Procrastination Blockers

Last week, my colleagues from the Office of Academic Advising and the Learning Assistance Center sent this information to the Parent Programs office.  I think it is a truth universally acknowledged that between students’ cell phones, laptops, and iPads, they literally have the entire planet at their fingertips at any moment.  And whether it is texting or instant messaging, surfing the web or playing the hottest new app, there are ample distractions.

The LAC offers this advice to help the situation:

“Sometimes we need a little extra accountability in order to break old procrastination patterns. If you find yourself being easily distracted by commonly visited websites (i.e. email, social networking sites, online videos), try downloading one of the following programs. Each one allows you to temporarily block specified sites in order to help you stay focused and get your work done.

Self-Control (for Mac only)

LeechBlock (for Firefox only)

Chrome Nanny (for Google Chrome only)

If you think your student could benefit from any of these tools, please share this with them!  And as we have said before, Fridays are a great time to call and give your student that subtle reminder of home and parental concern – so maybe it’s worth a phone call!