, consult your academic adviser. An electronic grade calculator and
predictor can be found at http://www.muohio.edu/reslife
TO DETERMINE YOUR GRADE IN A PARTICULAR CLASS
1.
Refer to your syllabus for how your grade will be determined. Specifically, you are looking
for what percentage of your final grade each assignment is worth.
2.

Because some assignments are worth more than others, this procedure can be confusing.
Determine what your grade would be for each assignment out of 100%. For example, if you
received 9 points on a 10 point quiz, you received 90% or 90/100. If you received 35 points
out of 40 on a quiz, you determine the grade as follows:
35
=
x
Then: 40x = 3500
Then: x = 3500/40 = 87.5

40

100

3.

Once each assignment grade is computed to a 100 point scale, then multiply that score by
the percentage of your overall grade that each assignment is worth. Using the example
above, if that 40 point quiz is worth 20% of your grade, then you multiply 87.5 by .20 to get
17.5.

4.

After you determine those numbers, add each score from step number 3 and then divide by
the total percentage of graded material for the class. This final step will determine your
grade in the class.

EXAMPLE:
Assignment
Paper
Midterm
Final
Quizes

% Worth
25%
25%
30%
20%

Grade/Total
70/100
80/100
unknown
35/40

Step 2 (100 pt. Scale Step 3 (relative overall worth)

70
70 x .25 =
17.5
80
80 x .25 =
20.0
------87.5
87.5 x .20 =
17.5

Total Graded: 70%

Total
Grade in the class: 55/70 = .785 = 78.5% or a high C on a 10 point scale

55

Campus resources
Academic Advisers
For resident students, see the adviser in your residence hall; commuter students will find their
adviser in the Commuter Center, Shriver Center. Please schedule an appointment.
Divisional Advisers:

Engineering and Applied Science:

College of Arts & Science:

School of Business Administration:

School of Education & Allied Professions:

School of Fine Arts:

School of Interdisciplinary Studies:

529-4036
529-3031
529-1712
529-6418
529-2209
529-2233

Professors/Instructors/Teaching Assistants
If you are having difficulty in a class, speak with your professor. See him or her after class, during
office hours, and by appointment.

Study Locations

Libraries:
King Library
529 - 4141
Brill Science Library (Hughes)
529 - 6886
Amos Music Library (CPA)
529 - 2299
Shriver Center: 24 hour study room
Residence Hall: Study rooms
Commuter Center: Commuter Center
Student Counseling Service, 195 Health Services, 9-4634
Individual and group counseling available for personal, academic and career concerns, intake
appointment required. Appointments and concerns are kept confidential.
Learning Assistance Center, 14 CAB, 9-8741
Individual and group tutors available for specific subjects as well as study skill tutoring, by
appointment only. Contact your First Year Adviser or Assistant First Year Adviser in your
residence hall.
Career Testing and Exploration Center, 196 Health Services, 9-4645
Provides assistance with the first steps in your career decision-making process: self-assessment
exercises including values, interests, and abilities are clarified through computer-assisted programs
or paper and pencil exercises. Information about majors and careers is available.
Career Services, 241 Hoyt Hall, 9-3831
Provides assistance with implementing your career choice. Internship information, resume and
cover letter-writing workshops. Interview services and information in CPPO library about
employers.

Learning Study Habits

Lecture note taking
The main objective of taking notes is to capture the instructors ideas in the context of the
lecture for that class. This does not mean writing everything the instructor says verbatim!
For this, you will need to:
Refine your listening skills by sitting in the front of the classroom.
Prepare for lectures by reading the assigned chapters before class.
Record any questions about the lecture for further clarification.
Keep notes for each class separately.
Textbook notes
A common problem during studying is reading without remembering the material read.
To help with this problem, you may need to:
Remember to review the questions at the end of each chapter.
Identify the main topic or key words in each paragraph.
Study Management
Consider your course work priorities. For example, a five-hour course, should receive more of
your study time than a one-hour course.
Remember to prioritize your class work.
For each credit hour you are taking, you should allocate a minimum of two hours of study time per
week. For example, a five-hour course should receive a minimum of ten hours of study time per
week.
Exam Preparation
Make sure to have read all of the material that will be on the exam.
Review all notes of lectures and discussions that will be on the exam.
Talk to your professor or teaching assistant to have any questions answered before the exam.
Remember the most important details since it is impossible to remember all of the details.
General Exam Strategies
Skim the exam before starting.
If a question is unclear, ask the instructor.
Review answers and proofread essays before handing the exam in to be graded.
Essay Exam Strategies
Read all instructions before starting to write the exam.
Write legibly.
Use sentences that convey a clear meaning.
Use correct spelling.
Use correct grammar.
Objective Exam Strategies
Answer every question.
Mark answers you are unsure of so you can return to that question later.
First choices are more likely to be correct.
Read all possible answers to a question before selecting a answer.
Remember in true/false questions, all part of the sentence must be true for the entire statement
to be true.

10

STUDY SKILLS
BOOKLET

Miami University
Office of Residence Life and
New Student Programs
First Year Advising

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