When I began working with Molly, she was having a difficult time studying for exams. Specifically waiting for the night before to begin. Her intentions were good. She would write it in her planner and figure it into her daily plan. However, as a high school senior, Molly was a super busy student. She didn’t arrive home each day until early evening. So by the time she decompressed, ate dinner and completed the homework that was due the next day, it was late into the night. By then Molly was exhausted. And it was too difficult for her to get her brain to do the heavy lifting that was required for studying. So if her test wasn’t the next day, Molly gave herself permission to skip studying for that evening. “It can wait until tomorrow.” But tomorrow never happened and Molly usually found herself staring down hours of studying the night before an exam. So to help kick this habit, I suggested to Molly she make one simple switch.
Study BEFORE you do your nightly homework. At first, she resisted since it just didn’t feel “normal.” But once she tried it, it actually worked. Molly operated on a system of Have To’s and Not Have To’s. Homework that was due the next day fell into the HAD to pile. Studying for a test that wasn’t the next day didn’t. So by flipping it and studying first, Molly always completed her nightly homework as well. She found that when she saved studying for last, it depleted her brain power supply, leaving her with very little gas in her tank to get going. Switching it up resolved that issue for her.