Hello.....for the last time..:'(
Well I kinda summed up everything on last weeks post....and that's probably because my weeks were off. XD but what the hey! another one is good! Hm all I really have to say about this week is that it went pretty much like last week, just different classes for studying.
Week one : went really well, actually better than any of the following weeks. It felt like how I began my life at college. I was on top of everything, ahead of everything and always giving it my best effort. When I came home I remembered my reinforcements and punishments made the choice to try my best with this program. When I caught myself procrastinating I would think of my parents nagging me for something, or would think about chatting on gmail and it was enough to keep me motivated. The napping still occurred, but it was difficult to do cold turkey though. However, after a couple of days without it, I started to feel myself get used to sleeping earlier.
Week two : I just got completely off of my tasks and everything was a bust. The punishments didn't kick in at all. I completely ignored them and just waited to the last minute for everything. I had the negative reinforcement, but that didn't work as well as I felt it would. However, the positive punishment stayed in mind and at least got me started before I really wanted to. One day ruined everything for the rest of the week. But, I think the slip up was a good eye opener because that's usually what happens to me week after week. I procrastinate and it usually ruins my week. But then again foul ups are good because you learn from them.
Week three: I would say it was a good recuperation, but I was still a bit behind on some things which just added to the stress. The punishments I kind of just ignored and only focused on the rewards. Maybe because even thinking of punishments just makes me want to find a way out of it, or avoid it somehow. Focusing on trying to have more time to relax, and my parents' nagging was a good motivator. Unfortunately, that week was really stressful regardless and I was trying to do my best to fit everything into a day...which is not enough time to do all the things wish you could accomplish. So I was working late, but not much longer :) but it was kind of worth it because I got a great grade in math that I really wasn't expecting.
Week 4: that week went really well. ha ha mostly because I didn't really have much to stress over. So I had more time to look at important things involving my future. My reinforcements is what works really well, and punishments just went out the window.
Week 5: Same as last week, and because I am an anxious person I was really concerned about the future of my education. Friends were spreading rumors about the summer and winter sessions at SAC which frightened me...and others were talking about acceptance letters from other schools...so that really kept me focused on my work too. Fear is a great motivator! -.-
I think my behavior did change. And I really do hope that it stays this way because there are a lot of responsibilities ahead of me, and if I keep procrastinating and going down that road, I am going to end up far behind, lost, and burnt out. This has helped me in many ways ( that I stated last blog). The reinforcements played a bigger role than the punishments, and I think choices during your awareness of procrastination are where the make it or break it points are. To make this long term it would really have to become habit; which I think is happening because today I was laying in bed, and just didn't want to take a nap :) I wanted to get things done. And since that was my biggest challenge, I believe that I can perfect a way to keep me from procrastinating. This was interesting just to see if it would work. I think humans can be operantly conditioned, just not by themselves :).
Again I bid all the readers adieu! Wish you all the best with the end of the semester!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
RAWR! I am a TiGeR...and procrastination is my PreY!
Hello all! for one of the last times before this ends='( tear...
Ahh this week went well! ha ha probably because it was pretty chill. I had tests and projects to stress out for last week, and the relief of them being done makes this week seem relaxing in a way.
Thurs: pretty chill day because its the end of my school week so I just relaxed for the rest of my day and hung out with Alex and Jamie at Pizza Co.
Fri: started my english paper then moved on to studying for poli sci (ha ha rachele and alex know my pain!).
Sat:went out with family and finished studying for poli sci. Worked on my english essay a bit more.
Sun:finished my english essay before my 11 deadline
Mon: yay back to school again -.-' yah right... any way 2 tests but had the rest of the day to do whatever. So I started reading for the psych quiz.
Tues: I continued to read for psych and went online to look at other colleges and everything i have done for my ed plan an what I still need to do...yep that's the great thing about extra time...you can figure out more things that are important for your future....not just for the week.
Wed:.....by the gods...that's today! I finished reading for psych, took the quiz not long ago and now I am writing this. :)
Overall I'd say it was a pretty chill week. I had a lot of extra time to think about other things and do things in sections so that I didn't feel overwhelmed. I used the note cards like those who commented my blog suggested and man did it help. I found that it is really beneficial to stop napping during the day because I feel that I sleep better through the night and wake up without that @_@ feeling of I'm so tired I wanna collapse, or my eyes are hurting and I look like I have a hangover.
I think my behavior changed a lot. I feel better, work better, and am seeing the benefits physically, mentally and emotionally that refraining from procrastination yields.
I would have to say that the reinforcements worked better than the punishments. The negative punishment( removing music) helped too, but it wasn't as strong as the reinforcements...which is kind of a testament to what the book was saying about reinforcements strengthening the recurrence of behavior. I think the punishments didn't really affect me because as all of us have learned, its hard to punish yourself especially when that brain of yours tries to find ways to get away from it, or think of ways to justify not punishing yourself. The heightened awareness of my behavior definitely helped the change. One of the problems with my procrastination was that I was procrastinating on purpose to try and gain sleep but it just made things worse. Hm I think that for this to be long term it would have to be so repetitious that it becomes habit. I mean so much of a habit that it is annoying when I am faced with doing work now or saving it for later. The most challenging part of this was not napping! I loved coming home and plopping on the bed and heading into la la land, and breaking that routine was extremely hard. I think the most interesting thing about this assignment was that I could be a guinea pig and the experimenter. I could see if I could change my behavior and it worked. It wasn't perfect and yes there were slip ups, but that comes with being both the experimenter and the test subject. I liked the changes that happened, and hopefully it does become habit. This site gave some info on how to make it a habit so I will try it and see what happens!
Goodbye fellow classmates! I bid you adieu!
P.S. my title is lame and I am aware of that, but I couldn't help it! it was funny at the time!
Ahh this week went well! ha ha probably because it was pretty chill. I had tests and projects to stress out for last week, and the relief of them being done makes this week seem relaxing in a way.
Thurs: pretty chill day because its the end of my school week so I just relaxed for the rest of my day and hung out with Alex and Jamie at Pizza Co.
Fri: started my english paper then moved on to studying for poli sci (ha ha rachele and alex know my pain!).
Sat:went out with family and finished studying for poli sci. Worked on my english essay a bit more.
Sun:finished my english essay before my 11 deadline
Mon: yay back to school again -.-' yah right... any way 2 tests but had the rest of the day to do whatever. So I started reading for the psych quiz.
Tues: I continued to read for psych and went online to look at other colleges and everything i have done for my ed plan an what I still need to do...yep that's the great thing about extra time...you can figure out more things that are important for your future....not just for the week.
Wed:.....by the gods...that's today! I finished reading for psych, took the quiz not long ago and now I am writing this. :)
Overall I'd say it was a pretty chill week. I had a lot of extra time to think about other things and do things in sections so that I didn't feel overwhelmed. I used the note cards like those who commented my blog suggested and man did it help. I found that it is really beneficial to stop napping during the day because I feel that I sleep better through the night and wake up without that @_@ feeling of I'm so tired I wanna collapse, or my eyes are hurting and I look like I have a hangover.
I think my behavior changed a lot. I feel better, work better, and am seeing the benefits physically, mentally and emotionally that refraining from procrastination yields.
I would have to say that the reinforcements worked better than the punishments. The negative punishment( removing music) helped too, but it wasn't as strong as the reinforcements...which is kind of a testament to what the book was saying about reinforcements strengthening the recurrence of behavior. I think the punishments didn't really affect me because as all of us have learned, its hard to punish yourself especially when that brain of yours tries to find ways to get away from it, or think of ways to justify not punishing yourself. The heightened awareness of my behavior definitely helped the change. One of the problems with my procrastination was that I was procrastinating on purpose to try and gain sleep but it just made things worse. Hm I think that for this to be long term it would have to be so repetitious that it becomes habit. I mean so much of a habit that it is annoying when I am faced with doing work now or saving it for later. The most challenging part of this was not napping! I loved coming home and plopping on the bed and heading into la la land, and breaking that routine was extremely hard. I think the most interesting thing about this assignment was that I could be a guinea pig and the experimenter. I could see if I could change my behavior and it worked. It wasn't perfect and yes there were slip ups, but that comes with being both the experimenter and the test subject. I liked the changes that happened, and hopefully it does become habit. This site gave some info on how to make it a habit so I will try it and see what happens!
Goodbye fellow classmates! I bid you adieu!
P.S. my title is lame and I am aware of that, but I couldn't help it! it was funny at the time!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
No time to waste!
hello all!....yet again! :D
Well this week has been interesting because I don't really have time to procrastinate. There is so much to do in so little time that I have to work on things when I can find the time for it. My sleep has been a bit off, but its more due to finishing up projects, doing homework, or doing intense studying.I would say besides sleeping late...by just an hr..which isnt too bad, I have done pretty well this week. It basically followed the schedule of last week but I dont feel like it was because I purposely procrastinated. I worked hard, and with the semester coming to a close things are coming at me fast. I still feel good about the conditioning, and I feel that once thursday evening comes everything will be back on track.
Well this week has been interesting because I don't really have time to procrastinate. There is so much to do in so little time that I have to work on things when I can find the time for it. My sleep has been a bit off, but its more due to finishing up projects, doing homework, or doing intense studying.I would say besides sleeping late...by just an hr..which isnt too bad, I have done pretty well this week. It basically followed the schedule of last week but I dont feel like it was because I purposely procrastinated. I worked hard, and with the semester coming to a close things are coming at me fast. I still feel good about the conditioning, and I feel that once thursday evening comes everything will be back on track.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
FAIL!...well...mostly
Helooooo there!
Okay, this week did not go well at all. well, maybe not completely. I started off well, but one day messed me up for the whole week.
Thursday: I went to school for 7am, my teacher didn't show...so I went back home to SLEEP! woke up, cleaned, then got a head start on my math assignments.
Friday-Slept in, worked on math again pretty much all day.
Saturday:....debated on at least starting my English essay....and I did it....but only for an hour.
Sunday: MAJOR PROCRASTINATION! I would have been done with my paper way earlier...but i made the mistake of bringing my phone into the office. Friends called, and decided it was fun to chat up while I worked T-T...not so much for me. And after they got off, I just daydreamed and wasted so much time.I knew I had an 11pm deadline, but grades are way too important to me for me to just not finish it. So I ended up working on it till 2am. That day ruined my week.
Monday: was tired, but I knew how important and lengthy the psych exam was, so I stayed up and studied. ...unfortunately while I was studying I was also watching the History channel and its little show about vampires XD. Surprisingly I finished at about 11 and decided I would study a bit more during my first class.
Tuesday: came home after the test, hung out with a friend, napped XP and instead of getting a crap load of work I could have finished early done, I just did nothing....
Wednesday:...today-I came home and started on my work...but because I messed up my sleep pattern, I am tired.And in between reading for the quiz, I took a 30 min nap XD.
I'm just disappointed in myself this week. I knew what I had to do, and I just ignored it...I ignored everything. I don't think anything really needs to be modified, because it worked really well, but I just got lazy and slipped up, which in turn affected my whole weeks behavior. Ha ha quick extinction. I just need to fix the pattern again, and I think it will be fine. I think Operant conditioning works well, but has a flaw when the individual is the one imposing the rules/plan of conditioning.
Okay, this week did not go well at all. well, maybe not completely. I started off well, but one day messed me up for the whole week.
Thursday: I went to school for 7am, my teacher didn't show...so I went back home to SLEEP! woke up, cleaned, then got a head start on my math assignments.
Friday-Slept in, worked on math again pretty much all day.
Saturday:....debated on at least starting my English essay....and I did it....but only for an hour.
Sunday: MAJOR PROCRASTINATION! I would have been done with my paper way earlier...but i made the mistake of bringing my phone into the office. Friends called, and decided it was fun to chat up while I worked T-T...not so much for me. And after they got off, I just daydreamed and wasted so much time.I knew I had an 11pm deadline, but grades are way too important to me for me to just not finish it. So I ended up working on it till 2am. That day ruined my week.
Monday: was tired, but I knew how important and lengthy the psych exam was, so I stayed up and studied. ...unfortunately while I was studying I was also watching the History channel and its little show about vampires XD. Surprisingly I finished at about 11 and decided I would study a bit more during my first class.
Tuesday: came home after the test, hung out with a friend, napped XP and instead of getting a crap load of work I could have finished early done, I just did nothing....
Wednesday:...today-I came home and started on my work...but because I messed up my sleep pattern, I am tired.And in between reading for the quiz, I took a 30 min nap XD.
I'm just disappointed in myself this week. I knew what I had to do, and I just ignored it...I ignored everything. I don't think anything really needs to be modified, because it worked really well, but I just got lazy and slipped up, which in turn affected my whole weeks behavior. Ha ha quick extinction. I just need to fix the pattern again, and I think it will be fine. I think Operant conditioning works well, but has a flaw when the individual is the one imposing the rules/plan of conditioning.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Everything is Just Peachy Keen :]
Hello All! once again,
I am actually doing pretty good with the changing of my behavior. I thought it would be really difficult, and yes I have slipped up once or twice, but overall it is quite well. I write everything i need to do down so I don't forget. I stick with my 11pm deadline and work with others when I am having problems with the work or if it is just to help me study better.
Saturday April 18: My only assignment for that day was to do my blog. I wanted to have an abundance of free time (positive reinforcement) to have some fun so I did it earlier in the evening when I came home. I succeeded in finishing it early on in the evening and was free to catch up on my favorite weekend hobby:watching a new movie :]
Sunday: I started and finished my English essay pretty early on in the day and was able to get enough sleep for school the next day. However, I did notice that because I am not used to being under pressure to finish quickly, like I am at 1 in the morning, I began to daydream or do random/unnecessary things throughout the task. But because recognized that I was wasting time, I used the threat of not getting enough sleep as a constant reminder to just get it done.
Monday: I knew my tasks and was determined to get them done during the day. However, around 4pm I made the mistake of laying on my bed and wanting to watch part of a movie I had seen over the weekend. I got sleepy ;p. However, instead of sleeping for 3hrs like I did with my old habits, I only slept for one, and got right on my homework and chores. The reinforcements and punishments seemed to just go out the window once my eyes started to get heavy, so I need to find something strong enough to combat the enjoyment and desire for sleep. XD like that is possible!!! How do you make sleep unappealing!!!??
Tuesday: I came home at about 1pm and was a bit tired from getting to school for 7am. I messed up again because I had to go back to Mt. SAC for a club, so I decided to take a nap. But, again I decided to stick with it and just get my tasks done when I came back home. I finished at 10 and was glad to see some type of progress in my behavior. Again the desire for a nap kicked in and the reinforcements and punishments didn't kick in. :[ I have to find a way to combat sleep!
Wednesday:...HEY THAT'S TODAY! I had a stressful day,but interestingly enough I didn't let it ruin my plans. I came home did chores, and now I am writing this blog. Being able to finish my work early and relax without worry it gives me time to talk to friends and get ahead on schoolwork just in case I have a slip up or something comes up later on in the week.
Like I said before I do see a change in my behavior, and I am actually enjoying it. I feel that I am beginning to like the flow of getting things done and not making myself exhausted later for a couple of hours of relaxation or sleep during the early evening. One difference i do see is that I am used to sleeping late; but even though I finish early I can't fall asleep until 11pm. I think I just have to allow myself time to adjust to sleeping earlier and it will get much better. I think I might have a solution to my problem of making sleep unappealing. I don't drink coffee, but I do love ice tea. The caffeine in the tea keeps me up when I have to pull an all nighter. So I think I will try drinking tea whenever I want to sleep when I come home to see if that keeps me from falling back into my bad habit. It keeps me awake and hyper, but I do have crashes after...but by that time I could be done with my tasks so it will just make everything fall into place for sleep time!!!:D
I am actually doing pretty good with the changing of my behavior. I thought it would be really difficult, and yes I have slipped up once or twice, but overall it is quite well. I write everything i need to do down so I don't forget. I stick with my 11pm deadline and work with others when I am having problems with the work or if it is just to help me study better.
Saturday April 18: My only assignment for that day was to do my blog. I wanted to have an abundance of free time (positive reinforcement) to have some fun so I did it earlier in the evening when I came home. I succeeded in finishing it early on in the evening and was free to catch up on my favorite weekend hobby:watching a new movie :]
Sunday: I started and finished my English essay pretty early on in the day and was able to get enough sleep for school the next day. However, I did notice that because I am not used to being under pressure to finish quickly, like I am at 1 in the morning, I began to daydream or do random/unnecessary things throughout the task. But because recognized that I was wasting time, I used the threat of not getting enough sleep as a constant reminder to just get it done.
Monday: I knew my tasks and was determined to get them done during the day. However, around 4pm I made the mistake of laying on my bed and wanting to watch part of a movie I had seen over the weekend. I got sleepy ;p. However, instead of sleeping for 3hrs like I did with my old habits, I only slept for one, and got right on my homework and chores. The reinforcements and punishments seemed to just go out the window once my eyes started to get heavy, so I need to find something strong enough to combat the enjoyment and desire for sleep. XD like that is possible!!! How do you make sleep unappealing!!!??
Tuesday: I came home at about 1pm and was a bit tired from getting to school for 7am. I messed up again because I had to go back to Mt. SAC for a club, so I decided to take a nap. But, again I decided to stick with it and just get my tasks done when I came back home. I finished at 10 and was glad to see some type of progress in my behavior. Again the desire for a nap kicked in and the reinforcements and punishments didn't kick in. :[ I have to find a way to combat sleep!
Wednesday:...HEY THAT'S TODAY! I had a stressful day,but interestingly enough I didn't let it ruin my plans. I came home did chores, and now I am writing this blog. Being able to finish my work early and relax without worry it gives me time to talk to friends and get ahead on schoolwork just in case I have a slip up or something comes up later on in the week.
Like I said before I do see a change in my behavior, and I am actually enjoying it. I feel that I am beginning to like the flow of getting things done and not making myself exhausted later for a couple of hours of relaxation or sleep during the early evening. One difference i do see is that I am used to sleeping late; but even though I finish early I can't fall asleep until 11pm. I think I just have to allow myself time to adjust to sleeping earlier and it will get much better. I think I might have a solution to my problem of making sleep unappealing. I don't drink coffee, but I do love ice tea. The caffeine in the tea keeps me up when I have to pull an all nighter. So I think I will try drinking tea whenever I want to sleep when I come home to see if that keeps me from falling back into my bad habit. It keeps me awake and hyper, but I do have crashes after...but by that time I could be done with my tasks so it will just make everything fall into place for sleep time!!!:D
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Procrastination Reduction Program =)
Hello all!
I was reading my comments and had some great feedback as to how I could fix my problem. Also, found some other information on a website called EzineArticles .It suggested the use of 11 ways to stop procrastination and out of these I will use a few. I will use a calendar, set a deadline, and on occasions work with a study buddy. With these ideas I will use reinforcements and punishments. The positive reinforcement of creating a calendar and setting an 11pm deadline to complete my tasks is getting though my tasks quicker and have more time to de-stress, talk to friends, and get more sleep. This will be effective because I greatly enjoy just relaxing, reading a book, talking to friends, and I absolutely LOVE SLEEP! These things will be a reward for working efficiently. The negative reinforcement would be to get my tasks quicker so that I can avoid complaints from my parents that "such and such was not done". I don't like when I am doing work and I hear that minor thing was not done; it only makes me feel bad and stress out more, so being able to avoid that would be great :D The positive punishment would be staying up too late and waking up too early to get enough sleep. Everyone loves spending as many hours as they want sleeping and staying in dreamland! Lack of sleep causes a loss of focus and feelings of exhaustion throughout the day, so to stay away from those effects this punishment will be effective. The negative punishment would be to remove music or music from the tv for the rest of the day if I do not do my homework right when I get home or till my 11 deadline. This is significant because I work better with some type of music in the background because it keeps my enthusiasm up and helps me focus. I will use a fixed interval because i will have to complete a certain amount of work in order to get a certain amount of free time.
I was reading my comments and had some great feedback as to how I could fix my problem. Also, found some other information on a website called EzineArticles .It suggested the use of 11 ways to stop procrastination and out of these I will use a few. I will use a calendar, set a deadline, and on occasions work with a study buddy. With these ideas I will use reinforcements and punishments. The positive reinforcement of creating a calendar and setting an 11pm deadline to complete my tasks is getting though my tasks quicker and have more time to de-stress, talk to friends, and get more sleep. This will be effective because I greatly enjoy just relaxing, reading a book, talking to friends, and I absolutely LOVE SLEEP! These things will be a reward for working efficiently. The negative reinforcement would be to get my tasks quicker so that I can avoid complaints from my parents that "such and such was not done". I don't like when I am doing work and I hear that minor thing was not done; it only makes me feel bad and stress out more, so being able to avoid that would be great :D The positive punishment would be staying up too late and waking up too early to get enough sleep. Everyone loves spending as many hours as they want sleeping and staying in dreamland! Lack of sleep causes a loss of focus and feelings of exhaustion throughout the day, so to stay away from those effects this punishment will be effective. The negative punishment would be to remove music or music from the tv for the rest of the day if I do not do my homework right when I get home or till my 11 deadline. This is significant because I work better with some type of music in the background because it keeps my enthusiasm up and helps me focus. I will use a fixed interval because i will have to complete a certain amount of work in order to get a certain amount of free time.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Baseline Behavior
Over the past week I have engaged in procrastination constantly. It is most noticeable in the evenings when I get home from school. Whenever I had a homework assignment or a test to study for, I waited around or just got distracted. It happened every day and I didn't end up finishing all the tasks that needed to be done. The worst case was on the weekend when I had 4 days to do 11 assignments that were due at 7am Tuesday, but didn't start on it until 6pm on Monday and ended up finishing at 4am Tuesday morning. It's a pretty strong bad habit of mine XD !I have most likely been conditioned to this behavior through my dislike for what I need to do. I dread just starting certain tasks so I just put it off. Another reason is because I think that I am going to stay up late, so I nap right when I get home. This causes me to end up waking up at 8pm, doing my work, and going back to sleep at 2am. This is a problem that has been going on since elementary school, and is bad because I wake up at 5-6 in the morning. I get the reward of just coming home and sleeping because I am tired, but I get tired because I don't sleep for enough time in one sitting.Some things that could help me change this behavior is setting deadlines, forcing my self to work early and finish early, and making lists of what needs to be done so nothing is forgotten or left for another day.
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