Could This Solve Your Procrastination?
A young college student came to me for help with a few
different issues, but in particular she wanted hypnosis so
she could stop procrastinating.
She was nearing the end of her pharmacy degree, and had
always gotten her academic results by ending up studying
really hard in the final days before an exam. It was really
starting to be an issue for her and she had finally sought
professional help about it.
Now before I say any more, let me ask you what would you
recommend for this young woman? Even if you know nothing
about hypnosis, what would you suggest she change, because
I didn't end up using hypnosis, and in fact this particular
change was done in a single session.
As she and I spoke I learnt more about the grades she was
getting. She was getting high marks, credits and
distinctions, and so I asked her how procrastination was a
problem for her. She described how concerned her family,
and even friends, were as they saw her being totally taken
over by study in the days leading up to exams, to the point
where her entire life disappeared into study as she went
through her cramming in the last few days before an exam.
This behavior was worrying her even as she was doing it.
Even worse she was catching herself worrying about it
during the year as well, and it was beginning to play on
her mind even in the holiday breaks. She had made efforts
to set up more structured and pre-organized routines for
her study, but they didn't seem to suit her. Fortunately
she seemed otherwise well, outgoing and happy with herself.
She was also not resorting to drugs or other masking
At this point I asked her the key question, "Are the people
who are telling you how bad your cramming is, getting
better grades than you?" and her answer came back, "No.
So I put to her the idea that rather than having a problem
with procrastination, she actually had a highly effective
method of study that was outside what was normal for her
friends and family, but from my background when I was a
medical student, she was within normal high-achiever
limits. The real problem was that if she took the advice
she was being given she would likely end up with the same
results as the people who were giving the advice.
Should she ever change what she was doing? If she wanted
to, yes certainly. My suggestion was that she have a think
about whether SHE was unhappy with the effects of the way
she studied. If she was, then we could do something about
it. In the meantime she could decide what advice to listen
to by checking what results the person was getting.
The woman came back to me the next week with a smile on her
face, and told me she wished to leave things the way they
were. What are people telling you about what you "should"
do about procrastination, and are they just using a
one-size fits all solution, or are they really helping you
decide what's right for you? There are usually more choices
More of Dr Martin W. Russell's original work in self help
and methods that work can be found at...
"http://www.DrMartinRussell.com"
Self Help Blog
