The fact that time is structural as much as it is subjective is mind-boggling to me. This time next month, less than four weeks from now, I will be on winter break. For three full weeks, I will have no lab reports to grade, no presentations to prepare, and no academic obligations. I’ll finally have time to deep clean my room, catch up on my favourite TV shows, and maybe even read a book or two. With so much free time approaching, I feel the need to start planning everything I hope to get done.
I’m familiar with this feeling. It has come and gone several times throughout my academic career. I’m looking forward without realizing that I’m now attempting to abandon ship. A month is not that much time when you really think about it, yet I still have so much to do! A winter break with no marking sounds great until I remember that it doesn’t change the fact that I still have a bunch of marking to get done now. Over the next few weeks, I’ll catch myself counting the days more and more, until I have the motivation to do nothing but wait. The unfortunate thing is that I don’t have the time to wait around; I have a list of things to do, and they need to be finished by the end of the semester. Though I have plenty of time to wait, I’m running out of time to finish my tasks—I need to push myself to the finish line. Thankfully, I’ve been in this predicament before, and I’ve learnt some helpful tools and tricks to guide myself through the no-man’s-land stage of this semester.
Lay Out All The Cards
When this point in the semester arrives, I try not to mess around. I write a list of every deadline I need to meet before the semester ends, sorting them by date and importance. From there, I tackle them one by one: assignments, reports, papers, and even emails. If I need it done by a certain day, it goes on the list! This helps me to visualise exactly how much I have ahead of me, and how much I’ve already completed.
Create a Schedule and Stick With it
It can be hard, but consistent days are what help me power through. It gives me a sense of relief to know that if I go into my office at 8:00 am, I can be out before 3:00 pm most days. The more work I complete during office time, the less I need to do at home. I am not obtuse. I understand that things come up, and the schedule may need to be adjusted—and that’s okay! The purpose is for me to stick to the schedule as closely as possible. Being productive and staying on track is usually what helps me with hiccups down the line.Â
Strike While the Iron’s Hot
I know this runs counter to my last two points, but a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do! If I’ve been working on a project all day and suddenly wish to perfect it, I need to follow that momentum. I would much rather stay late writing a paper now than force myself to down the line. Having motivation is not a bad thing, and if I have the time to get it done, I will allow myself to do just that.
Switch Up the Location
I just know that there will be at least one day in the next month when I will have a deadline quickly approaching, and no motivation to get work done. Having an office has boosted my productivity, but I know that day will come eventually. When it does, my first line of defense is to change up my location. An afternoon in the library, or a couple of hours in a cafe with a sweet treat, usually cures the case of the missing motivation.Â
