I procrastinated and now I'm in the hole several assignments deep, where do I begin the climb out?

So I procrastinated because I opted to work on job related projects rather than school assignments. Its now Spring Break and I want to turn my classes around before it is entirely too late. How do I go about scheduling myself to complete the overwhelming number of assignments that I have? Do I look at each assignment and estimate how long it will take and then space it out over my 8 day break? How do I choose which assignments to do first? How do I actually commit to my plan? And finally how can I make my plan mildly dynamic to allow for the occasional parties and hanging out with friends without drifting too far off course?

Originals

Posted 2015-03-15T21:54:53.407

Reputation: 26

Some answers from this question may help

– Jan Doggen – 2015-03-16T08:23:57.290

Also, there's many questions on 'backlog' here that could get you started.

– Jan Doggen – 2015-03-16T08:25:19.117

9You can't. Your last line is the giveaway: you're still focusing on parties and spending time with friends and not getting "too far" off course. If you were really serious about getting back on track, you wouldn't want to get off course at all. But you're not there yet. You think I'm wrong? Prove it. – Kramii – 2015-03-16T10:53:19.687

I wish I could upvote @Kramii more than just once. You want to have some equilibrium at a point when it's no longer viable. Get an 8 day 'break' from your break and you'll be back on track and be able to do both. – Calculus Knight – 2015-03-17T09:00:41.843

1@Kramii the first time I read your comment it invoked frustration within me. "I thought to myself Kramii doesn't know my situation how can he make these accusations. He's a jerk(replace with your favorite curse word) for providing negative feedback like this." However now with 1 day of break left and no overdue English assignments I have realized the importance of what you said. In the back of my mind your words stuck, providing fuel to endure the thoughts of quitting. Thank you for the much needed encouragement. Rest well knowing that you have helped at least one person. – Originals – 2015-03-22T04:51:09.823

Answers

The first thing to consider is the priority of the assignments.

If it is required to pass the course, then it is of higher priority. If it is worth a lot of marks, the assignment should be prioritized as well.

The second thing to consider is the difficulty.

If you have similarly prioritized assignments, I would choose the easier ones first. This way you can crank through them and get the satisfaction of achieving progress. The more demanding assignments could potentially keep you occupied for the whole break which is not a good outcome.

If you are working on problem sets, it may be worthwhile to start many questions and move on if you get stuck. Your subconscience may continue working on the problem and when you return to the problem again you may have a better approach.

Try not to schedule everything... just create a priority list and work through it. There is nothing worse than after 1 day realizing that you are hopelessly behind your aggressive schedule and completely give up!

Probably the best way to "schedule" is to commit to put in a certain amount of time each day and keep working until you have put in that time.

Good luck!

Source: Personal experience as a University Student for 7 years.

silverglade

Posted 2015-03-15T21:54:53.407

Reputation: 341

1+1 for Probably the best way to "schedule" is to commit to put in a certain amount of time each day and keep working until you have put in that time. As e.g. most succesful authors will tell you: It's not a matter of inspiration, but from just sitting down and working the hours. – Jan Doggen – 2015-03-17T15:18:59.307

1Thank your advice, I have been playing around with it to find a plan that works for me. So far I have found that having a notecard that has a day's todo list is very helpful. I write out the notecards in advance so I don't have to think about what needs to be done for any given day. As I go through the day I check off homework and tasks that I have completed. The act of checking something off provides a boost in confidence and at the end of the day I can see everything that I completed. – Originals – 2015-03-22T05:01:32.317