I'll Do It Tomorrow..It's Only a Day Away.......

Fess up: You're a procrastinator. Tomorrow sounds like the perfect day to do whatever...or maybe next week...next month...

Sound familiar?

 

Maybe you're putting something off because you feel overwhelmed. Maybe it's because you know it will take a ton of your time. Or, maybe you don't think it's going to take that long.

And then....the paper is due, the bill is due, the project is due, or you're still eating too much junk food..... and you haven't done a thing about it.

Yikes!

 

If your excuse is: I don't have any spare time.....

Take a look at how you're spending your time. How many hours are spent watching TV? Texting? Gaming? On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat? Today, grab a pad and pencil and write down how much time you're doing those things. You may be surprised how much time you actually have available.

Here are some tips that might be helpful for you to stop putting things off:

 

• Doing something is better than nothing. Get started! If it's a paper you need to write, start by choosing a subject and writing down an outline. Now you have a plan.
• Set reasonable goals. Chances are you cannot do the entire project or paper in just one session.
• A large calendar is going to be a huge help: Your instructor gives the due dates of all papers and tests at the beginning of a semester. Write it all down on your calendar and refer to it daily. Look ahead: What's due next week? Then you have to make a plan to accomplish it.
• Don't blow it all out of proportion. You can do it!
• Make a decision. Whether it's about what your project will look like, or what you want to achieve--decide something. Do it today.
• Don't expect perfection, but do your best.

 

• Break the task down into smaller chunks. Set time limits, like: I will work on this until 2:30 and then take a break. I will give this one hour of my day in the morning and one hour in the evening.
• Give yourself a little reward. Think: When I reach this goal, I'll have some coffee, or I'll get up and walk around a little. 
• Stay focused: When you're working on this, you're not doing anything else. Your phone is in another room, and you do not check your phone or think you can play 'one short game' while you are working. Two minutes distracted can so easily turn into half an hour...another half hour that you didn't work on your project.
• Write down your timeline. That is, by a certain date you will have an outline finished. Two days later, you will have the first three parts written....until you have a completion date, well ahead of the actual due date if possible.

 

• Start with the hardest part. Everything else will fall into place after it.
• Ask for help if you need it. Do you need a tutor? Maybe just someone to bounce ideas off of? Seek someone out---and not someone who will be an accomplice in procrastination!
• Don't delay something thinking that it will give you an excuse for not finishing: "I would have done it, but time just got away from me." It's a pretty good bet that an employer or instructor isn't going to be impressed with that excuse. Of course, you're letting yourself down, too, by not allowing yourself to be successful.
• SAVE YOUR WORK!!!!
• Are you allowing yourself to fail? Is that your comfort zone? You can't blame someone else for a goal not met.
• Most important, when you set goals and achieve them, give yourself a little 'pat on the back,' for finishing that task. Remember how reluctant you were to start, and the fact that you're on your way to achieving what you wanted. Good for you!
• Keep up the good work!!!

Hide & Seek

If you enjoy a challenge and finding hidden treasure----if you always found the most Easter Eggs---if you could find someone in a game of Hide & Seek in record time---Try it 2018 style:

Do you have a GPS, or another device such as a phone that has a GPS feature? GPS stands for 'Global Positioning System'. It's what you use when you let your phone guide you to a destination while driving.


You can try Geocaching... ("jee-o-cashing"). It's like hunting for treasure, but using technology.

Here's your word of the day....Definition of a cache by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Cache (pronounced kash):

1a : a hiding place especially for concealing and preserving provisions or implements

b : a secure place of storage

2: something hidden or stored in a cache

3: a computer memory with very short access time used for storage of frequently or recently used instructions or data —called also cache memory

**And don't worry if you don't have a GPS: there are ideas at the end for treasure hunts as well.**

The idea is, someone has hidden something and the challenge is for you to find it using a GPS device. It can get you to the general area, but you will then have to hunt for the item using your own wits.

                                                      a cache hidden in the home of a gnome (apparently)

The 'cache' or hidden treasure will be a container with a log book and other items. When you find it, sign the log book and, if you want, take something from the container, but then put something else in. Items traded should be of similar value, and will not be anything truly expensive. You may find a rubber duck left by someone else and trade it for a fancy pencil, for example. Put the lid back on and put it back where you found it.

                                         Typical cache with journal and pen and some treasures...

Do you know the latitude and longitude of your home? Look it up: http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/latitude_and_longitude_finder.htm#.UdxfAF0o5ZQ


For more on geocaching, check out this website:
http://www.geocaching.com/

• Find geocaching challenges in your area- https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4B1R6_blueirocguy-is-awesome?guid=ba324bb2-22dc-4b15-baf2-280c435cb36b
• Some cities have geocaching programs but will request a sizable deposit for you to use their 'rented' GPS devices.

tricky: a fake rock with cache in it..

Hidden in a hollow tree stump....no Keebler elves here...

and another--look at the collection of stuff!

As an alternative, without a GPS, you and your friends can hide something and write directions as to how to get to the item. Another group of friends can do the same, and then each team tries to find the other's cache.  See how well you write directions and follow them--how fast does it get found?

There could be a map.......

                                Just because you don't live near water doesn't mean you can't pretend you do. 

                                                              OK, here's the back yard version, if you must be a realist......

Walk the route to get to the treasure---don't be too direct, make them work. Write down the number of steps and which direction you walked. Another way would be to record how to walk and have the person listen to the recording, or you could take pictures and tell them to find what's in the pictures.

You might leave clues that lead to other clues: "Follow the driveway to the mailbox and look for a white rock" and then have a clue under that rock. That clue tells the person "A red thing in the back yard will tell you more" ...then he or she has to find the red thing...etc. Or, you might issue a key and let them find several items that lock, but the key only opens one of the things.

If you use a map, make it fairly puzzling and a bit confusing.

Once the treasure/cache has been found, move it and see if it can be found once again. You can set a timer to see who finds the cache faster. Maybe the cache will be a container of treats to be enjoyed by the victor.

Ready......set..........search!

I Love Me A Good List

You don't just need a list of what stuff to bring to college, you need a list of stuff you need to do, such as......

• Check about your car insurance. Are you going to have a car at college? If you are, see about a lower rate if you won't be in a metro area. If you're not going to have a car at college, drop coverage to Comprehensive only, if the car will be parked and not in use. Coming home from winter break and want to use the car for those few weeks? It can be done.Call your insurance agent and ask about these things. Be sure you have your proof of insurance card with you all the time.
• If you'll have a car at college, do you know how to check the oil? Fill the windshield washer fluid? Change a tire? Have someone show you before you leave. You may not be able to Google that when you need it.

• Make sure you've had any vaccinations recommended, including one for Meningitis. Keep a record of them, the college may ask for it. Carry your health insurance card with you all the time. Some facts on meningitis; http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/meningococcal/collegefact.html
• Set up your own bank account, or a joint account with a parent. You may need cash from time to time and, you may have a 'regular' job or a work-study, and your employer will need to direct-deposit your pay.
• Find out where you can use an ATM without incurring charges to your account-some of them charge $4 just to make a withdrawal.

• Know what you'll do if you get sick while you're at college: Is there a campus clinic? How does your insurance work when you're not 'at home'?
• Remember, the college can't share any information about you without your consent. That means grades, for example, as well as any medical information if you should go to the doctor (whether at home or away)
• If you have a significant other, talk about how your relationship will work if you aren't going to live close together. Be honest: Do you want to be free to enjoy your time? Do you want to go home as much as possible to see him or her? Or not? How does your SO feel? Better to talk about it than assume you know what you both want.

• If you have a younger sibling who will, believe it or not, miss you while you are gone, see if there's a prized possession of yours or maybe your pet, that you can entrust to said brother or sister. This can be quite an honor for him or her.
• Do you know how to cook simple foods? The college caf won't be open 24/7. Where can you get a loaf of bread, peanut butter, and milk? Fruit? Cereal?

• When you get in touch with your roommate, talk about the practical part of living together. Who empties the trash? Will you share any supplies? Does one of you like to stay up late and the other is early to bed? Some excellent questions to ask each other: https://campusriot.com/10-questions-you-must-ask-your-new-college-roommate/
• If there is no air conditioning in your dorm, you'll be glad to have brought a fan, even a small one, and even if you only use it for a few weeks.
• Clarify how often you'll be in touch with your parents, if necessary. They'll miss you and want to hear what you're up to, and you'll be very busy a lot of the time.

• Less is more: four or five of every type of clothing will probably be fine, plus (ahem) underwear, a light jacket or hoodies, a couple of pair of shoes, and a winter coat. Dorms are TINY. You don't need 17 pair of shoes. Really, you don't.
• Remember, you're not cutting ties with life as you know it. There are discount stores, grocery stores, even malls, just about anywhere you go. You can ask your parents/guardians to send you things you need, too---it's kind of fun to receive a package in the mail.
• Be safe: remember to have a buddy when you go out, especially at night. Text each other when you get back to your dorms. Take note of emergency phones on campus, too.