OUTLOOK

Print this page | Subscribe

Warmer temperatures too tempting for procrastinators

Ah, spring. The days are longer and the weather fairer. The only problem with this season of rebirth is how tempting procrastination becomes.

Phil Ackerman, owner of the Sylvan Learning Centre in Crowfoot, says he’s noticed a seasonal lull in student determination. “Nicer weather makes it harder to pay attention to what’s going on,” he says.

Many SAIT students agree longer daylight hours eat into the time they normally get their homework finished. “The sun being up longer has made (studying) even more difficult,” says Yulia Polikarpova, a second-year Business Administration student.

On the flip side, some students think their work habits improve in the springtime. “When it’s nice outside you do homework during the evening and go out all day,” says first-year New Media student Jennifer Devine.

Ackerman is not about to make concessions for low productivity just because the grass is getting greener. “No matter what the weather’s like, if you have a job to do, you have a job to do,” he says. “A person’s just going to have to learn self control.”

Here are some tips for staying focused.

Take it outside:
It’s tough to get work done while the sun is bright, but bringing a textbook to a park bench for an hour can help quell the urge to daydream about frolicking with friends on a patio somewhere.
“If studying outside works for you, there’s nothing wrong with that,” says Ackerman.
Jody Boyko, first-year Professional Cooking student says she’s better off doing homework away from her home. “I find somewhere nice to sit outside. I can’t study in my house, otherwise I get distracted.”

Get it together:
Ackerman says the best way to avoid procrastinating is to get organized. A pile of long-term tasks can seem insurmountable when they’re all heaped together.
“You need to lay out exactly what and when everything needs to be done if you are going to get it done by such and such a date.

This Week's Stories: