StuDYING

It's that time of year again. The semester is coming to an end, the assignments are piling up. You feel as though your brain might explode if you try and feed it any more information.Well, in my experience anyway.

We cruise through the year and then bam, pressure is on. Everything is due at once. My diary becomes a scribble of hurried notes and desperate reminders. I spend time reflecting on my bad organisation skills, when I know I should be doing something productive instead.

As every student knows, mastering the art of procrastination is easy. Much simpler in fact than writing the assignment in question. I for one, find that when I have an assignment due, my house is spotless. The washing is folded, the dishwasher's unloaded, because I'd rather do these mundane tasks than actually sit down and write an essay. I even tell myself it's important. "It's essential that I clean out my wardrobe, I've been meaning to for ages" and "while I'm at it, I should really alphabetize the DVDs".

Avoidance tactics, they're everywhere. "I really should spend some time with my cat, I've been neglecting him lately". All the excuses come out. And taking a nap is suddenly the most appealing thing in the world. (Notice how the word studying ends in dying, coincidence? I think not). Anyway, fact is we will do anything to prevent the inevitable study time.

Nothing seems urgent until it's the last minute and you haven't started planning/researching/writing. Then the panic sets in. You try and urge your brain to concentrate, but it does the opposite. It's sunny outside, the birds are singing, it's all too much. Closing the curtains works temporarily, but never for long.

I find myself wandering to the fridge every few minutes, hoping some delicious food will magically appear, but it never does. Motivation doesn't come easy. Distraction however, hangs around bugging you relentlessly until you give in.

Generally, as the hand-in date creeps closer, the desperation becomes a little worrisome. At this point I have to shut myself away somewhere silent, make sure my phone is nowhere in sight, and force myself to write.

It is a great feeling though, you know the one I mean. When you finally come to the end of an essay or whatever else it may be. Knowing it's all completed and you no longer have to think about it. You breathe a sigh of relief, massage your stiff neck and visualize your freedom. This is of course assuming you've remembered to include your APA-approved reference list. That unforgiving bastard of a task that always catches you out. Wouldn't want to lose points because you forgot to include a page number. Honestly, who makes these rules! Surely it's obvious that I just wrote some ramble then added a few quotes in afterwards... Oh dear, have I revealed too much?

It is brilliant though, when all your assignments are handed in. The only deadlines you have to worry about are those that appear on your social calendar. It's incredible how quickly one's body can slip into holiday mode.

I always find that when I'm not studying, I'm not doing much else either. Sure I go to work for a few hours here and there, but sadly the gym becomes like some faraway land. Much too difficult to access. Instead I favor spots like, my bed, the couch, and the various homes of my friends.

It's not exactly easy, to fill in four months of endless leisure time. I mean, there's only so many times you can watch Friends from start to finish. And with limited income, the world isn't exactly your "oyster".
You won't catch me complaining though. Being a student may have its ups and downs. Extreme tension versus complete serenity. But it sure beats the daily slog of that real world we're all desperately avoiding.