Okay, so if you’re like me and have become a pro at procrastination, these ‘obligatory’ actions seem to always come before the horror that is studying. For whatever subject you have to learn, no matter how important, there always seems to be something that we have to get out of the way first.
1. Catch up with all of the programmes on the telly
Before even picking up that dreadful blue pen, it’s inevitable that we must watch every single episode physically possible, just so that it doesn’t cross our mind to distract us from studying. When we are going to start that whole study process, we don’t want to think, “Hey, remember that show on MTV that you only saw one episode of? You really should catch up on that RIGHT NOW!”. That’s why, obviously we should just get those out of the way, sit in front of our telly or laptop until our eyes are too sore to function properly, and then we’ll be able to study to our hearts content, right?
2. Download a couple hundred songs
Now that we’ve got our TV shows out the way, it’s time to move on to the next “must do” on our list, MUSIC! In other people’s minds, music is a bit silly to look at just before you study, but for us procrastinators , it’s one of the most important things to do before sitting at a desk for hours on end. See, when we’re studying, we’ve got to have some tunes to keep us from falling asleep, and what’s better than a brand new playlist? Whether it’s listening to Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda on repeat, or those ‘they work’ motivational videos on youtube, we’re going to need something to help us in this difficult time.
3. CLEAN!!
This terrifying task is often never tackled by a student unless a parent or boyfriend/girlfriend is coming over. However, when the thought of studying enters our mind, it’s one of our favourite past times. Obviously, the studious person you are about to become won’t be able to work in a room with a mountain of clothes as its main feature, so what do we do? Clean! We pick up a few bits and bobs from the floor, while dancing away to our newly made playlist, and then BAM!, we find something that, on any other day wouldn’t interest you in the slightest, but today it’s the BEST THING EVER! Maybe it’s a game we haven’t played for years, an interesting book, or even one of those tamagotchi’s, but today, this is taking all of our attention. 3 days later, we finally finish cleaning and it’s time to move on to the next task on our list.
4. Get fit!
“I know, I know, you’ve tried this numerous times but you always seem to stop after one day, but this year is going to be different! You’re going to make an exercise plan and stick to it!” This idea seems to pop up out of nowhere, just before you start studying, and you know why? Coz, when you start studying, you’re going to be so focused on getting those good grades that you’re not going to exercise and you’ll get fat! Therefore, the only possible way of this not happening is that you make your fitness plan NOW! In that way, you’ll get the gym out of the way so that the rest of the time you can spend studying. Gosh, you have got your life sorted.
5. Eat healthily!
Last but most definitely not least, is the glorious wonder that is food. Unfortunately, we’re starting our new healthy, studious life today though, so it’s goodbye to the Cadbury’s, the Tayto, and the late night Maccy D’s. It’s time for us to eat healthily. But this means…yes that’s right…there’s no other way about it….we have to go to the shops and get the best snacks a low cost living student can buy. WOOHOO! We stroll around Aldi and Lidl for the great deals on veggies, fruit and nuts, fill our basket up in Tesco with the perfect mix of water and cheap energy drinks (just in case we need a pick me up from all that studying), and pop into Centra on the way home for a cheeky bag of jellies, that we are going to deserve after buckling down to do some work.
Right, so you’ve got your telly watched, your music sorted, your cleaning done, your fitness on point and your healthy foods bought, YOU’RE READY!!! It’s finally time to sit down at that newly cleaned desk, open those books, take out that blue pen and study. One problem, you forgot to turn your phone on silent. Oops! Your friend texts you and complains that you haven’t hung out since you said you were studying, a week ago. You close the book, and make your way to their house…you can always start tomorrow.
Debbie Ridgard