As promised, this week I'll show you how I used this process myself to help push through some major lack-of-wanting-to-get-anything-done procrastination I experienced this week.
First, I'll start by answering the questions I posted last week. Keep in mind I'm not a grad student anymore, but this process was one that I used ALL THE TIME at the end of a semester.
Why am I struggling to get work done?
I'm struggling because I have many things to do right now that all seem to have competing priorities and deadlines - wrapping up two courses, marking, more marking, preparing for next semester, counselling clients, and doing work on some other upcoming projects.
What tasks are particularly hard for me to do right now? What tasks are easy?
Tasks that require a lot of complexity - such as marking. It requires a lot to pay attention to read, crosscheck with the assignment objectives, mark according to a rubric, and come up with feedback that is useful for students. Easy tasks would be ones for an upcoming project or small ones that I can just check of my to do list easily.
How am I feeling right now?
I'm feeling like the end of the semester is just a vague idea right now so to continue working at this pace seems never-ending which is why I think I'm not motivated to get anything done.
What do I think I could be able to get done in the next hour? Half day? Week?
I think that in the next hour, I could focus on making a list of everything that I need to get done so I can see it on paper rather than just think about it. Then for the rest of the day, I can focus on marking from one course as I want to submit those marks by the end of this week so that is my priority. Then once I'm done with that I can prioritize what else I need to do.
What do I need right now?
Taking a step back was helpful to gain perspective. I also should take my dog for a walk and eat some lunch! I think that will help me return to my computer after taking some time to go outside and eat.
Who in my life can help me when things aren't going the way I want them to?
Talking to my friends and colleagues always helps because then I know I'm not the only one dealing with this busy time. Sending a few messages/emails to them can be helpful as long as I don't dwell on that for too long.
Once I answered those questions, I found I was able to start by just making a list of what I needed to do. Then I was able to prioritize, take a break and go for a walk with my dog, and when I came back to my computer, I started marking for one of the two courses I'm teaching this semester.
I hope that showing you what taking time to understand tasks, in this case, multiple tasks and having trouble getting things done/procrastinating, can help you move forward to identify goals and choose the strategies needed from there.
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