The Art of Avoiding Procrastination

Dr. Melodee G. Mancuso, Chief Learning Specialist for ProMEDeus

Micromovements cause a habit of completion in the mind and the mind doesn’t know whether this has been a big step or a small step. It just knows that you are doing something towards creative action. And it will just keep on multiplying and duplicating that effort until you do more habits of completing than you do habits of not completing.

Procrastination is a sneaky fellow that finds his way into everyone’s life at the most inopportune moments. He makes us feel foolish, lazy, and bad about ourselves. We beat ourselves up about our lack of dedication or focus which most often doesn’t lead to change because we haven’t adequately dealt with the actual problem of overcoming the habit of delaying preparation.

From working with years of classes of medical students, it is rare that I come across one that lacks motivation or dedication. It is also typical of the normal medical student to possess the ability to focus intensely, or they would not ever have been considered a candidate for medical school to begin with. So why do so many struggle with getting behind in their studies or waiting until the last minute to prepare? Continue reading