Study Prof

I’ve written elsewhere about using a daily to-do list in conjunction with a calendar to make your schedule bow down before the awesomeness that is you, but does your to-do list get to “done”? Here are five simple ways to put some serious smack-down on daily tasks by pimping your to-do list.

1. Make sure you can do ‘em. Having a hulking, obnoxious, hairy task sitting on your to-do list glaring at you is a recipe for procrastination. Chop that beast down to size. No single task on your list should take more than an hour. If it takes longer than that, you need to break it down into (more…)

Procrastination; the Big Bad Wolf in our fairy tale life. The Godzilla in our own personal Tokyo. Put off that slavering, monstrous task and it only gets bigger and badder. As the behemoth bloats so does your anxiety, your shame, and your desire to find a hole to hide in … anything to avoid the red-eyed, demon task. That means yet more procrastination, and soon you find yourself quivering under the bed in the fetal position. Not good times.

What you need, my friend, is an erstwhile hero who can slay the beast, or at least kick it in the shins and give it a wedgie. Enter our hero, the mini-goal. Here’s how it works. Set yourself a laughably small David of a goal that will at least hurl a wee pebble at that Goliath of a task looming over you. Your mini-goal should be an easy first step, something that takes ten minutes or less to accomplish. It should be something you can’t possibly fail at. Example: The evil twenty-page research paper is huffing and puffing (more…)

If you can’t procrastinate, you won’t procrastinate.

Obvious, you say? Then why aren’t you making procrastination impossible (or at least scaldingly painful)? Here’s how you can make the P-word so blindingly agonizing that it ain’t even an option.

First, identify that dreaded procrastination-inducing uber-chore. Hint: What were you thinking you should do just BEFORE you started scrubbing out the trash cans and polishing the plastic ware?

Next, chunk it down into pieces that can be done in under an hour. For example, have you been thinking about embarking on a summer campaign for world domination? Why not start with building that death ray you designed last August. –No, no.– That’ll take days. Let’s just start with figuring out which former Soviet republic has the best prices on high grade uranium. That shouldn’t take more than an hour; maybe much less with a couple of good search terms, a Russian online dictionary, and the magic that is Google.

Finally, get a sadistic buddy or two to help you bring on the pain. Pick any handy roommate/cousin/friend/neighbor, or what-have-you for this role. Next, hand said sadistic buddy your cell phone (or xBox, or car keys, or Facebook password, or … you get the idea). Make him or her promise not to give it back until you can rattle off sources and prices for weapons grade, fissionable elements from at least three different third-world, bargain-basement, munitions wholesalers. Voila! Instant cerebral cattle prod.

Procrastination is not a problem when pain is imminent. So put that red hot poker in the hands of a willing (slightly demented) compadre and kiss procrastination goo’bye.

School approacheth, and that right soon! Time to get organized and aggressive. Don’t make the mistake sooo many students make and wait until three weeks into the semester to get started. Here are some things every student should do (this means YOU)…

1. Get cracking. Mom ain’t looking over your shoulder (for most of us at least). Take responsibility for your studies. Be proactive. Make a todo list. Get a calendar. GET IT DONE before crunch time.
2. Get organized. Have a file for every class. That file should have space to take notes and pockets for collecting handouts. As soon as (more…)

I’ve mentioned Gopingme.com before. I’ve been using it lo these many years now to set up reminders for myself. Reminders can be emailed or texted to you on any interval you choose.

For example, I can set it to text me, “Don’t forget The King’s birthday,” once a year at 12AM on January 8th, or “Pick up more hemorrhoid cream,” every second Tuesday at 8AM. You can even configure it to keep bugging you, say every five minutes, until you respond to the text or email. It’s dead simple and way powerful, so go get an account NOW (totally free, by the by).

Now you have a procrastination assassin on call! Set up (more…)

I’ve expanded and updated my SECRETS SMART STUDENTS KNOW ebook. You can find out all about it here…

Discover all the simple tricks and techniques to learn more in less time, give you a memory like a steel trap, beat procrastination cold, avoid test anxiety, and get the BEST GRADES EVER!

Get the ebook now for $10 off the regular price BUT do it NOW! The special price expires Thursday, June 25th, 2009, at 3:13 PM!

You can find out the details here.

It’s the new, expanded second edition. I’ve added lot’s more on test anxiety, procrastination, and memory techniques. (Already a member? Just go download it again … you’ll automatically get the new version!).

Another random family photo. I wanna party with these guys!

I recently received an email from one of my students with several great questions. I thought these issues, and their answers, might benefit everyone.

Hi Cody,

Some study issues that I have noticed that I have is not in how I study but when I study.  I have a horrible habit of procrastinating and only studying a minimal amount at the last minute…. Now, I will not say I have made bad grades by doing this, and actually much to the chagrin of my peers I always am one of the top scores in the class and normally manage an A in the course….

I’m with ya’. I used the same technique when I was an undergrad, back when the earth’s crust was still hardening. But–Danger Will Robinson!!!–The procrastinate and cram technique has several killer flaws, which (more…)

One very effective way to keep yourself from giving in to temptation (whether that temptation is to eat that last piece of pecan pie or to watch that last episode of The Office) is to procrastinate–just keep putting it off. And you can do that by distracting yourself.

Check out this great article on how some 4-year-olds (yes, 4-year-olds) were able to effectively delay gratification by distracting themselves.

Just do it!

Sound too simple?

This is powerful stuff. Next time you catch yourself thinking of all the reasons why you can’t get started on that paper/project/study session, tell yourself to cut the whining and just get started.

The truth? All of us have a little inner voice that tells us how we are performing, what we should be doing. A voice that evaluates, analyzes, criticizes, and justifi…zes(?). But sometimes that little voice isn’t doing us any favors.

Imagine your inner voice as a poorly behaved child that must be brought into line for it’s own good. Tell it to stop giving excuses and get to work.

Simple? Yes. Effective? Definitely.

Part 3 in the series “Getting Into the Study Groove” – See the end of this post for more segments in the series.

So far we’ve talked about the first four characteristics of that perfect state of academic zen; the state where we are at one with our studies, losing all track of time and all sense of self and getting completely focused on the task in front of us. The next two items that typify the flow state are…

(5) Direct and immediate feedback. To hit that perfect zone of zen-like concentration you need instant feedback. A kindergartner with a coloring book has that sort of immediate feedback; “Am I coloring (more…)