Distracte- SQUIRREL!

Vacation’s over, and class is back. Not going to be much of a break until the end of May, so it would be a good time to stay productive for the rest of the semester. With that said, it’s probably not as simple as a single sentence, so it’s important to consider the following:

For some people, moving to Melbourne would mean an influx of the new and unfamiliar. Whether it be places you’ve never seen, experiences you haven’t tried or opportunities you have yet to encounter. With that in mind, these things can be attractive enough for people like me to occasionally put academics on hold and explore. It’s not a bad thing per se, as exploring is a fantastic way to gain knowledge, but it is quite commonplace to sometimes find yourself doing unrelated work while having, say, a pretty big assignment to finish.

Most of us would have probably been drummed the words ‘time management’ more than once before, and for good reason. Seriously keeping tabs on what you’re supposed to do and when to do it is an integral part of uni life and beyond. Many people have their strategies, but as I practiced myself, I’d recommend the following:

• Keep a reminder/checklist of your tasks
  Most LMS applications (including Melbourne’s Blackboard) allow you to set personal tasks with due dates, and prioritise them based on urgency. If you have a smartphone, there is likely a To-do listing app which can allow you to set notifications of upcoming due dates and unfinished business.
• Set an alarm for each weekday morning
  It’s up to you if you want to do it on weekends, but I recommend setting a buffer between waking up and going to campus, particularly if you don’t live within walking distance.
• Set a daily schedule/timetable
  Don’t just print a timetable off my.unimelb. Be creative by plotting a map of your campus days, or even better, integrate it with some of your non-campus scheduled activities (e.g. clubs, set aside study time) so that you can keep a perspective on distance and/or time taken.
• Never leave it to the last minute
  Better yet, get cracking on your assignments as soon as you get them, especially if you know it’ll be challenging. I generally try to solve and finish my weekly mathematics assignments (as short as the questions are, they’re still hard as nails) within 1-2 days.

Most importantly, however, you should also commit yourself to the objectives you’ve set. None of the suggestions above will be of much use unless you convince yourself you want things done. Do it with the intention of keeping distraction to a manageable minimum, and it will definitely pay off when you get your results.

Eyre (Peso)