We have all been here before, that moment when a deadline, a submission, a review, a critique is upon us.
So, to understand what happens to makes us arrive at this moment 10mins before the event in pure panic, we must start at the beginning.
Now, what does the beginning look like. Well, let me paint a picture for you.
Lets start with what you were told; "Presentation in 4 weeks time for your design, I want to see x, y & z and to make it ensure your getting your top grades, you might want to include some A, B's & C's."
Now, lets look at what you actually heard! "You have 4 weeks to hand in your work."
Then, you get all excited at the idea of producing some wonderful masterpiece, you jot down some ideas, think to yourself, "I will just dwell on those." And 3 weeks and 5 days later the reality of the over indulged dwelling hits you!!!! I HAVE TO GET MY WORK DONE...... IN TWO DAYS TIME!
What do you do?? You rush, don't sleep, you consume more than your body weight in sugary snacks and caffeinated drinks to power you through the sessions.
But, before we get too harsh on ourselves, lets look at some factors that contributed to the over indulging. I don't want you all beating yourselves up over it.
Other studies, if you are having to hand other work in as well as concentrating on this particular thing then maybe you should cut yourself some slack.
Life commitments, maybe you have kids or someone you have to care for. You have to divide your time up, juggling life, education and being human like a mad clown running around a burning circus ring! Cut yourself some slack, maybe even a pat on the back too!
Health issues, we all experience them at some point, some more serious than others and none less of an issue than the other, once again, a pat on the back and well done for sticking at it!!
your just lazy, well, just kick yourself up the butt, look in the mirror and that's who is letting you down!
Although these are just a few brief points, they all have a common theme, time. Time is an amazing thing, I love it when people use the term "I ran out of time", or "there just isn't enough time." Wow, REALLY, I thought time was a constant and if you didn't have enough of it then what did you do with it all??
The problem and cure is time management, arranging the time you have in a clever and organised way. When you actually log the time you spend doing everything in a day, and I mean everything (even the toilet trips), you begin to see how badly you use the time your awake everyday.
Simple task, just for one day, log everything you do, eat, drink, watch for a day. You will be surprised at what you are actually spending your time doing.
The important thing to remember is that all of the stress is under your control, if at any point you feel like it isn't, take a step back and a deep breath, count to 10 and reassess.
If you are experiencing, prolonged bouts of stress, ensure you speak to someone that is fully qualified to help manage your mental wellbeing, remember we are our mind and we must look after it!
Hopefully, Buster can help with making you feel better, he worries about NOTHING!!!!
