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Ask Louanne
The Collegian's Advice Column
by Dr. Louanne Barton
Personal Counselor
FREE HELP
Dear Louanne,
I'm probably the world's greatest procrastinator. It seems I
always put everything off until midterm. I could blow the
whole semester if I don't get on the ball pretty soon. How can
I make myself get off my butt and get going?
Dear W.G.P.,
There are two kinds of people in the world,
those eat their spinach first and those who tend to
put the spinach off in the hope Mom will let them
have the ice cream anyway. Unfortunately most
professors aren't like good old Mom.
Following are some tips for overcoming
procrastination:
1. Use the "Swiss cheese technique." Poke
holes in an overwhelming job with small
manageable tasks.
2. If the task is unpleasant, promise yourself
you'll quit after a limited time: 15 minutes, half
an hour, an hour.
3. Try a leading task like sharpening a pencil
or xeroxing an article.
4. Talk to yourself in a positive way.
5. List the benefits of doing the task versus the
consequences of not doing it.
6. Make a commitment to someone else.
7. Consider your working environment. Is it
too convenient to fall asleep?
8. Sometimes it pays to do a task when you
think of it.
9. Establish a set time for tasks you don't
enjoy.
10. When you leave a project temporarily
always write down the next step.
11. When you become bored, change to a
different but related task.
12. Avoid information overload. Collecting
information can be a way of procrastinating.
13. Become aware. Slow down. Think of the
consequences and the benefits.
14. Don't try too much too quickly.
15. Start each day by doing the most unpleasant
task on your list.
16. Reward yourself.
17. Expect backsliding.
18. Avoid being a perfectionist.
19. Start now, not after midterm.
Send your letters to:
Louanne Barton, Counseling Center
Reed Bid ..
Signed,
World's Greatest Procrastinator
Good Luck,
Louanne
The Collegian
From the hi
Rite of passage means
more than booze
My, how loud this room is getting
The radio is cranking out some pop relic, reminding us
that we are a student newspaper and that we sometimes
take ourselves too seriously. Across the room, a frantic
reporter is rushing through a last-minute phone interview.
A few editors are grilling a columnist about the true
definition of date rape, and the red-faced editor perched
above the light table is sending me a glare, hoping to push
this paragraph along a bit sooner.
And my head is throbbing...
Last night, I wasn't worried about deadlines, line tape
or parallel sentence structure. My priorities were more
basic -- getting back from the celebration of my 21st
birthday, for one.
For many, the 21st birthday is a rite of passage. It's
more than a birthday; it's a movement into recognized
adulthood. But judging by the way most college students
celebrate the day (or the evening, for those truly eager
souls), most of us aren't ready to grow up and mature.
But after ordering my first few drinks, I realized that
the true value of turning 21 has nothing to do with
alcohol. Sitting in a booth bookended by two of my best
friends, I noticed that none of us had been complaining
about classes, money or dates (or a lack thereof) -- our
usual topics of conversation. We had left all our pressures
-- from the trivial roommate squabbles to the undeveloped
essay due within the next 12 hours -- cooped up inside a
room back at school.
I understood that the friends at the table had done more
and lasted longer than any class, paycheck, or date I've
ever had. And I couldn't have asked for anything more.
But then again, I was probably reeling from that last
drink. After all, friends have to have their fun too.
Thursday, September 26, 1991
Features Editor Robb
Frederick is a seventh
semester communication
major. He has served on
the editorial staff of The
Collegian since his
sophomore year, and
still doesn't care to
know the ingredients of
a "cement mixer."
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