Group members :

UNIT 5: EFFECTIVE +Vương Minh Đức

PROCRASTINATION +Nguyễn Duy Thăng 
MANAGEMENT +Lương Đức Minh
+Phạm Chí Dũng
DEFINITION

• Procrastination is a learned behavior that involves putting off or

postponing something until a later time.

• Chronic procrastinators have ingrained certain behavioral and

cognitive patterns into their way of “doing life.”

• Fortunately, because procrastination is a learned behavior, it

can be UNLEARNED, REDUCED, OR ELIMINATED.
Characteristics of a OF
 CHARACTERISTICS Procrastinator:
A PROCRASTINATOR :

• They accept and even boast about being procrastinators. 

• They pride themselves on being able to do things quickly, at the last
minute, and under pressure.
• They often wait for a “push,” a threat of a specific consequence, a
crisis, or some outside force to get the momentum to do what needs to
be done.
• Their focus is on completing the task, and proving they can complete it
in a short time frame, and not necessarily on the quality of the final
product.
• They try to use their procrastination as a legitimate excuse for not
performing on high levels or not completing projects.
 Any time you find yourself
avoiding a specific task or
making excuses, recognize you
are procrastinating 
WHEN YOU
PROCRASTINATE

Become aware of
your procrastination pattern
by answering the following
questions
 • You plan and follow through with studying for
your computer class but procrastinate about
1. Are there studying for your writing or your math class.
specific kinds
• You complete your household chores but
of tasks procrastinate when faced with the laundry
involved
when you
procrastinate?
  • Identify the specific kinds of tasks that you
avoid most frequently; for those tasks, you
will need to activate strategies to increase
your momentum.
2.  Do you tend to • You struggle with setting time aside and sitting
down to begin writing a paper, you make
procrastinate
excuses for not beginning the paper, or you do
about a specific begin but lose motivation half way through the
task, or does process of writing it
procrastination
appear during the
middle of
working on the • Understanding when in the process of a
task?  task you procrastinate can help you select
strategies to complete tasks or goals more
consistently.
 This behavior is a common sign
3. Do you start of the onset of Procrastination
Procrastinators can easily get
multiple tasks, caught up in this whirlwind
jumping from behavior
one to another,
and make less
important tasks
seem more • Recognize the busy work is a mask for
important or avoiding specific tasks. When you find
urgent? yourself scurrying around, sometimes
aimlessly keeping busy, take time to identify
the task you are avoiding.
 Why you procrastinate

• Reasons for procrastinating vary for different tasks, situations, and

individuals.

In other cases,
procrastinating lead to
In some increased stress and
cases, procrastinating additional problems
will not have any
serious consequences
 "Boring! Who care?
Why bother? If it gets
done, it gets done.
1. Lack of Interest, Motivation, or Purpose If not... oh well."

"I don't get it. It's too

confusing. Maybe it will
make more sense
2. Task too Difficult or Complex tomorrow."
 "There's too much noise
and no place to work. I'll do
3. Unconductive Environment the work on the weekend
after I clean and when
everyone is gone... maybe."

"I just can't talk in front of

a group. I've never been
good at giving speeches.
4. Low Self-Confidence I just can't do it."
 "I wasn't there when that
was explained. How am I
5. Lack of Skills or "Know-How" supposed to know what
to do?"

"I dread doing that task. I

know it's going to take
6. Overestimating the Time Needed longer than the instructor
said."
7. Overextended or Overcommitted "I already have too much
on my plate. There's no
way I can start that now."

"There no way I need to

start that assignment right
8. Underestimating the Time Needed now. It won't take that
long. I'll have plenty of
time to do it next week."
 Procrastination and its Causes

- It is important to identify not just WHEN you procrastinate, but also WHY

• False Beliefs – procrastinators are convinced they work better under pressure, or
they’ll feel better about tackling the work later. 

• Fear of Failure – procrastinators fear they’ll fall short because they don’t have the
requisite talent or skills. They would rather be seen as lacking in effort than lacking
in ability

• Perfectionism – people who feel they must be perfect to please others often put things
off.
• Self-Control – people who are impulsive may not be able to prioritize intentions.
They are easily distracted.

• Thrill Seeking – Some procrastinators enjoy the adrenaline rush of waiting until the
last minute to get an assignment completed. 

• Task Related Anxieties – humans are pleasure driven and avoid the difficult and
boring.

• Unclear Expectations – vague directions increase procrastination. 

• Depression – the blues can lead to or worsen procrastination and vise versa. 
Strategies to avoid procrastination 

o Strategy #1: Use your intrapersonal

intelligence.
• Explore when and why you procrastinate about a specific
task. 
• Use those insights to identify appropriate strategies to
deal directly with the underlying issues.
o Strategy #2: Identify a purpose and
meaning. 
• Avoid labeling a task as “meaningless, stupid, or boring” or
expressing a negative attitude toward a task. These attitudes
lower motivation and negatively impact your self-image.

• Find a purpose or a valid reason for the task

• Identify the benefits

o Strategy #3: Create an interest. 

• Engage a family member, a roommate, a tutor, or a study

group to work with you on a task

• Seek alternative sources of

information, such as a video, internet
search, magazine, or book related to
the topic. Because once you become
familiar with the topic, your interest
often increases.
o Strategy #4: Take charge of the
situation. 

• Gather up all the supplies or materials you

need to get started.

• Select an appropriate work environment. 

• TAKE CHARGE and take responsibility for

the situation!!
o Strategy #5: Prioritize and stick to
the order
• When you feel overwhelmed or overextended, make a list of
tasks that must be done. 
• Use the ABC method to prioritize them by importance or
prioritize by completion date requirements: 
Assign a priority letter A, B, or C to the tasks on your list: 
 “A” goals = the most important to you or the one you
want or need to complete first.
 “B” goals = not as high priority as “A” goals.
 “C” goals = not of much immediate importance. 
• Tack the high priority tasks first and plan time in your weekly
schedule to work on these tasks.
o Strategy #6: Relax your personal
standards
• If you tend to be a perfectionist, lower your unrealistically
high standards or expectations. 

• You can continue to produce quality without always having to

be the best.
o Strategy #7: Be flexible and willing to
change. 

• Be willing to give up the attitude that “I have always done

things this way.”

• Be willing to try new strategies and

to create new patterns of thinking
and new patterns of behavior.
o Strategy #8: Face your fear of
failure. 

• Focus on your positive traits, your accomplishments,

and the skill you have acquired. 
• Use positive self-talk and affirmations 

• Build your self-confidence by mentally

rehearsing the steps of the task several times
before you begin.
o Strategy #9: Visualize success. 

• Create a mental picture of yourself working through a task,

feeling positive about your work, and completing the task on
time. 
o Strategy #10: Make a contract with yourself

• Make a contract with yourself to stop using excuses for

not getting things done.
• Begin by creating a plan of action (a goal). 

• Push yourself to “just do it.”

• End your contract with a reward or

incentive. 
Learning Objective Review
I. Define concentration and identify strategies to block out
distractions and maintain a focused, disciplined mind.

• Self-management is the ability to use strategies to deal constructively with

variables that affect the quality of your personal life. Concentration is a self-
management set of skills.

• Concentration is the ability to block out external and internal distractions in

order to stay focused on one specific item or task. You can use specific
strategies to increase your concentration when you study and free up your
working memory for cognitive process.

• An ideal study area involves careful attention to elements in your physical

environment: noise, lighting, and workspace.
II. Define motivation and discussfactors that affect motivation and strategies to
strengthen motivation.

• Motivation is the feeling, emotion, or desire that moves a person  to take

action.
• The Incentive Theory of Motivation states that incentives and rewards are the
driving forces behind people's choices and behavoors. To be effective, the
incentives must be valued and be realistically obtainable.
• Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are driving forces behind achieving goals. In
general, intrinsic motivation is more powerful than extrinsic motivation.
• The Expectancy Theory of Motivation reflects a person's intensity or desire to
achieve a goal and a belief in the likelihood of achieving that goal
• A person's self-esteem and self-efficacy are factors that affect motivation .You
can use specific strategies to boost self-esteem and develop a stronger sense of
self-efficacy
III. Define stress and identify strategies and techniques for effective stress management.

• Stress is a reaction or a response to events or situations that threaten or disrupt

our normal patterns or routine. Stress is normal and can be beneficial.
Excessive stress has physical consequences and can hinder performance and
cognitive functioning

• Stressors, which can be positive or negative, are situations or actions that cause

stress

• You can learn to deal with stress more efffectively by using a variety of stress-
management techniques, choosing a healthy lifestyle (nutrion, exercise, and
sleep), and using relaxation techniques
IV. Define procrastination and idetify strategies and techniques for effective
procrastination management.

• Procrastination is a learned behavior that involves putting off or

postponing something until a later time. Identifying WHEN and WHY
you procrastinate is the beginning step yo combat procrastination.

• Ten strategies can be used to overcome procrastination and take action to

complete tasks.
 Multiple choice
1. Concentration is :
a. The ability to block out
distractions and focus on only
one item or task
b.  one of the TwelvePrinciples of
Memory
c. A mental discipline that involves
training your mind to maintain a
focus.
dd. All of the above.
2. Which techniques would work best for a
student who want to stop wasting the first half
hour of a study block trying to "get started” on
studying?
a. Warm-up activities and using the
take-charge technique.
b. Chunking technique and mental
rehearsal.
c. Setting learning goals and creating
a task schedule.
d All of the above
d.

3. Procrastination
a. May stem from lack of
interest, fear, or failure, or
perfectionism.
b. Occur when low-priority
tasks take the place of high-
priority tasks.
c. Is a learned behavior that
can be altered by using
effective strategies.
d.
d Involes all of the above
4. Which of the following strategies are
NOT designed to convert a person’s
negative attitude to a positive attitude?
a. Tunnel vision, intrinsic
rewards, and deep breathing.
b. Mental rehearsal and positive
self-talk.
c. Affirmations and emotion e
words.
d.
d Seeing success and strategies
to increase self-esteem.
 5. Which of the following 6. Which of the following helps
statement is NOT true about decrease or eliminate the habit of
stress? procrastination?

aa. Stress is normal and can be help

a. Taking time to understand WHEN and
people move in new directions.
WHY procrastination occurs.
b. Prolonged stress may affect
b. Using a weekl schedule, a task
physical, emotional, behavioral,
schedule, and goal organizers.
and cognitive functions.
c. Creating a stronger interest in the task
c. Excessive stress requires
and finding a purpose for completing
prescription medications in oder to
the task.
avoid physical damage to the body.
dd. All of the above
d. Excessive stress affects the
functioning of woeking memory
and long-term memory.