Entry #10: Program Evaluation

"So did it work?"

Well the program came a close and I still do my share of procrastinating. However, I do believe that my ability to manage my has improved. Even though I still wait until the last minute to finish a lot of my assignments, I no longer feel as stressed and pressured while I'm working on them because most of the time the assignment has already been started and just needs to be wrapped up. Also, actively keeping track of my procrastination helped be more aware to assignment deadlines. I think this was more determining than the design of my program.
Like what many of my classmates mentioned, I think that my rewards were not appealing enough. This hindered the effectiveness of my program. Though my behavior change was not a complete turnaround, I consider it a success because of my improvement. I believe that if I continue to keep track of my procrastination, it would be possible for me to experience a permanent change. However, unless I continue with the program (but with better rewards of course) that won't be anytime soon. This assignment gave me hope that old habits can be changed, they just need a lot of work haha

Entry #9 - B-Mod Progress

Saturday (11/15) -2 blog post (-2)
Sunday (11/16) +1 chemistry lab report, +1 study chemistry (+2)
Monday (11/17) +1 study chemistry, +1 study biology, -1 chemistry lab report (+1)
Tuesday (11/18) -2 chemistry lab report (-2)
Wednesday(11/19) +1 study biology, +1 study chemistry, -1 chemistry homework (+1)
Thursday(11/20) -2 chemistry hw, +1 study chemistry, +1 biology lab report (+1)
Friday(11/21) +0 no assignments worked on
Totaled: -2 +2 +1 -2 +1 +1: +1!

Slowly I am improving! The immediate are helping me because it its assisting in acknowledging my own work. Though I still lose momentum when it comes to assignments (since I do wait until the last minute to complete them), it has become increasingly less stressful since I tend to get a head start on them now (rather than starting and completing them on the same day, hours before it's to be turned in). In any case, the modification isn't working to the degree that I had hoped, but at least I am moving along.

Entry #8 - B-Mod Progress

Here we go again, another B-Mod Progress Report!
I got my share of soda candy this week, and my taste buds are quite happy after being denied for so long! haha.. Unlike my last few horrible crash and burn(s), I did better this week like I planned to in my last post. I was a bit too optimistic when I said I wanted a +3 (Even though I know I can do it eventually).. But I did get close enough for me to know that I can really change my behavior if I set my mind to it! Here are this week's totals...

Saturday (11/08) -2 blog post, +1 studied for chemistry (-1)
Sunday (11/09) +1 studied chemistry (+1)
Monday (11/10) +1 studied biology (+1)
Tuesday (11/11) +1 studied chemistry, +1 started chemistry HW, +1 studied psychology (+3)
Wednesday(11/12) +1 studied biology, -1 worked on chemistry HW, -1 reviewed for psychology test (-1)
Thursday(11/13) -2 finished chemistry HW (-2)
Friday (11/14) +1 worked on essay (+1)
Totaled: -1 +1 +1 +3 -1 -2 +1 = +2!

I didn't do as well as I hoped, but I did do better! I'll be on my way to improvement if I keep this up! Anyway, I don't really check my blog for comments until the next time I make a post, so I don't respond right away. So! I'd like to respond to some comments I've been getting, yes I'll be pointing you out!
Anthony's comment- "I thought you were convinced that you would get a +3 this week but instead got a -2. Maybe you need to make your punishments more harsh. You dont seem to be working to get reinforcements probably because the punishments aren't that bad so you wouldn't mind doing them."
I should have said "I plan on getting a +3 next week" not that I was convinced that week I did well. :x Also, I thought about making the punishments harsher, but I couldn't really think of anything. They seem harsh when I'm doing them though. For instance, last week on my weekend day without gaming... most BORING DAY EVER! haha, but it was good for me, since I really don't want to be doing that again >.<
Elizabeth's comment- "I was also going to suggest that you make your rewards something that you actually need. Desert and shopping are good rewards but if you desperately don't need these things, then you wont work to achieve. You need to find something that you really need in order to successfully reward yourself."
Thank you very much!! This was the exact mentality I had in mind when I planned my rewards... but to be honest I have no idea what I "need". Do you have some examples of things you feel you "need"?
Chris's comment- "a day without gaming? you play games everyday? you are too cool! if it's not working make the punishment not playing games more than one day. My negative punishment is working for me because it's so bad that i'll do it just because i know i'll suffer if i don't do it. So if you make it like three days without playing games, you'll probably be more motivated. but don't make it too harsh, you won't punish yourself. :] How about if you get a negative score, we won't play before class the following week. lolol :]"
Sorry Chris! I'm not that cool! The only time I get to play games is in between classes at school (like our DS battles!), and on the weekends. I'm always busy with work and school during the week and I restrict my weekday gaming. Three days without gaming would be all my weekend gaming time... and that sounds... sadface D:
Melinda's comment- "It sounds like you need a busier schedule so that you don't have time for things like gaming. Try joining a club at school or signing up for a PE class that will not only keep you in shape but will boost your GPA."
I think it was the "No assignments worked" that may have lead you to this idea. Um.. I'm not really sure how to respond, since I thought I was busy enough working as a full time student and maintaining my GPA. But I guess you're right, I do plan to take PE classes in the Winter and Spring semesters.

and to Varun and Bernard... I hope you guys are right! I seems like it so far since the program modification worked this week!

Entry #7 - B-mod Progress

A note about last week, due to the rain I did not carry out my "Wash Car" punishment. Instead, I combined -1 "Clean Room" and -3 "Wash and Walk Dog". This week, I've been a little bit more motivated about completing my assignments. I'm a little disappointed that I haven't been able to reward my behavior since the first week that I kept track of it... :( However, I'm CONVINCED that I'll do better this week! I'm aiming for at least a +3! I've had my eye on this new shirt, but haven't worked hard enough on my B-mod to buy it.

Also, to answer a question Patrick asked last week,
"No assignments worked on" means that I didn't work on any school related assignments, or anything that would count toward points in my B-mod. This probably means that I spent my time doing counterproductive things like napping, gaming, spacing out.. you get the picture :x

A couple of classmates have suggested that I change my program for more appealing rewards. I've finally come up with ideas on how I can change my program a bit. What I have decided to do is every time I perform a +1 or +2 behavior, I will reward myself right away with the soda candy! Due to my behavior lately, my bag of candy has been sitting there and I've had to restrain myself from cheating and eating any.

The weekly reward system will also change, here is the revised version!
Rewards (all forms of positive reinforcement):
+1 - Treat self out to dessert
+2 - An extra cup of coffee/tea can be purchased the following week (I usually have 1 a week)
+3 - Same, go shopping!
>+4 - Same, any reasonable reward can be inserted here!

And here are the tallies for this week
Saturday (11/1) -2 blog post, +1 field experiment (-1)
Sunday (11/2) +1 field experiment (+1)
Monday (11/3) -1 field experiment report (-1)
Tuesday (11/4) election day holiday! (+0)
Wednesday (11/5) +1 chemistry lab report (+1)
Thursday (11/6) -2 chemistry lab report (-2)
Friday(11/7) no assignments worked on (+0)
Saturday (11/8) no assignments worked on (+0)
Totaled: -1 +1 -1 +1 -2 = -2, spend one day without gaming...

I must say, the other punishments were a drag.. but I'll soon be having withdrawal and boredom attacks without having some way of entertaining myself. This might be good for me though, I'll probably have to force myself to study since I can't game today.

Entry #6 - B-mod Progress

This week did not go well. My punishments did not act like a deterrent in this case, so it's obvious that I need to make adjustments to my program.

Thursday (10/23) blog post (+2)
Friday (10/24) no assignments worked on (+0)
Saturday (10/25) no assignments worked on (+0)
Sunday (10/26) no assignments worked on (+0)
Monday (10/27) study bio(-2)
Tuesday (10/28) study psych (-2)
Wednesday (10/29) biology formal lab (-2)
Thursday (10/30) no assignments worked on (+0)
Friday(10/31) no assignments worked on (+0)
Saturday (11/1) no assignments worked on (+0)
Totaled: +2 -2 -2 -2 = -4, Punishment of washing my car

However, I did find some reasons as to why I may be procrastinating on this website:

http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/procrastination.html

It presents many reasons we choose to procrastinate, and offers some guidelines for overcoming the behavior. Though these methods may not completely embody the ideas of operant conditioning that I have set up in my program, I using these techniques will show progress in my behavior change then that would be a form of positive reinforcement.

I'm determined to do better next week... because this week was a crash and burn. I felt tired, stressed, and incredibly fatigued from this weeks pressure and it could have all been avoided (looking at all those days where I did nothing).

Oh well, it could have been worse :)

Entry #5 - B-mod progress

I've kept track of my progress again and here are this week's tally...

Friday (10/17): -1 Blog entry done day before due date (-1)
Saturday (10/18): +1 Studied for Biology test (+1)
Sunday (10/19): +1 Studied for Chemistry test, +2 Finished Chemistry HW (+3)
Monday (10/20): -1 Finished covering material for Chemistry test (-1)
Tuesday (10/21): -2 Studied for Psychology quiz (-2)
Wednesday (10/22): -2 Finished Biology pre-lab assignment, -1 Started Chemistry lab report, +1 Studied for Biology test, +1 Reviewed new Chemistry topics, +2 Completed Microarray assignment (+1)
Thursday (10/23): -2 Chemistry lab report, +1 Studied for biology (-1)
Totaled: -1+1+3-1-2+1-1: +0, Neutral!

Since my last blog entry, I had given myself positive reinforcement by buying my favorite soda candy. Also, I had set my punishments in stone. This week, I had demonstrated avoidance learning because I didn't want to punish myself with chores. Even though I won't get rewarded this week, at least I won't be punished. The existence of a punishment is able to deter my behavior so that I procrastinate my work less, if not fully prevent it.

Despite the fact that I still continued to show weak time management, I feel that I am slowly changing. I try to find time, even if it's just a mere 15 mins, to review a subject.This allows me to retain most of the information in a subject, so that if I waited till the last minute to finish all my reviewing, at least I won't need to worry too much because information can be easily refreshed by the savings method. I see this as an improvement because I feel less stress as I'm studying, even if it is last minute. I feel that the program might not be working because the rewards are not as appealing as the punishments are deterrent.

I'm slowly trudging forward, but old habits die hard. Does anyone else have any other studying/anti-procrastination tips that you use? If so please share!

Entry #4 - Program Design

The picture will make sense later haha. Anyway! other than the immediate rewards of studying and working on assignments ahead of time mentioned by many of you guys (Bernard, Danny, and Elizabeth) , like getting more sleep, feeling less stress, and benefiting from spaced practice, I made a plan than will reinforce me on the weekends (when I have time to slow down and think about things). I have based on the principles of Operant Conditioning, I have devised a plan based on the "Token Economy Program" mentioned in Chapter 5, page 204, of our Nevid Psychology: Concepts and Applications textbook.

There are 4 different behaviors that I use to approach working on school assignments and studying, so I have implemented 4 different types of points.
+1 - I gain 1 point if I begin or work on an assignment prior to the day before it is due
+2 - I gain 2 points if the assignment is finished prior to the day before it is due
-1 - I lose 1 point if the assignment is finished the day before it is due
-2 - I lose 2 points if the assignment is finished the day it is due (which I tend to do more often than I realized)

I have made up examples of my points system to help you guys better understand what I'm talking about, feel free to ask questions if any part of my system seems confusing, flawed, etc.
Example: +1 point gain
Lab report due is on Wednesday, I started on Monday
Example: +2 point gain
Blog post due Saturday night, but I posted on Thursday
Example: -1 point deduction
Blog post due Saturday night, but I am posting it on Friday
Example: -2 point deduction
Psychology test is Thursday, I am finishing up my studying Thursday morning

My program is based on a Fixed Interval schedule of reinforcement so my points will be tallied up weekly using the time between blog posts. So this 1st post period was, Friday (10/10) to Thursday (10/16), and this blog post will count for next week's tally. Also, I will not be including comments in the points system because they are largely influenced by when other people make their blog posts.

So, for Post Period #1
Friday (10/10) - -1 Blog post on day before it is due (-1)
Saturday (10/11) - went out, no work done (+0)
Sunday (10/12) - +1 studied chemistry in the morning, took a break and did other stuff then +1 studied for chem again (+2)
Monday (10/13) - +1 studied for psychology, +1 studied for chemistry, +1 studied for psychology (+3)
Tuesday (10/14) - -1 studied for biology (quiz on the following day), +1 started chemistry lab report, +1 studied for psychology (+1)
Wednesday (10/15) - -2 finished studying for biology (quiz later that day), -1 finished chemistry lab report (due the following day) (-3)
Thursday (10/16) - -2 finished studying for psychology (tested that day), +1 reviewed for chemistry (-1)
>Notice how all the minuses are at the end haha, demonstrated what I've decided to call the "Pre-weekend Effect" haha
Totaled: -1 +0 +2 +3 +1 -3 -1 = +1

Any number of + points can be exchanged for a weekend reward, while - points will result in a weekend punishment. A +0 is neutral and will result in neither a reward nor a punishment. That being said, I barely made it for a level 1 reward!
Here is a list of things I have decided are fit to be rewards and punishments based on their levels:
Rewards (all forms of positive reinforcement):
+1 - I'm restricting my Candy jar for when I get a +1 (This could control my excessive consumption of sugary sweets for rewards only!)
+2 - Treat self out to ice cream, gelato, or some form of yummy dessert :9
+3 - Shop! Buy something reasonably priced as a reward!
>+4 - Choose something! Any reasonable reward can be inserted here!

Punishments (These can all be argued as negative punishments because they are all taking away the time I would usually use to do whatever I wanted on the weekend)
-1 - Clean my room (chores are a drag)
-2 - Spend one day without gaming (noooo!)
-3 - Wash and take the dog for an extra long walk (I don't like to move and my dog fights for her life when shes getting washed :( )
-4 - Wash Car (Full detail! wash, dry, wax, vacuum; I like a clean car.. but getting there takes a good morning of work)
>-5 - Lets hope it doesn't come to this because I have no idea what to do.. I'll probably combine all prior punishments into the entire weekend.

So I guess I'll go pick up some more candy for this week's +1! Thanks for all your comments and encouragement (Sissi and Belinda), I will use all your tips to help me even out and maximize my studying time!

edit: my schedule was wrong, corrected it from Variable interval to Fixed interval

Entry #3 - Baseline

I kept track of my "time management (procrastination)" behavior this week and here what I came up with!

Things due this past week:
Chemistry Lab Report - worked late night on Monday (9/29), finished and printed Tuesday morning (turned it in 2 hours later)
Biology Pre-lab - worked on Wednesday (10/1) morning, quizzed on later that day
Chemistry Lab Report - woke up at early morning to start it (10/2), turned it in at 8ish the same day (have a week to work on it ._.)
Psychology Blog post - did this in the morning on Friday (10/3), due Saturday (10/4) by 8 p.m. (yay! that was a kinda not procrastinated moment)
Psychology comments post - did this throughout the day on Friday and Saturday (no pressure! ^-^)
Chemistry Homework - didn't start on the 14 problems until Monday (10/6) night, due Tuesday (10/7) morning
Chemistry Quiz - Studied Tuesday (10/7) during lab, taken that Tuesday afternoon
Psychology quiz - Spent some of Wednesday (10/8) night reading Chapter 9, work up early to do "ACE the Test", read Chapter 10 during chemistry lab Thursday (10/9) morning, taken that Thursday afternoon


And I think that's the whole list of stuff over a two week period! As you can see, I waited until the last minute for about 6 of the 8 of the assignments that I had to complete, all of which I was aware of in advance and could have spaced out my time to comfortably finish.

I think that this is happening because my behavior (completing the assignment) does not get reinforced until the day that I turn it in. Also, completing the assignment early and completing it just in time is reinforced the same way. There would then be no incentive for me to evenly space out the time allotted per assignment if I get the same grade working furiously for 3 hours, versus working casually for 3 hours for 3 days. The only difference I can see, would be the amount of stress I face. Working casually would generate less stress, but as of now it is not bad enough to for me to want to avoid it.

You guys gave me some really good ideas for how to make the most of my studying time. Most of the things mentioned that I should stop doing, mentioned by Danni and Belinda, including food, music, internet... are all things I enjoy while "studying" (haha). I do know that, this distracts my ability to concentrate (even now I'm chatting with my friends, while playing my mmorpg and it's making it harder for me to finish this post haha). It doesn't SEEM like it'll kill me if I unplug everything and concentrate on something else for 1 hour a day! Thanks for the encouragement (Bernard and Varun)!

Entry #2 - Target Behavior

After some thinking, and bothering people for ideas, I've decided that I want to manage my time better! Like many of my classmates, I'm pretty awesome at procrastinating, cramming, and wasting time. Some examples you might recognize include:

Spending the night before tests and quizzes monstrously cramming.
Furiously working on assignments that I have 3 weeks to do, but on the night before its due.
Staring into space when I'm certain there's much work to be done.
Spending entire weekends gaming and grinding.

You know, stuff like that! (it does happen to other people... right?)
I know I can try to change just by well... actually planning it out and doing it, but I'm not sure how I can apply operant conditioning do this behavior change. Does anyone else have problems with time management? If you do... what tips can you offer?

Entry #1!

Hey guys!

My name is Jade J. I am a third year student here at Mt. SAC and I am currently a biology major. I actually was an art student when i first came to Mt. SAC but I realized, after taking a few art classes, that I'd be unable to live, breathe, and eat art for the rest of my life. So now I want to be an optometrist! (big change ._.+)

Even so, I still enjoy art as a hobby! Other things I like include: online gaming, shopping, reading, and umm... some other stuff that I can't really think of right now! Anyway, pictured here is my dog, Kiwi. Sometimes, she likes to sleep like a person and it always freaks me out~!

At this point, I'm not really sure what behavior I want to change. I don't have anything in mind either.. so I guess I have some thinking to do!