The second term of my Master’s Degree starts next week, and I have not prepared at all. I wouldn’t say I am a chronic procrastinator, but I do leave everything to the last minute.
The buildup of looming deadlines is something I need to work on, whether it be an article or university assignment. Even though I leave my work to the last minute, and it’s something I never seemed to want to change; I will complain about my bad timings.
Last term, I started my degree on top of working full-time and editing the Opinion corner of Empoword. It was a lot of work, mentally and physically. It would be university in the morning, work in the afternoons, and edit late at night.
I had no downtime and was constantly exhausted. I knew I was overwhelmed, but I didn’t know how to juggle my time to put myself first.
This year, I have embraced the ‘new year, new me’ cliche. I am sorting out my workload to ensure I don’t end up with burnout. This comes with sacrifices, which is only working weekends, but I now have days during the week with no commitments.
Will this mean I’ll start things early? Probably not. But I will have both time and breathing space to catch up on readings and other aspects of my degree.
I don’t think I will ever be one of those ultra-organised people you see on TikTok, with immaculate working spaces and colour-coordinated planners. Yes, I am envious, and I have tried to be that person, but it never sticks and I revert back to my organised, yet messy, ways.
One thing I have learned through trial and error is taking small pieces of those videos and implementing them into my day-to-day life. I could never keep a full bullet journal, trackers and all, but I enjoy the creative aspects that go into them. So I made my own diary – writing everything out and seeing my month evolve prevents me from feeling overwhelmed and I can focus on the week ahead.
I can’t work for long periods in my house as there are too many distractions. Making my way to my university’s library can feel like a trek, especially when living at home means a long journey.
I often have to reward myself with a muffin from Costa or lunch at my favourite restaurant, but it’s these little pleasures that make me get up and go and do work.
Only then do I feel I have been productive and done something with my day. These are just two examples, but by starting them this month I already feel so much better about the term ahead.
I think I will always leave assignments to the last minute. I know I am not the only person to do this. A lot of people I have talked to need that weighing pressure of a deadline. It’s a weird combination, but I find it’s a better way to work alongside my perfectionist tendencies. I have less time to nitpick over every little detail and convince myself that my work is terrible.
It’s not a perfect system. Hopefully one day I might change my habits and be that little more organised. But it’s a system that works for me.
Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash
Words by Sarah Storer