7. How To Become A More Effective Student SERIES Part 2: Fighting Procrastination
7.
How To Become A More
Effective Student Series Part 2:
Fighting Procrastination
Friends, welcome to Intervention, an outreach of
VISION BUILDERS designed to help undergraduates contact divine intervention for
academic victories. Intervention brings you inspirational messages and Study
Tips to enable you be your best academically! Through this message, we believe
that God is set to bless you by removing every barrier against your academic
success and fulfillment.
Today we’ll be discussing part 2 in the series, ‘How To Become A More Effective Student’. This
series will take you through a number of practical tips that will help you
develop better study habits and achieve academic success. In this exciting
series we will discuss practical and easy-to-use tips on many important
subjects that will help you be an effective student. Today, we will focus on
two vital subjects - Fighting Procrastination
and Time Management.
So WHAT is
Procrastination?
Procrastination is ‘the act of putting off, delaying or deferring an
action to a later time’.
A key question to
ask is, “Have you become an expert at putting off your studies and making
excuses for why you did not get your assignment(s) in on time?” If this sounds
like you what I am about to say will probably help you in fighting
procrastination.
Friends, listen, the
only way to fight procrastination in your life and academics it adopt an
attitude of doing it right now. When you feel like putting it off, make
yourself create action and GET STARTED immediately! Truth is, an effective
student is motivated and stays motivated. You must do whatever is necessary to
keep yourself motivated.
Ask yourself…
Why is this
important?
What will be the
consequences if it does not get done?
What will be the
outcome if I put this off until later? (Be honest with yourself).
Reward yourself for
completing a task or deny yourself a reward or privilege for not completing a
task.
Remind yourself of
the consequences of putting off or not completing your work.
Decide to do your
projects and schoolwork first and then go have fun.
Next, WHAT Is Time Management?
Time, they say, is money. Reason is every action in life translates to
money in one way or the other. And the more value you place on your time, the
more value time will give back to you. One unknown writer said about time,
“It’s up to me to use it. I must suffer if I lose it. Give account if I abuse
it. Just a tiny little minute, But eternity is in it.”
So, how effective
are you at managing your time? Being able to effectively manage your time is
crucial for academic success. It was Pope John the thirteenth who said, “Do not
walk through time without leaving worthy evidence of your passage.” I want to
share some points with you some basic organizational skills and time management
strategies that will help you become a more effective student. They are not set
in any particular order.
1. PLAN - Use a planner to schedule important deadlines and events. Schedule
fixed blocks of time to study and form a routine.
2. ORGANIZE - Use a daily "To Do" list to help you reach your goals and
prioritize your daily tasks. As soon as you have completed a task, check it off
your list.
Create a semester
schedule that includes important deadlines for tests and assignments. Pin it up
somewhere visible.
3. EVALUATE - Evaluate how you spend your time. Keep a log that includes how much
time you spend doing various activities during the day such as class, studying,
sleeping, eating, sports/extracurricular activities, socializing, other.
Calculate the number of hours during your week that you spend doing each
activity. This can be a very eye opening activity!
4. IDENTIFY WASTED TIME - Take advantage of typically wasted time such as the
minutes between classes, while waiting for an appointment or riding on the bus.
Be aware of when you are wasting time. Gerhard E. Frost
Once said, “The
small moment is the carrier of God’s most endearing gift. It must not be
permitted to slip away unsavored and unappreciated.”
5. SET GOALS FOR YOUR TIME - Set specific study goals for each study session and
prioritize your assignments.
6. BUDGET YOUR TIME - Check to see if you are budgeting your time
according to your priorities.
Break up studying
into blocks of fifty minutes and take regular 10 minute breaks after each study
period. Avoid piling it all on at once. In the words of Lord Chesterfield,
“Take care of the minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves.”
7. REVIEW - Spend 10-15 minutes each day per class reviewing notes and clarifying
points. The best time for this is immediately after class while the information
is still fresh. The greatest amount of forgetting happens in the first 24 hours
after class.
8. ALWAYS START NOW! - Start
assignments as soon as they are given.
Study during the
time of day when you are most alert. Daylight hours are best.
Study somewhere
quiet such as the library. Find a place that works for you and try to study
there every time. According to Johann Friedrich von Schiller, “He who neglects
the present moment throws away all he has.”
9. SET A SCHEDULE - Set a regular sleep schedule, eat a well-balanced
diet, and allow time for leisure activities.
Focus on academics
during the week and save socializing for the weekend.
Learn to say NO.
Decide what you are willing to cut out of your life while you are a student.
10. MAKE TIME FOR GOD! – According to Oswald Chambers, “There is no other time than now with
God, no past and no future.” There is
the tendency to get so positively involved with academic work that we forget to
acknowledge the most important thing in life. King Solomon, the wisest man who
ever lived said in Eccl 12:1-5, “Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're
still young, Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, Before your
vision dims and the world blurs And the winter years keep you close to the fire.
In old age, your body no longer serves you so well. Muscles slacken, grip
weakens, joints stiffen. The shades are pulled down on the world. You can't
come and go at will. Things grind to a halt. The hum of the household fades
away.
You are wakened now by
bird-song. Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past. Even a stroll down
the road has its terrors. Your hair turns apple-blossom white, Adorning a
fragile and impotent matchstick body.
Yes, you're well on
your way to eternal rest, While your friends make plans for your funeral.”
Youth is the best
time to begin developing an intimate relationship with God. Find a good
fellowship you can belong to on campus and make out time each week to
fellowship with other children of God. Devote time to read and study the bible.
Don’t fall for that deceit that there will always be time for religion. Nobody
has promised you tomorrow.
Referring to Oswald
Chambers again, “We can choke God’s Word with a yawn; we can hinder the time
that should be spent with God by remembering we have other things to do. “I
haven’t time!” Of course, you have time! Take time, strangle some other
interests, and make time to realize that the center of power in your life is
the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Do you remember our tip no 8? It says ALWAYS START NOW! Would you like to
start an intimate relationship with God today? He is already reaching out to
you through this message. I urge you to respond now. Don’t postpone your
decision till tomorrow. Do it now. Why not pray to receive Jesus Christ as your
Lord and personal Saviour right now. Please pray this simple prayer in faith:
Lord Jesus I ask you into my heart today. I believe
you died for my sins and rose from the dead. Forgive all my sins today and make
me your child. Fill me with your holy spirit right now and bring stability into
my life. Thank you for coming. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer with me then know that you have begun a
relationship with God. He has come into your life and will begin working in
your life and academics. Please send me a message @ buildyourvisions@gmail.com or an SMS to +234
817 2239 319 to tell me that you just started a relationship with God.
Remember to include your mobile number and email address. I would like to keep
praying for you.
For you, I pray to
our Dear Heavenly Father and Lord, that He will bless you with his intervention
in any area you may need it in your school work. May Almighty God show up MIGHTILY
for you, because He has promised to show up when we pray. Through Christ Jesus
our Lord! Amen.
I urge you, continue
to implement these simple strategies. Delete procrastination from your academic
life. Take control of your precious time. God believes in you. And I know that
you can make it. Continue
to expect the best from yourself and continue to maintain a great attitude
regardless whatever happens.
I’ll be glad to hear from you. Kindly send your testimonies, questions
and prayer requests as responses on this blog. If you’d like your friends,
class mates and room-mates to be helped by Intervention
messages and Study Tips, kindly share this message with them.
Thank you for joining me. I remain your host Tope Banjo and this is Intervention. God bless you mightily!
You will succeed. You will make it!
Contact:
Tel: +234 817 2239 319, Lagos-Nigeria.
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