Would you rather write a research paper or watch your favorite TV show? Would you rather look for research sources for a final paper or look over your friends’ Facebook updates? Would you rather take notes for a term paper or play the new Call of Duty game?
If you chose the second option for the above questions, then you’re not alone. Most people would rather do something a little more fun than working on a school paper. Unfortunately, though, we can’t spend our days watching The Jersey Shore marathons if we want to get good grades on our papers. This doesn’t mean, however, that college life can’t be fun and we can’t engage in some of our favorite guilty pleasures, like TV watching and Internet surfing. We just need to turn these distractions into Rewards.
Whenever you sit down to work on a paper, or any school assignment, you can take a distraction and turn it into a reward. You can make a deal with yourself that if you complete a certain task or project, then you can enjoy something that normally distracts you. For example, if you love to play Madden Football on your PS2, but have an important paper to write for school, then you can make a pact with yourself that after finishing each major section (e.g., introduction, works cited page) you can play a game. The video game playing in the example can be replaced with whatever it is that you love doing but prevents you from getting work done—sleeping, talking on the phone, texting, playing Scrabble, knitting, checking e-mail, finger painting, etc.
Turn your distractions into rewards and turn up your productivity!