I can literally taste Thanksgiving Break, therefore my motivation for work is at an all time low. Which is ironic, considering this break means that the semester is nearly over. And that means that exams are upon us. And that, I should find very scary.
But in the most common of procrastination attempts, I have spent this weekend cleaning my room, washing my clothing (including my bedding) and reorganizing my desk. And although my room is spotless, I have not done ANY work. Similarly discomforting is that my usual tricks for motivation have not proved to be effective. But I suppose maybe a combination of some sorts will help.
If anyone else is plagued with a similar struggle, I have written down what (usually) works for me:
- Isolate yourself from distractions. For me this usually means going to coffee shops Starbucks or Hot House in downtown Bryn Mawr, or the new library. This also means going alone. Whenever my friends and I try to study together, we always just end up talking.
- Schedule yourself. Whenever I was younger my grades were ironically best during volleyball season. This was because I had zero time for procrastination. The same is true in college. Today I have Challah for Hunger in the afternoon and SGA tonight. I think my few hours in between will be more productive than on Friday and Saturday when I had nothing to do.
- Watch something motivational. Whenever I cannot start working I watch the eight minute long missrepresentation trailer online. Other great videos to watch are MAKERSWomen.
- Make an inspiration board (or wall). The walls around my desk were looking a little bare so I dismantled the latest Time magazine and made an inspiration wall with pictures of President Obama, Secretary Clinton, Vice-President Biden, and then some pictures of my fathers artwork, a Cindy Sherman post card and some pictures of my friends.
- Freewrite. I am learning about freewriting in my Junior Seminar class and have been trying to apply the concept to other classes. It’s actually proven to be very helpful.
I am now off to braid some challah. And I hope that when I come back my studying will rival that of Rory Gilmore.
Personally, I believe procrastination cleaning is highly productive. (It beats lying around, paralyzed, atop a pile of dirty laundry and empty beverage cans). I think as you clear actual clutter in your life, you are probably also clearing clutter in your brain and subconsciously thinking about the topics you are studying and the papers you will be writing. You may even be pre-writing them in your head before you sit down to actually write them. A painter friend of mine says that doing this type of cleaning “clarifies her space” so that when she’s ready to go, she’s ready to GO! Speaking of which, I’d better go because I’m procrastinating. I’m going to start with cleaning my desk.
p.s. I find a great procrastination buster is to set a timer for 15 minutes and work on a paper as fast as you can in that time. It’s always more than you’ll write if you don’t set a timer, and even if you can’t use all of what you’ve written, you’ll be able to use some of it. I guess it’s a form of free writing, which I love too. Good luck with the end of the semester, Hannah!