Deadlines, Deadlines, Deadlines

Well to start off.. Happy New Year! Can't believe it is 2014! 

So as the title suggests this post is about a little thing that creeps up on thousands of students ... The Dreaded Deadlines!
And so it begins the cold sweats, panic, not being able to sleep, sickness,palpitations amongst other nasty symptoms that would make you want to lock your door and hide away for a year to recover.  
But in the real we can't do that unfortunately. 

So how do you deal with these problems?
The simple answer is I have no idea! 

The most logical thing to do would be to power through and work out when you're at your best when it comes to doing the work. 
Try not to force yourself to work on an essay or an assignment as this can lead to you just staring at a computer screen and wondering why you haven't written a word in over 2 hours and instead have been watching talking cats on youtube( personal highlight of mine!) I do have some little suggestions more than tips but these are simply my own that I have worked out. 
Here goes: 
1) Try to find out when you work best.
Simply whenever you feel like you have that motivation or a thought pops into your head ... seriously that is the time to go and sit down and work! believe it or not I work better at night so I usually stay up half the night writting my essay and reading it through on my iPad via Google Drive and checking my word count as I go! 

2) Make sure you check when your deadlines are and how many words you have to write...
Again something really simple but I made this mistake today thinkig I had to write 2500 words when in actual fact I had to write 3000 words. 
This is common when you have more than 1 essay to write at once... and at a university level more often that not that is the case! Try to make sure
you know your official deadline (usually a date given to you by the lecturer) and your extra allowance deadline (usually students with special needs get a week extra to complete work..) this then allows you to plan how much work you can do each day. 
3) Set a target or goal that is manageable... 
It can be stressful to complete any type of work when you are still staring at the computer screen and all you have written is 10 words. If you struggle set yourself a 'word limit' so in this case I would say: 
"I have to write 3000 words in this essay... If I can manage a maximum of 500 words and a minimum of 100-250 words." 
This simple trick can help you to motivate yourself and also it doesn't matter if you go over your maximum limit ... it's a little goal you set yourself just to make you feel more confident. 

4) If you're stuck ... stop, Refresh and go back... 
This mainly might apply to everyone.. but whether you're and early bird or in my case a night owl ... taking a break is the best thing for writers block ... whether it
means getting a drink of water or playing a game for five minutes ... or getting some 'fresh air'. Having a break is the best way to get things out of your system and refocus your mind and you'll find things just pop into your head! 

5) Ask for help!! 
whether it be off a parent, friend or fellow student sometimes asking for help can be the best way for you to step back and look at your work as 2 eyes are usually better than one. 
I know that asking for help can be hard but find someone that you trust and who knows and understands the subject matter and question of the essay and have them read it through. Another great tip is to send drafts to your lecturers or tutors so that thry can point you in the right direction.

And thats all I have so far! 

Sophie xxxx

P.S sorry for not updating !! 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Discrimination towards Autism NEEDS TO STOP!

Image
You'd think in the 21st century attitudes towards Autism would finally be one that is positive rather than negative?  But a recent story published online and via various media outlets have proven that still some people's attitudes to Autism are lacking the compassion and understanding and even questioning the equal rights for those who are considered disabled.  Meet Andy Foster, a 45 year old with Autism started working three weeks ago as a waiter in Grenache restaurant in Walken Manchester.  Andy is a passionate and hard working man who when not working in Grenache cares for his elderly mother who suffers from alzheimer's, was discriminated against openly due to his Autism.  Luckily Andy has an amazing employer who was just as outraged and disgusted by the costumers comments and has stood up for his employee following the incident that took place one night.  The costumers complained to management about Andy in particular, and although his service
Read more

The Meltdown Confession

Image
All Aspergers Girls and Boys at some point will have a meltdown!  For those who are confused to what a 'Meltdown' means, it basically is a massive release of anxiety or frustration which can turn violent in many circumstances and for loved ones can be a traumatic experience to see their autistic child/partner lose themselves in a meltdown.  It isn't pretty and it can be frightening for anyone involved including yourself, I hate to say this but when it all gets to much we all fall into the Meltdown cycle.  Depending on how stressful life is at the moment, pressure with exams and other things such as work commitments, family life, grief and other normal daily stresses can pile up on you and make you flip that switch in your head.  It is important to see the signs as usually Meltdowns come from Anxiety or Frustration which manifests itself over time. It can be days, weeks or months worth of anxiety that you think you are managing that can suddenly just release i
Read more

When The Mask Slips Off

Image
It can be difficult in Social Situations to engage and interact with the people you work, socialise and live with.  Many of us use the technique of Masking, which in a sense is copying 'Normal" behaviour but in social situations if the trusty mask slips it can be the most awkward thing in the world and misread by your friends, work colleagues and even to some degree family.  We've all seen many TV programmes now integrating Autistic Characters into their dramas and comedies with the most popular  being Sheldon off The Big Bang Theory, but as per usual there hasn't been a development of Autistic girls in TV programmes due to the lack of awareness and also because when it comes to performing extreme autistic characteristics in forms of behaviour there is a lot more documentation on Males with Aspergers and Autism in general.  Which in a way is ironic, but aside from this Masking is something that I sometimes feel girls do more effectively as there is an ex
Read more