How to Do It Now Because It's Not Going Away

September 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-This guide for high school and college students offers practical tips to eliminate procrastination through time management and organization. Josel, who has 15 years of experience as an academic/life coach, advises students to use charts to block out time for assignments, after-school activities, and chores. A chapter on avoiding distractions suggests that students turn off autoplay to avoid binge-watching, close all browser windows that aren't related to homework, and use apps to block social media notifications while studying. The section on motivation recommends facing fears about failure and getting comfortable making mistakes. Other helpful tips include using color-coded materials for each subject, creating a "launching pad" near the front door to gather materials needed for the following day, forming study groups to increase accountability, and breaking down big projects into smaller pieces with scheduled time to work on each section. Although useful, the subject matter is fairly dry, so the target audience probably won't read this cover to cover. If they browse through chapters and download time-saving apps including Evernote, which shares school notes across all of their devices, it will still improve their productivity. The text doesn't address learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but young adults are advised to talk to parents and counselors if they suspect they need help. The text's conversational style is direct, jovial, and nonjudgmental. Charts, graphs, and quotes break up the text. VERDICT A solid purchase for high school and college collections.-Amy Duffy, Chicago P.L.

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