Click on the bubble or question below to discover tips from other McGill students about dealing procrastination, scheduling your time, and dealing with your to-do lists!
How do I avoid procrastinating?
Put your phone away and turn your notifications off not to be disturbed. A warm cup of hot chocolate for watching pre-recorded lectures is the best way to concentrate.
Management — Undergrad
Start! Commence! Begin! This is the most difficult step and often where most procrastination is done. Starting work on an assignment, reading or project, and working on it for at least fifteen minutes initially allows one to overcome the fear of the effort that lies ahead. Switching off the phone and putting it away helps eliminate our most common distraction and allows us to not take long breaks where we are merely wasting our time on the phone screen.
Science — Doctoral
I like to set a goal for how much work I should get done in a certain amount of time, and then set a timer to keep myself on track. Having a short-term deadline like that really helps me stay focused and motivated.
Arts — Undergrad
If you can’t focus and are not in the right mindset to study, don’t! Take the time to relax, go for a walk, bake some cookies, talk to a friend. Do something that will get your mind off of what you’re studying so that you can later get back to it with a fresher outlook instead of wasting your time trying to focus when you know you won’t be able to.
Dentistry — Undergrad
If your phone allows it, set a time limit on the apps you tend to waste the most time on (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, TikTok).
Anonymous
I suggest downloading an app to remind you of your schoolwork. The one I use is Notion. The notifications remind you to stay on track. I also suggest blocking websites that are distractions and (if you're a restless person like me) taking a small break rewarding yourself with something you like every thirty minutes or so. This helps you manage time as well as make sure you're not burning out.
Anonymous
Put your phone out of arm's reach when in class or doing homework! It is so hard to avoid looking at messages if you can easily grab your cellphone while in class or working.
Anonymous
Put on your earphones and play whatever creates a concentration effect. It really depends individually. Some people find instrumental or rock music helpful, or simply staying on a call with a study buddy.
Anonymous
Whenever possible, either put your device on airplane mode, turn off the wifi setting, or set your device to Do Not Disturb when completing tasks in order to prevent you from any distractions (whether these are notifications, to check the score on the game, or for online shopping).
Anonymous
How can I make the most of my study time?
I use a pomodoro technique timer on my computer! I've learned that I can't sit still for more than twenty minutes so after each twenty-minute interval I do a quick stretch. After three intervals, I take a fifteen-minute break. It's hard to stick to it, but when I do, I always notice my productivity increases.
Science — Undergrad
I use the Pomodoro technique to study and work on projects. Essentially, I set a timer for focused and undisturbed study. I work best with twenty minutes on and five minutes off. During the twenty minutes, I am either reading or writing without letting my phone, emails, or other notifications distract me. Then I can have a five-minute guiltless break to surf the web, get up and walk around, get a drink of water, or go to the bathroom. Every hour, I take a longer break of fifteen minutes and I can take a walk, run an errand, or prepare food.
Engineering — Master’s
Spaced practice works best for me. For example, it’s effective to space out five hours of study for over two weeks. You learn more by spacing out your study. When you sit down to do spaced practice, keep in mind you only need to do fifteen or twenty minutes of study before taking a break (rather than long hours). The spaced practice approach usually makes me less stressed and helps me get more sleep because I don’t need to stay up late or pull an all-nighter to study for a test or exam.
Medicine and Health Sciences - Master's
My best study strategy is time blocking. I have learned that I can only work for three hours at a time so breaking up my day into three-hour study periods with one hour breaks in between has transformed my workflow. I am able to be present and focused while I study and then have time built into my day to recharge, workout, meet with friends, etc. I also find it beneficial to plan what I am going to do during the three-hour blocks so I am efficient and can prioritize what needs to be done. This has helped to eliminate transition time between finishing one thing and starting something new.
Education — Master’s
I've recently started doing the Pomodoro Method and it's being going very well. I've been able to focus on work and be more productive. Sometimes I feel the urge to look at my phone but then I look at my timer and know that in 'x' minutes I will be able to look at it and take a break. This method is effective for alone work, where you sit at your desk and fully focus on one task.
Science — Master’s
Making sure you take breaks, stretch, exercise, eat, get out of the house is so important. It is so easy to make excuses to be glued to your computer and to never stop doing work, but this will only harm you in the end. Also, try your best to have a special place only for studying, it really helps productivity.
Anonymous
Follow the 20-20-20 rule for eye health. Every twenty minutes of screen time, look at least twenty feet away for at least twenty seconds.
Anonymous
Figure out the time periods when you focus best and try to optimize your time by scheduling the most important tasks for those periods. Remember to take breaks, change up your study set-up, and stretch after sitting for long periods.
Anonymous
How do I keep track of everything I have to do?
On the wall beside my desk, I have three columns filled with post-its. The first column is my "To-Do" list, the second is "In Progress" and the third is "Done!". This helps me keep track of everything I have to do. All the post-its are colour coded in order of priority and degree of difficulty.
Engineering — Undergrad
I organise writing assignments into high, medium, and low order tasks so that I always have a go-to task even if I am tired or lacking in concentration. For example, doing literature searches in on-line databases is a fairly low-order concentration task so can be done later in the evening, or even with music on in the background. Checking the accuracy of a reference list is also fairly low-order. High order tasks like writing an abstract or introduction, or reading technical papers, are allocated to my freshest part of the day (usually the morning). Medium order tasks like writing a rough first draft or outline go to post-lunch! By parcelling up the work, I always have something to do, and don't need to feel guilty if I'm tired or not concentrating well since I am still moving forward with my work!
Arts — Master’s
I downloaded Microsoft To-Do on my laptop, and it has been very helpful for me throughout this semester! I made six categories on the app: five for my classes, and one for my daily life. Whenever I get an assignment deadline, exam date, or lectures that I need to watch, I put it down on the app, set a due date, and a reminder for myself. By putting the tasks I need to do on the app, I become less stressed-out because now the app is remembering everything for me! It relieves some mental burden and helps me to stay on track in classes.
Arts — Undergrad
I recommend a two agenda technique that will improve your organizational skills. The first agenda is long-term: for goals, assignments, projects (from one week to one month away). You will review it once every week or so. The second agenda is short-term (one to two days). In this one, you will write down the tasks you need to accomplish for that day, no more than four tasks per day, so you don't get overwhelmed. You can move tasks from one day to another, but the same task cannot be moved twice. You will use your long-term agenda to continuously guide your short-term agenda.
Education — Master’s
I find it can be hard to keep track of deadlines when I have multiple courses, projects, and work on the go. I like to make a big checklist of all my assignments and the dates they are due. For large projects, I will break them down into chunks that can be completed in a single day. Even reviewing a certain tough concept or watching lectures can be one item. That way, I am able to plan my work for the day around what checklist items need to get done immediately, then with any extra time I can work ahead for the next most important tasks. This really helps me with not losing track of assignments because I forgot the due date.
Science — Master’s
At the beginning of the week, I organize my entire week in my agenda, with all my homework goals written out, so when I wake up each day I don't need to stress or figure out what I need to do. I try to make this as realistic as possible; so I think about if I am working that day, if I'll be tired, if I should throw a workout in there, or if I will want to have more leisure time. When I am studying, I do it in smaller intervals, especially when I am not in the mood for it. I tell myself to work for thirty minutes, for example, or for the length of the album I am listening to.
Arts — Undergrad
So my strategy is: do what must be done, then what can be done, then what you want to get done. Some days I accept that I'm not going to be able to get things done. Some days the bare minimum is too hard to do, and (while I make sure to get what must be done, done,) some days taking a break is okay. The world is overwhelming and respecting that mental health is a struggle and that some days are just more than one can deal with is important to being able to pick up the pen and do better the next day.
Arts — Undergrad
I keep several calendars, which helps me to know what is due when, what extracurricular activities I have, and how to manage my studies. My calendars are Outlook (synced to my cell phone too), a large paper office calendar I buy at the beginning of the year (I rip out the months for each semester and tape them to the wall), and third I write (on paper) what I need to get done each day of the particular week and tape that next to my desk and cross things off when I get them done. This way I am surrounded by all the things that need attention on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, which helps me with time management.
Art’s — Master’s
I really thrive on making to-do lists, sometimes indicating when due dates but not always. I have learned over time, rather than to feel overwhelmed by all I have left to do, to instead feel catharsis and relaxation when I cross out the item on the list. I also make sure to always have some personal or "downtime" items on the to-do list, and although I write them at the bottom, I usually award myself 15%-20% minimum of my entire day (besides eating, exercising, some socialising, necessary errand-running, etc.) to do something that is NOT school-productive. I really thrive on "grey time" that suits my personal life and growth, so I'll paint, sew, exercise, watch a movie, cook or bake, or call some friends.
Science — Undergrad
Including "buffer" times (extra times) in my schedule makes my day less tight and more flexible, which helps me to be less stressed and rushed to have everything completed at the same time.
Medicine and Health Sciences — Undergrad
I organise my schedule using to-do lists that I highlight to identify high-priority tasks and relaxing tasks. I try to balance out high-priority work (e.g., essay-writing) with smaller-stakes relaxing chores (e.g., clean room, fill out forms). I remake my to-do list every day so that I can re-evaluate my high-priority tasks and stay up to date on everything that's going on. It also feels great to strike a completed task off the list!
Science — Undergrad
