“You don't need more time, you simply need to decide.”
The hardest thing to do is to get started. That is the biggest decision I have to make.
It is easy to put off things.
- Tomorrow I will start my diet.
- Tomorrow I will clean the house.
- Tomorrow I will weed the flower beds.
- Tomorrow I will exercise.
- Tomorrow I will balance the checkbook.
- Later this week, I will wash clothes.
- Later I will wash the bathrooms.
And on and on it goes.
I could make a list of what I will do in the future that is a mile long.
But it doesn’t help me accomplish anything.
Yet, once I get started, the task becomes easier.
I started out thinking about why I don’t like doing a specific task. It might be overwhelming, or it might be boring. Sometimes I just forget to do something and think about it later. Once I figure out why I don’t want to start, I can try to find ways that will help me get started.
I started developing a routine that helps me get my exercise done. My husband and I do this every morning after we have breakfast and before we start on other things in the day. This routine keeps us doing this even when we don’t feel like doing it.
I started setting a timer for cleaning my house. I will spend at least one hour each day in one particular room. This keeps me from looking at the whole house needing to be cleaned and becoming overwhelmed. I’m always surprised when that hour is up and I continue to do a little more.
Sometimes I trade tasks and make myself do one thing that I NEED to do before I do something that I WANT to do.
Sometimes I make an appointment with myself on the calendar to do a specific task and hold myself to do it.
I have started to listen to podcasts or music when I’m doing something boring. This helps pass the time.
These are all specific decisions I make to get started. Once I get started, the task isn’t that bad or at least I’m getting it done. Sometimes I wonder why I was so reluctant to do it in the beginning.
I feel that my students have the same problems sometimes with their classwork and their homework. Sometimes that is why things don’t get completed. Helping them find the best way to make the decision to start may help them be more successful.
Together, we can brainstorm different ways that will help them. Each situation may need a different strategy. Once the student decides on a strategy, I encourage the student to try them out and keep a record for a month to see whether it helps or not. If after a month it doesn’t work even after sticking to the strategy, it is time to look for another strategy.
How do you help students get started? Please share.
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