How to Avoid Grading Procrastination

Grading is the "one thing in my life I procrastinate on," says Timothy Pychyl. He's probably telling the truth. After all, the psychology professor specializes in procrastination research.

Why is grading so hard? "It's high stakes for the students," Pychyl says, so some teachers worry about possible complaints from students"or their parents. Others are more turned off by the pile right in front of them: "It takes tremendous work to give good feedback."

But one way or another, the grading must get done.

Pychyl says that's key to remember. You won't feel more like it tomorrow, so: Just. Get. Started.

Research shows, he says, that if you do, you'll notice something surprising: "Progress makes us feel better and feeling better gives us motivation."

Once you get started, you'll also remember that it's not so hard. "We create a lot of this in our own heads," Pychyl says. When he surveys people avoiding a task, they see it as really stressful. When they finally get going, they say the opposite.

So what's the trick to overcoming procrastination? When you're staring at the towering pile of ungraded work, and the Internet beckons with its endless distractions, how do you get yourself to just do it?

Pychyl tells himself to work for just 10 minutes, saying, "I can do anything for 10 minutes." Usually after the first few minutes, he keeps going. But even if he stops after 10 minutes, at least he's done something"and the next day the pile will be that much smaller.

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COMMENTS
So how do you do it? When grading is the last thing you want to do, how do you convince yourself to do it anyway?
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