http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxId3acyzbc

Your goal should be straight As.

So far so good. I'm putting in more study time than I have in the past. I'll be honest. I'm taking modafinil and I think it helps. When energy levels are high, it's easier to study. It's not the only reason for my progress. I try to minimize distractions a lot more. I feel better mentally. The biggest problem so far seems to be efficient use of time.

I'm writing down a lot of notes for chapters which is VERY time consuming. It kind of dawned on me that maybe if I just read the chapter 3 times, it would be less time consuming and perhaps just as good. For now though, I'm gonna try and continue my long and tedious method.

I don't talk about my personal life on here, but ****, it's 5am and outside of final exams next week, I just finished my last class assignment until next next January (6 month co-op, sweet!).

12 years ago, I was in school for something I didn't want to be in school for. I stopped going to classes and tried to skirt by doing the bare minimum. I ended up failing a few classes, and although I was on pace to graduate on time within 6 months, I dropped out. I don't know honestly that I would have made it through as I was pretty damn miserable (playing online games back in 1999 haha). I was eating poorly, getting out of shape, not even wanting to hang with the few friends I had. I ended up on the phone with my mom in tears telling her how I was unhappy and that I didn't want to be there anymore. Part of what took me so long to make the decision was that I was afraid of what my parents would say. They were SUPER supportive. I was really surprised. I look back now and I get it, but back then I thought they were just going to be pissed at me.

So yeah. Dropped out. Worked, moved around jobs a bit. Did some things I really enjoyed. Now I'm ready and I'm back in school at age 31. It's still hard to motivate and it's easy to procrastinate, but I know I'm ready and I'm here because I want to be here. I guess it helps motivate me that I'm paying my own way this time.


What I actually wanted to say is that it gets better, but you have to keep doing what you're doing and making forward progress. Like others said, set those little goals. Exercise helps a lot. I think the most liberating thing though, and this might seem out of left field a little: When I dropped out and went home, I didn't hook my computer back up. I let it sit on my desk in my room for 8 months before I actually plugged it back in and fired it up. I felt free from it and I felt like I wasn't wasting every day. I swear, games can overtake your life and make you super complacent with yourself. You just blow through day after day and you have nothing tangible to show for it (omg achievements!).


All this nonsense I've just typed was just an excuse to talk about myself =P But really, unplug the computer for a while and see how it goes.

Thanks for your post. I can relate. I am extremely terrified of telling my parents about what I'm feeling. I'm Asian and the stereotype is true, at least for me. I'm an only child (extra pressure?) and I have many friends and cousins who are overacheivers. There is a lot of pressure to do well in school. Most of them are doing math and science. I feel bad because my parents aren't as controlling as other parents. They give me more freedom than the average kid, and I'm not studying. I'm like a video game addict.

But unlike you, I really think my parents wouldn't be supportive if I told them about how school isn't going well. Since starting the thread though, I'm doing slightly better with studying, exercising, and minimizing games/tv. I'm feeling better mentally. I want more changes. Still spending too much time on websites. I replace one bad habit with any other. But at least its an improvement. Instead of dropping out, I want to have a turn around and do well in school and finish.

And I'm off to studying.

So I've been talking with a couple of other students, and researching on other forums

I think I highly overestimated the amount of studying necessary in order to get A's and B's. In certain classes (subjects) with particular "tough" professors, if you want an A, You indeed have to put in an absurd amount of work in. Especially if it takes you a little longer to absorb the material.

But it seems on average (most classes), most 3.0+ gpa students aren't putting in ridic hours. Had I just spent an hour a day studying and more when certain assignment deadlines are coming up, I think that is more than enough to do well in 95% of classes.

Or instead of spending 1 or 2 days cramming, if you spend 4-5 days cramming. You could probably make up for all the weeks of not doing work and still do fairly well. Not that I would want to use this method.

it seems u r doing better for now but dont allow outside distractions get in the way. Sell the video games, cut off the cable. Do school work in the library, hopefully they block sites like 2+2 so u have only one focus in mind. Call ur friends that u feel disconnect with. Workout.

Alot of this just comes down to self motivation but try eliminating some of the distraction.

Hi, I used to have this pretty bad. I'll share my short version. This is now about 10 years ago actually

First couple of months went ok, I made plenty of new friends. It started falling apart after a few skipped classes (due to fatigue probably, my sleep patterns have always been WTF), I played computer games and became slowly less and less social. I lived with 6 other people and started avoiding them. One day I went to school after having been absent for 2 weeks, I got some very awkward stares there from classmates. Turned around and left, never went back.
Developed social anxiety and the sickest depression of my life. It got to the point where I didn't talk to anyone, locked myself in my tiny room that only consisted of a bed and a small desk. I would only dare go out when everyone else was either away or sleeping. I peed in coke bottles because I was scared to meet anyone on the way to the bathroom. That's how bad it got

I've went back to colleges/university 2 more times and fell into the same patterns, yet milder. I also developed a weed problem resulting in psychosis and went to a mental hospital for 6 months.
I decided either college really wasn't for me or I was too immature or too much of a social retard. So I decided to join the army, since went on missions, had all sorts of jobs, did the poker thing, traveled the world, met plenty of girls (this is very important), etc.

Studying would have worked much better if I threw my computer away, lived in a better location and socialized a lot more. It's really easy to just go and chill at the computer and other sources of solitary entertainment.

I'd say join study groups, some club that interests you whether you're interested in music or want to try something new, there are usually all sorts of special interest groups within student communities that are open for anyone.

Best of luck, I was really terrible at being a student even I had good grades earlier and was generally considered smart. I wouldn't wish that for anyone. Break the patterns and get out of your comfort zone as much as you can.
Best of luck OP I hope it works out for you and that this will be a short phase

I have this problem where almost everyone in college is working.

I am not. So I feel like a loser when I say I don't have a job right now. Also since I've been just living like a hermit. It's harder to find things to talk about with people.

A lot of my conversations with people seem too formal. It's like an interview almost. Questions about class, hw, quizzes, what's major, what they do for work. I try put the focus on them, since I don't have much to talk about unless it's about class. But no one gives a **** about class and who really wants to talk about that.

They'll ask me how's my day or weekend. Wtf do I say. I do nothing. I feel like I should just BS and lie so people will not think I am a loser.

I'm slipping a little bit with the studying, but still much better than I previously was. Which isn't saying much I guess. I did literally almost nothing before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ

You just need the hunger for it. Imagine what you want from life and bust your ass to get it.

I one day told myself I'm gonna eat healthier, kick ass in school, and become a better person so I strive to do that.

What works for me is to create a series of either positive or negative rewards/punishments or both. They have to be real though since it is difficult to lie to yourself.

Find things that you really value and either take them away from yourself or only allow them to yourself if you do something.

Agreed.

Put effort in to getting the bad habits out causing you to procrastinate, start with one thing at a time, work on it and move on to the next. It's a slow start but it's like momentum, once the ball is rolling it becomes more and more easier to keep going. Cleaning the room is ok, I would suggest taking a direct hit at the problem, such as reevaluate doing your course, but really consider this.

I was in the same boat, parents kinda forced me into uni when I was 17. I am the smartest person I know, but I wasn't ready for it, so I got sidetracked and in 2009 didn't even attend 2 exams because of the immature 'f**k it' attitude. I am paying for it now, finishing off my final year at uni when I could have finished last year. But I don't regret what happened before, as I am finishing this degree with more input, because I know what I want now. I have had less to do with some friends that do not want to progress or do constructive things and instead have spent more time working with classmates to achieve the same thing. Sure, you can socialise and go out and get pissed with them if that's all you have in common, but that's all I have to do with most of them now. Classmates with the same goal + your input and determination to succeed in the course will help you out a lot. GL OP

BTW others, on a more general basis, I did find that working with others and developing good working relationships with other students is the most beneficial thing for eliminating procrastinating and you will find that you and they will automatically want to work with you or share your assessment experiences. A lot of people just try to keep at the work by themselves in stubbornness for 'self-improvement' but unless you are a Tibetan monk then procrastinating becomes so much easier that way.