Topic outline

  • 0: Let’s get started – the ABCs of getting things done

    • Welcome to the online materials on getting things done

    Do you delay and postpone completing some tasks? Do you feel you might procrastinate? Do you feel you are sometimes wasting your time? If the answer is yes, don’t worry. You probably are quite a normal university student: almost all university students procrastinate at times. However, if procrastination bothers and you would like to learn to be more efficient, hop onboard to learning through these online materials. Here you can learn more about yourself and how you could get things done better.

    The ABCs of getting things done materials package contains information about procrastination and various exercises that help you develop your efficiency. The exercises are especially important as getting things done is a skill requiring practice. It is common that a person who procrastinates might not get started with tasks despite all the knowledge and good intentions, which could also happen to you with this online material. That is why it is extremely important that you get active with the exercises in these online materials.

    The materials package contains two parts. The first part (What is procrastination all about?) deals with procrastination as a phenomenon and the different factors that can influence it. With this part, you can learn to understand more what your own procrastination is about. The second part (Exercises that help you get things done more) offers different perspectives and exercises with which you can practice getting things done and learn at the same time.

    This materials package is designed to be followed progressively and we recommend that you complete it chronologically from the beginning to end. You could also explore the material in your own order.

    The texts from these materials are available for everyone and the exercises have a version that is also available for everyone. If you want to submit the exercises to the course site and get feedback and guidance on the exercises, please send an email to the course administrator mikko.inkinen@aalto.fi.

    And now, let’s get started!

    ATTENTION! Feedback and suggestions for improvement on the course or materials can be given here:

     https://www.webropolsurveys.com/S/A93FF09E2A1511B6.par


  • 1: What is procrastination all about?

    Not getting your things done. Delaying. Postponing. Doing things at the last minute. Procrastinating. This baby has many names. To simplify, procrastination means that something or some task(s) should get done, but it is not happening. The task is avoided, getting started with it is postponed, all sorts of other things are done instead, the task in question receives only minor attention, or it is done at the last minute, if at all. The end result is a list of undone tasks or tasks that feel poorly done for oneself. The end result may entail stress from the last-minute push or feelings of shame from not getting the task done. Procrastination causes harm for oneself – either bad feelings or concrete harm, such as worse grades or missing study credits, and a need to explain things for teachers and classmates. Procrastination = Postponing that causes harm for oneself.

    Next you can find a short text (A) about procrastination, a lesson (B) about procrastination and a final test (C) and task (D) about the factors affecting your own procrastination. There can be many factors behind your procrastination. Sometimes these factors can occur at the same time, and other times only one of the factors could be at play. Complete the test below, go over the lesson and finally complete the final survey and test, and learn more about procrastination and about why you are experiencing it. Before moving forward, please watch the following video, in which you will probably recognize something familiar.  

  • 2. Exercises that help you get things done!

    Here you can find exercises, through which you can learn to deal with your own procrastination and to get things done more efficiently. Remember that getting things done is skill that must be practiced. If you just wait for the moment to get things done, you might have to wait for a long time. Seize the moment with these exercises that can help you grab onto the right tasks with which you tend to procrastinate.

    The exercises vary and it is to be expected that not all the exercises will help you. But try the different options and you can find out what works for you. Below you can also find a section in which you can share with others what methods have worked for you, so that others could learn from them and get things done better.

    You can complete the exercises in any order you wish but most likely you can gain more from these if you try them out systematically from the beginning until the end.

  • 3. Conclusion

    Through this materials package, you have explored your own ways of getting things done and done tasks that have aimed to help you get things done more. Getting things done is a skill that everyone practices, and the practice continues throughout life. We hope you have gained tips and ideas for how you can deal with procrastination better. If procrastination keeps bothering you, there are several ways you can get further help: your own friends, teachers, study coordinators / planners, study psychologists etc.

    You can give us feedback on the materials package through the following task. Please tell us what helped you and what benefitted you. Please tell us also what you feel was missing or did not function so well in the materials package.

    THANK YOU:

    Feedback on the courses given by the study psychologists can also be given here https://www.webropolsurveys.com/S/A93FF09E2A1511B6.par