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Straight A student to F- HELP!! (Procrastination rant)

Rant on what led me here (and to reflect and complain):
Last year, results came in I got all A's, I genuinely didn't study much as I should've but at least I was your average good student, I could listen at class and hand in homework before due, all that, maybe i put my guard down?
I started slacking and procrastinated every time I came back from school and would spend hours after midnight to do the homework I should've done days ago or the afternoon, this varied from 1:40-3AM and then in class either i would be daydreaming or struggling to stay awake. I would doze off (i don't know how) sitting upright so I didn't get caught often.
I don't know why I did this,I'm slow and naturally if course got harder, I needed to up my game and yet knowing this I didn't, my mock tests were almost all F, And when exams came rolling by was when I really started doing some work but again I still would procrastinate, the day before each exam I would stay up to 4 and wake up at 6 and function on Redbull and do so much notes in order to store more in my short term memory. I legit wrote down the entire biology course in the course of like 6 hours,two exams clashed and I had to take them at the same day in two different schools so i had no extra time to study between them, everything was all so stressful.

With all that I passed all my exams,one being 3 marks off an A, an A on a language i already fluent in, B's and C's. It scares me that I had to put myself through all that torture to achieve those, I would've failed all of them, and if I didn't start off like this I probably could've gotten so much better, I cant even estimate because I've never seen my full potential.

During this time I realised it had been so long since I locked in ,I genuinely forgotten the feeling of studying for hours, the sense of accomplishment after racing through past papers,was refreshing almost, I really want to become that student I used to be.

Its like I'm falling back to the cycle again; back from school, procrastinate or nap, do homework at the AM , go to school, doze off lessons, didn't learn crap,repeat.
but it can get worse somehow,on average this month in particular I'm sleeping at 4 and waking up at just enough time to run to school. Summer barely ended and I've already failed a chemistry test and literally went back to last year exam mode to pass a physics topic exam. I don't want this to become a new habit,I want to do well and live like a human.
This year subjects are definitely more harder genuinely i cannot pull another short term memory thing i did last year, for this year. I will fail.
I've ruined my sleep schedule, my punctuality, development and I'm not even an adult yet :C

(Rant end)

Anywayss I told myself that this year I was locking in however it seems its not going to happen so I need some help.
My procrastination consists of napping, scrolling, drawing, music and on the web ;
I would continuously scroll on social media ,get agitated because I'm supposed to do work,set timers of 5 or 0, move to computer, listen to music while doing work, choose music, look at artist profile, linked to their Instagram, scroll, get agitated, cycle repeats, lose a snapstreak because I'm barely on my phone because I blocked everything, take timer off snapchat, scroll snapchat spotlight, as expected its brainrot and not entertaining and I've wasted time and i block it again then cycle repeats.
or I'd be researching something and then through internal links land myself reading articles of a somewhat unrelated topic.( last time it was deep sea gigantism on Wikipedia )
For my computer I set up this extension so I can block Instagram and ill block TikTok too,and its the only thing working but then after blocking these id still find a way to start the cycle excluding social media on my computer.
I'm so lost I don't know what to do as I keep telling myself to lock in but never do. I watched some videos,but procrastinated on the decision of watching a ted talk on procrastination itself, I need some help, what can I do for procrastination and staying focused? I need some tips based on my situation or in general, anything helps.
Procrastination will be the death of me, literally.

Thank you in advance!!!

Reply 1

Original post
by Anonymous
Rant on what led me here (and to reflect and complain):
Last year, results came in I got all A's, I genuinely didn't study much as I should've but at least I was your average good student, I could listen at class and hand in homework before due, all that, maybe i put my guard down?
I started slacking and procrastinated every time I came back from school and would spend hours after midnight to do the homework I should've done days ago or the afternoon, this varied from 1:40-3AM and then in class either i would be daydreaming or struggling to stay awake. I would doze off (i don't know how) sitting upright so I didn't get caught often.
I don't know why I did this,I'm slow and naturally if course got harder, I needed to up my game and yet knowing this I didn't, my mock tests were almost all F, And when exams came rolling by was when I really started doing some work but again I still would procrastinate, the day before each exam I would stay up to 4 and wake up at 6 and function on Redbull and do so much notes in order to store more in my short term memory. I legit wrote down the entire biology course in the course of like 6 hours,two exams clashed and I had to take them at the same day in two different schools so i had no extra time to study between them, everything was all so stressful.
With all that I passed all my exams,one being 3 marks off an A, an A on a language i already fluent in, B's and C's. It scares me that I had to put myself through all that torture to achieve those, I would've failed all of them, and if I didn't start off like this I probably could've gotten so much better, I cant even estimate because I've never seen my full potential.
During this time I realised it had been so long since I locked in ,I genuinely forgotten the feeling of studying for hours, the sense of accomplishment after racing through past papers,was refreshing almost, I really want to become that student I used to be.
Its like I'm falling back to the cycle again; back from school, procrastinate or nap, do homework at the AM , go to school, doze off lessons, didn't learn crap,repeat.
but it can get worse somehow,on average this month in particular I'm sleeping at 4 and waking up at just enough time to run to school. Summer barely ended and I've already failed a chemistry test and literally went back to last year exam mode to pass a physics topic exam. I don't want this to become a new habit,I want to do well and live like a human.
This year subjects are definitely more harder genuinely i cannot pull another short term memory thing i did last year, for this year. I will fail.
I've ruined my sleep schedule, my punctuality, development and I'm not even an adult yet :C
(Rant end)
Anywayss I told myself that this year I was locking in however it seems its not going to happen so I need some help.
My procrastination consists of napping, scrolling, drawing, music and on the web ;
I would continuously scroll on social media ,get agitated because I'm supposed to do work,set timers of 5 or 0, move to computer, listen to music while doing work, choose music, look at artist profile, linked to their Instagram, scroll, get agitated, cycle repeats, lose a snapstreak because I'm barely on my phone because I blocked everything, take timer off snapchat, scroll snapchat spotlight, as expected its brainrot and not entertaining and I've wasted time and i block it again then cycle repeats.
or I'd be researching something and then through internal links land myself reading articles of a somewhat unrelated topic.( last time it was deep sea gigantism on Wikipedia )
For my computer I set up this extension so I can block Instagram and ill block TikTok too,and its the only thing working but then after blocking these id still find a way to start the cycle excluding social media on my computer.
I'm so lost I don't know what to do as I keep telling myself to lock in but never do. I watched some videos,but procrastinated on the decision of watching a ted talk on procrastination itself, I need some help, what can I do for procrastination and staying focused? I need some tips based on my situation or in general, anything helps.
Procrastination will be the death of me, literally.
Thank you in advance!!!

Hi,

As a current uni student with many essays incoming i feel your pain about the procrastination! I relate especially with the doomscrolling it literally feels like its only been a few minutes when in reality it can be hours. I think the fact you have even noticed the problem and want to tackle it head on is a very good start!

Keep the blocker on your computer even if it works for like 30 mins its still some time which you could use to lock in!

Here's some advice about how to stop procrastination that i've found as well as some different ways of doing work without getting distracted by your other interests:

Do the stuff you procrastinate most about first so it's out the way and you can get on with your other tasks

Take small breaks where you maybe might go downstairs be on your phone for half an hour and then go upstairs and leave your phone downstairs (Just an example)

try different studying environments, even if they seem a bit cliche, like starbucks/cafes or maybe an open study area or a library!

If a task is too long or big then break it down! This makes it easier as it goes from a big pile of work to small tasks that are simpler whilst also easing you into a productive mindset

watch a video that reminds you why you are doing what your doing or look at how successful people are in your desired field of work!

Put on some motivating music

There is an approach called the two minute rule! Created by David Allen, it states that you should look at all the tasks you've got to do today and if any are going to take less than two minutes you should do them right away.

Instead of waiting to be prepared and for their to be a perfect time to study, just do it, throw yourself in the deep end and see what happens!

Keep a distraction log, if you have any distracting thoughts during your next study session, write them down and look at them later when you have finished all your tasks. I think this one is helpful because i believe in order for us to do something that distracts us we are always sat thinking about it beforehand


You've always mentioned you ruined your sleep schedule, punctuality and development. This could be a easy explanation for why you do procrastinate so often and get easily distracted!

In terms of sleep:

limit your screen time before bed, i used to find this quite difficult but now i enjoy it, its very relaxing!

Create an easy, cosy bedtime routine. E.G brush teeth get in bed turn phone off with an alarm before 12 pm, start laying in bed at a certain time and get all cosy and warm with maybe youtube on if you need some noise to sleep or even sounds that make you sleepy! You will feel yourself drift off eventually.

Avoid large meals or caffeine before sleep as caffeine is a stimulant, meaning it keeps you a wake!

don't take long naps throughout the day!

Keep a blind or curtain open so your natural body clock wakes up to the light coming in through the window


Punctuality is so important in general life and particularly in the workplace, coming to an interview early creates great impressions and shows that you have fab time management! So definitely try to improve your punctuality, maybe through some of these tips:

Try to make a concious decision to be on time, even if your a little bit early

Be brutal with your to do list, if your doing something that's going to make you late, do it later and arrive on time! But, definitely make sure you do it later.

Preparation is key, prepare the night before so you can wake up get dressed and get on with your day, create your to do list around where you need to be and the times you need to be there

try not to pick up your phone as soon as you wake up, otherwise that's another 15 minutes that could make you late! As soon as you wake up, get up and stand in your room or sit on your bed and allow yourself to wake up fully, even do some stretches if it helps!


I hope all of this helps!
Katy,
LJMUStudentRep

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