Dear Always Late,

An inordinate amount of stress in students' lives revolves around time. And, procrastination is probably the number one time management problem of all! Procrastination can be a mask for our own unrealistic perfectionist tendencies, self-doubt, or fear of change. It can also simply be a result of poor time management and ineffective study skills.

With patience and determination, you can change some of your procrastinating ways and learn to live with what you can't change. The goal is to learn to fit our daily activities into time's schedule. We cannot manage time; we can only manage ourselves given the time we have. Alice's favorite self-management strategies are:

• Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day -- PRIORITIZE two or three major goals or to-do's each day, leaving other activities "lower down" on your list.
• Schedule your activities for peak efficiency. Do the things that require more brain power during the times of the day when your energy level is highest.
• Divide your projects into small pieces. The job at hand can then become more manageable, and your steady progress might encourage you to move ahead.
• Create a schedule that allows flexibility for unanticipated events (e.g., distractions, computer crashes). Remember to leave a 15 percent tip -- add extra time into your schedule for each activity because things always seem to take longer than you think.
• Forgive yourself if you don't complete all of the things on your to-do list -- you're only human.

Two books that might be helpful for you to read are Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do about It, by Jane B. Burka and Creative Procrastination: Organizing Your Own Life, by Frieda Porat.

Remember, this is something you can change.

Alice

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