Procrastination Avoidance Week (PAW)

Mar 08, 2021 - Mar 12, 2021

March 8-12th is National Procrastination Week and staff from writing centres, libraries, and learning commons from across Canada are coming together to offer a week of Procrastination Avoidance workshops and support from Monday-Friday, 1pm-5pm (EST) each day.

Procrastination Avoidance Week brings together some of the most popular workshops from academic institutions across Canada. In addition to workshops, we are offering a shared virtual study hall and a social/decompression room. You might be surprised to find what a difference it makes to work alongside others, even if they are just a face in a square on a Zoom screen!

All events will take place on a central Zoom account, hosted by the University of the Fraser Valley.

Register now!

Schedule

Motivation Monday, March 8

1:00pm – 2:00pm • Get SMART: Goal setting strategies to maintain Motivation

University of British Columbia, Okanagan – Stephanie Jury
Join UBCO’s Learning Strategist, Stephanie, in this introductory workshop, focusing on motivation and setting SMART goals for the week -and beyond!

1:00pm – 2:00pm • Academic Integrity Matters: Earn your degree with Honesty!

University of the Fraser Valley – Amara Wong and peer tutor Sukhanjote
Learn what it means to be academically honest in your work in order to avoid serious penalties. Participate in interactive activities and become familiar with UFV resources available (which may have equivalents at your institution). Stay motivated to uphold academic integrity in all your university work.

2:00pm – 3:00pm • Staying motivated studying remotely

York University – Alissia Nguyen & Cindy Nguyen, Learning Skills Peers
Remote learning is challenging. You are still expected to master complex, high-level course content but without the helpful structure and routines of attending lectures on campus and connecting with classmates in person. If you’re wondering how to stay motivated while studying from home, this workshop is for you!

2:00pm – 3:00pm • Writing without Procrastinating

Simon Fraser University – Kate Elliott
This 50-minute session takes a time management approach to the writing process. It is intended to help you break your writing up into steps and get started. It will also introduce useful writing tools such as the assignment calculator and the Pomodoro technique.

3:00pm – 4:00pm • Strength and Honour: From Anxious Student to Academic Warrior

Ryerson University – Annie Wilkin and Kris Bertram
Are you feeling stressed and unsure of how to approach assignments? Are you wondering how you might manage that stress without compromising academic integrity? You’re probably not alone! We are here to help. You, too, can tap into your inner strength and defend your academic honour!

4:00pm – 5:00pm • A Peer Mentor’s Guide to Motivation

Wilfrid Laurier University – Jenna Olender and Destiny Pitters
Join Destiny and Jenna to talk about strategies to support your motivation through the end of the term. In this session, we’ll focus on the themes of re-cultivating passion, setting small goals, identifying barriers, and self-care tips, and we’ll encourage active reflection on strategies that can work for you!

To-Do Tuesday, March 9

1:00pm – 2:00pm • Concentration and Focus

McGill University – Isabella Scurfield
Concentration and focus are two crucial elements in your academic success. This webinar will talk about the different variables that hinder concentration, including the relationship between stress and productivity, your study space, and how you are breaking down your work. Together we will look at strategies to help you maintain your focus and increase your concentration so you can get your work done.

2:00pm – 3:00pm • Time Management

York University – Raven Lovering & Leo Macawile, Learning Skills Peers
Where does the time go? Are you having trouble balancing school, work, and life? How much study time is enough? Learn practical, personalized approaches to managing your time that work for you.

2:00pm – 3:00pm • Maximize your Study Time

University of the Fraser Valley – Gayle Ramsden and peer tutor Regan
Do you ever feel like you’re constantly studying but not making much progress? Or maybe you put off studying because you’re not sure where to start? In this workshop, you’ll learn effective study habits and techniques that will help you make the most of your study time, so you’ll have more time to do all the other stuff you love to do!

3:00pm – 4:00pm • Avoiding Procrastination: From To-Do to Done

Algonquin College – Bethany Wiseman
Although many students claim to work better under pressure, not having enough time to complete assignments or study for exams can mean that you are not reaching your potential as a student. This workshop focuses on using simple techniques to minimize distractions, get started, and break the habit of putting off work.

4:00pm – 5:00pm • Organizing your Time for Assignments, Midterms and Exams

University of Waterloo – Shannon Leis and Gabriela Britto Lopez
Do you have difficulty planning ahead for your assignments and exams or leaving studying and big projects to the last minute? Do you get overwhelmed when you have multiple deadlines in close proximity to one another? In this workshop, we will help you organize your time so that you can create your own plan and stay on top of everything! To get the most out of this workshop, remember to bring the syllabus for each of your courses, your class schedule, and your agenda or digital calendar with you.

Wellness Wednesday, March 10

1:00pm – 1:10pm • 10-Minute Goal Setting Check-in for the Day

University of British Columbia, Okanagan – Amanda Brobbel
Please join Amanda for a brief goal-setting activity to open today’s sessions!

1:00pm – 2:00pm • Managing Time and Maintaining Balance

University of Waterloo – Shannon Leis and Vanessa Poletto Borges
Learn about how to maintain balance in University and about different resources to help you manage your time. We will help you learn how to break down assignments, exams, and large projects into smaller, more manageable parts, and how to get started now to help reduce feelings of being overwhelmed as deadlines approach. Please bring along any syllabi and day planners/ calendars you use to map out your time to start creating a schedule that feels balanced for you!

1:30pm – 2:20pm • Control Academic Stress: Procrastination and Perfectionism

University of Guelph – Joannah O’Hatnick
Procrastination and perfectionism are common challenges for many students. In this live online workshop, we’ll discuss the links between procrastination and perfectionism, identify strategies to decrease procrastination, and learn techniques for managing perfectionism.

3:00pm – 4:00pm • Becoming a Resilient Learner

Douglas College – Nancy Squair
In this real-time online workshop, we will work on some ways that students can learn to deal productively with grades and feedback. We will work on strategies to become more resilient learners.

4:00pm – 5:00pm • Take care of yourself, Improve your Learning

Vancouver Community College – Emily Simpson
In this real-time online workshop, students will identify how sleep, nutrition, exercise, and mindset can all impact their ability to focus and learn. Come up with a personalized self-care plan to take care of your whole self (mind, body, heart, spirit) as a learner.

Thesis Thursday, March 11

1:00pm – 2:00pm • Reports, essays, and term papers: Why “Copy/Paste” will hurt you

Douglas College – Sugeeta Gurjar
Facilitated by an English Language tutor. Focuses on standards of academic integrity when using sources.

2:00pm – 3:00pm • The principles of time management and establishing productive routines

Western University – Najmeh Keyhani
The session focuses on what time management is and what people’s styles are, how to set proper goals, what productive routines look like, and avoiding procrastination.

3:00pm – 4:00pm • So you’ve procrastinated. Now what?

Thompson Rivers University – Jenna Goddard and Julia Wells
Learn to make the most of your time with tips and tools for researching and writing. Break your assignment into steps to find reliable sources, integrate material, cite appropriately, and write the best possible research paper within a limited timeframe!

3:00pm – 4:00pm • Get Started! Prewriting techniques to help tackle that paper

University of the Fraser Valley – Tara Corman and peer tutor Keerat
Getting from a blank page to a complete assignment can seem like a daunting journey. Writing is a process and taking the time to engage in some pre-writing activities will help you organize your ideas and put “pen to paper,” ultimately resulting in a more polished and thoughtful end product.

4:00pm – 5:00pm • Contract cheating awareness escape room

Bow Valley College – Fiona Dyer
Avoid contract cheating and break out of the virtual escape room. Developed and presented by a librarian, this workshop will provide hands-on challenges for a fun opportunity to gain an understanding of contract cheating.

4:00pm – 5:00pm • Researching your thesis

McGill University – Amanda Wheatley
Having trouble refining your thesis? Not sure where to gather research? This one-hour workshop will give you the tools you need to get started on your research, find articles and books, and evaluate your sources.

Finish Up Friday, March 12

1:00pm – 2:00pm • Preparing for Online Exams

University of the Fraser Valley – Tara Corman and peer tutor Hieu
Online learning is different from classroom-based learning. It changes the way professors teach and assess course content, and requires students to adapt the way they learn and study. This workshop will help you prepare effectively for online exams

2:00pm – 2:30pm • Catching up in school

Capilano University – Heather Mitchell
Most students find that they fall behind in one or more courses. It is never too late to get back on track. Find out how.

2:00pm – 3:00pm • Editing and proofreading strategies: Letter grade up your essay

Douglas College – Antonio Su
Facilitated by an English Language tutor.

3:00pm – 4:00pm • Time Management when learning online

University of British Columbia, Vancouver – Madeleine Penner and Lina Kim
This Learning Skills workshop outlines techniques for time management, balancing commitments, and goal setting as a remote learner to set you up for success when taking synchronous and asynchronous classes online.

4:00pm – 5:00pm • Collaborative doodling and reflection on your learning goals

Douglas College – Holly Salmon and Simon Fraser University – Ruth Silverman
Let’s reflect on this semester and talk about what’s worked, what hasn’t while working on a drawing project together. We’ll finish this session by creating a plan to get you through the end of the term.