5 Ways to Avoid Procrastination

Image: A Writer's Journey

It is that time of year when university students have spent all their Christmas money, gained a few pounds having enjoyed home cooked food far too much and are starting to fear the looming January exams. Procrastination is at an all-time high, visibly demonstrated by the sheer numbers of people on Facebook chat and the abuse of the Facebook status. As a fellow sufferer, I have tried to discover a few simple steps in order to battle this terrible affliction. 

Tea Breaks. One of my most successful ways of avoiding the random need to get up and wander around is to decide when I am going to take my tea breaks (or booze breaks for those in desperate need) before I start working. Knowing that I have an end-point certainly helps me concentrate. 15 minutes to go…10 minutes to go… 5 minutes to go… break… 1 hour 30 to go… and so on. NB if you decide you need abnormally common tea breaks, you might need to factor in loo breaks as well…

Website Blockers. I have recently had my attention drawn to these God-given gifts that have the power to disarm you from Facebook/Twitter/YouTube for a certain period of time of your choice. LeechBlock for Firefox or WebsiteBlocker for Chrome are good examples of programmes that can block the websites that your procrastination habits abuse. If extra precautions are to be taken, ask a friend to set the password. NB unless you don’t mind a fairly severe frape, I suggest you carefully consider which friend to ask…

To Do Lists. This one may sound obvious, but rather than face a mountain of notes in one go, it may be easier to set yourself lots of little tasks. Particularly satisfying if you write a list of tasks at the beginning of the session and then get to tick them off as you go. Learn 2 equations: tick. Read 10 pages: tick. Repeat 2 equations: tick. NB abuse of this rule may lead to time wasting… 

Rewards. Working is hard, revising is really hard and exams are horrible. Encourage yourself to work harder by treating yourself if you are productive. Learnt 20 pages of notes? Watch a movie. Finished that essay? Have an ice cream. Didn’t go on Facebook for an entire day? Celebrate. NB Try to avoid rewards that involve alcohol, working is already hard enough.   

Do Not Start A Blog. But if your body needs its procrastination fix, I suppose you could read this one.

The 5 Websites I Check Every Day

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Now that it has become second nature when I enter my room to turn on my computer, almost as often as I turn on the light, I have come to realise that there are certain websites that are part of my daily routine. With easy access from my toolbar and extravagant Virgin internet, I have no choice but to waste a certain amount of time each day finding out what is going on in the world. I find myself allocating ‘procrastination slots’ each time I sit down to work, fully in the knowledge of the inevitable website wasting adventure upon which I am about to embark…

Facebook. So obvious that it barely needs mentioning. This is not just to be found on my toolbar, but as my homepage as well. Even when I don’t have my computer on me, I have a portable Facebook checker in my handbag in the form of my phone. It is embarrassing, time wasting and unnecessary but I’m fairly certain that this is one of the more relatable ones. Stop judging- you know you do it too!

 

Daily Mail TV&Showbiz Online. So I thought Facebook was embarrassing? It’s completely addictive to find out whether Lady Gaga has put on some weight or whether the cast of Made in Chelsea attended some premiere. However, after a good few minutes of horrendous judgements, I feel so guilty that I move onto website number 3…

 

BBC News. Once I have discovered what is going on in the celebrity world, it’s time to even out the balance and find out what is actually happening in the real world. However, if I can’t quite face anything too thought-provoking, there’s always the BBC entertainment section that can fill up my gossip quota.

Twitter. Now I would consider myself a twitter newbie, but people keep telling me stories of friends finding jobs through tweeting and being contacted by incredible people so I think I should stick with it. Also, it’s a great way to find out what is going on around you, especially in a university. I found out the Queen was in Bristol last week through the Twittersphere…

Student Beans. This is definitely another guilty pleasure, but one that never fails to make me laugh. If you haven’t spent time on this site, do not hesitate and head over right away. Think FML and Uni Confessions all mixed into one. After a tough day of lectures (or when feeling guilty about not having gone to any) hearing stories of other students doing unimaginably stupid things will cheer you up no end. 

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Why You Should Go To The Theatre

Image: JuiceBar Gambit

Being a student, I often find we are happy to sit around apathetically doing the minimum amount of work we can get away with and going to the same three clubs over and over again. The sheer number of people who seem to fit this category almost allows it to become an excuse. I have recently discovered that things are much more fun if you do the old fashioned technique of ‘mixing it up’. Here are some reasons why you should go to the theatre, even if X Factor is on. 

Your friend is in a show. Have you ever noticed a friend has changed their profile picture to some poster of some production? It’s probably because they’re in it. Why not support your mate and go along and see what it is that they seem to enjoy so much. Even if the play is pants, you’ll still enjoy seeing your friend make a complete fool of themself.

It’s cheaper than pub golf. It really is not an expensive activity to do as a student, most shows will be around £5 and some are often free. Take advantage of cheap theatre while you still can, taking a date to the West End to impress is going to dig a much bigger hole in your pocket than seeing your uni’s annual musical. 

You can still go out after. Most plays tend to finish around 10pm, perfect timing to make your way to the local pub, neck a bottle of wine and then go out afterwards. This also makes it the perfect first date, if it is awkward then you don’t have to talk at all and can hurry on home right away. But if it’s going really well, you can chat about it in the pub afterwards.

It’s fun. There are so many different types of productions you can go and see. From musicals to Shakespeare to Improv to concerts- whatever you feel like, you can pretty much guarantee your university will be doing something on it within the next year. While theatre is so accessible, don’t be a numpty and miss out. 

Time for Tea or to Bust out the Booze?

Image: Olhar-43

After a surprisingly popular post about different levels of drunkenness (to be found here), I had a thought about the differences between when you need a cup of tea or when all that will suffice is something much stronger. The difference between the desire for a warm cuppa to calm you down compared to the desperate times of the dangerously fleeting statement, ‘hand me the vodka’. Whether your tea comes in the form of classy chamomile or bog-standard breakfast, we often feel the need for a brew. Just occasionally, things fall so out of hand that a bottle of whatever has been sitting on the kitchen counter for far too long is the only thing that you are craving… 

Tea:    You know that test/essay/dissertation that you worked super hard on and completely freaked out about to all your friends? Pass the brew, you got a 2:2.

Booze: Yup, you failed- time for the voddy.

Tea:    You know that friend who has been worrying you lately with all the things that seem to be going wrong and you want to help but you just don’t know how? A calming cup of delicious tea will get your cogs turning to help you give the best advice.

Booze: You know that friend who has been driving you nuts with their drama and you just don’t care? Wine could help, but dependant on the amount of commotion- you might need something stronger.

Tea:    You know that person you quite fancy and they’ve starting going out with someone else? A nice infusion with a friend might take your mind off things.

Booze: You know that person you quite fancy who hooked up with your flatmate/someone ridiculously hot/your sibling? Bring out the booze, get your buzz on and show them who’s fabulous. N.B. This one is always a mistake. 

Or you could solve all these dilemmas the way the Irish do, mix the booze with the brew.