I am currently in deadline season. And in deadline season, everything you do in small doses feels like it's falling down on you in a pile and mess. You have no time, you have no life, and the world of going out to the SU and getting hand cramp from the VK claw is a mile away. What I'd give to sit and watch Don't Tell the Bride instead of reading John Locke.
Having been through deadline season twice last year (let alone exam season) I can't help but feel I'm qualified to give anyone a touch of advice with getting through it. And, if you've been through it too and think you know all the tricks of the trade, well, this probably makes for some good procrastination reading.
1) Get yourself a diary or a planner or a calendar- anything you can use to differentiate what you need to do and when you need to do them by.
You can go small or large with this. Some of my friends have a piece of paper on their wall resembling a kind of calendar, others have gone all out and bought a filofax with diary pages, note pages and everything inbetween. I'm definitely the latter kind of girl. If you need an excuse to internet shop, have a look at some of the beautiful filofaxes on John Lewis. I'm a self confessed stationery addict, and filofaxes are my idea of heaven.
2) Figure out how/when you are the most productive
Everybody works in different ways. I can sit for 6 hours in the library and have the most productive day of my life. But put me in my bedroom with my laptop and notes, and I procrastinate like it's nobodies business. Some people couldn't possibly do work in the library, but crack out essay after essay in their bedroom. Once you've established where abouts you work best, then you can figure out the time frame you need for a piece of work. If you work best under pressure, you may only need a couple of days, but if you plan and write several drafts, make sure you've given yourself enough time in your calendar to get through everything you've set for yourself.
3) Tea and coffee are your friends, water is your best friend
Don't drink coffee after coffee without dehydrating in between. The initial burst of energy will soon wear off and you'll be left with a pounding headache which won't help any form of productiveness at all.
4) Plan, plan, plan
I went the majority of my school life without writing a single plan. And then I hit university, and you soon realise a plan is usually the difference between a 2:1 and a 2:2. Even if it's a quick mind map to jot down your ideas, writing from something means you'll stick to the question and get it done. I also find it helpful to plan my essays by structure as well as content. Breaking it down into sections by wordcount means I'm able to know when to close one paragraph and start another.
5) Know when to call it a day
You went to a seminar, then to the library, then to a lecture, and then back to the library. Sometimes enough is enough. When you get to the point where you're sat staring at the page, pulling words from the deepest, darkest corners of the world. It's time to get out of the library. Go to bed, put your feet up and watch some Suits/Gossip Girl/anything to stop you from thinking. It's easy to get caught up in the whole 'work
Good luck to anyone embarking on the world of education, if you're 13 or 23, it's a tough life. Just remember, christmas is around the corner and we'll all be bathing in pudding and essays and deadlines will be a thing of the past when we're surrounded by family and carols.
That is what's dragging me through this time. Think happy thoughts.
Ciao for Now!
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