Tackling the serial killer of academic life – procrastination!

August 23, 2014

Procrastination is the thief of timeProcrastination itself is such a long word for lazy people that it is not even read rather just understood in the mind. But it is truly the serial killer of academic life. From postponing important assignments until the deadline, to leaving notes completion and research work until ‘tomorrow’, all such activities contribute to becoming a major procrastinator.

All students, no matter which field they belong to, or are part-time workers or are part-time studying, rely on delaying their study work, for instance, assignments, research, reading, writing etc. Although everything and many things are sometimes more important than your studies, it really helps if you manage time effectively and avoid wasting it.

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Am I a loser…?

July 31, 2014

Lc WPCheck the fridge… Sit and read half a page of a new book… Browse internet… Make another coffee… Browse… Start organising iTunes library again… Watch a TV show… Next episode… Browse… Think about going to the shop… Check the fridge…

What’s wrong with me?

My whole morning has passed by jumping from one meaningless task to another. Yesterday I had all these great plans of how I was going to use my day off and I literally don’t know what to do with myself – I’m wasting the day away; I’m 32 and not getting any younger; what have I accomplished so far? Am I a success yet (what is success)? What do I want to be when I grow up? Who’s Justin Beiber? Am I a loser… Read the rest of this entry »


Facebookers Anonymous… is it time?

May 7, 2014

LSHTM logoOver this weekend I was musing to my husband about my days studying for my final exams at high school.  My high school years had prepared me reasonably well in terms of instilling study habits and an ability to just sit and concentrate, get away to a space that would ensure I wasn’t distracted etc.  I’m not sure how well I would have done at school were I studying these days. Between Facebook and emails… and having the screen right there (“Well, I need it for webinars and the rest…”)… it’s no wonder ‘young people these days’ (and older people… and well, loads of us, I suspect) struggle to concentrate like we used to.  With absolutely no solid evidence beyond anecdote to back up my claim (because I’m too lazy to go hunting for it right now!), I really do think my capacity to concentrate and put aside distractions is much more tested these days, and perhaps weaker than all those years ago when I ploughed my way through for those final exams.  Granted, back then I had a mother lovingly cooking me dinner each night (thanks Mum!) and I wasn’t growing a baby (more protein?! Already?! We just ate…) but I’m not sure that’s a the whole story when it comes to my relative self-discipline.

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Getting around roadblocks

February 25, 2014

Super Mario stomping on obstacles

It’s time to get on top of those study roadblocks!

What makes the earth spin? Day to day experiences dictate that an applied force is required to keep something in constant motion. However, contrary to belief, a force is required to stop movement – for example, what stops a rolling ball is the force of friction. Movement is presumed to be a natural tendency…

This may seem far stretched, but drawing parallels,  it makes me ponder over what keeps us from moving on in accordance with our plans; case in point, study plans.  A shift of focus from motivation, or the lack of it, to the roadblocks, is a good starting point for its assessment.

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Here’s to new beginnings…

November 14, 2013

I have attempted to write this blog post on new beginnings, several times during the last month, only to leave it incomplete. I couldn’t bring myself to write it because for me, it didn’t feel like the academic year had actually begun. Yes, I had selected the subjects for the year, registered online, and even downloaded the subject guides but I didn’t have any hard evidence to pull me out of my prolonged holiday bliss.

Then I came home last evening to find the now familiar cardboard box marked University of London. For a moment I just stood there looking at it. My books had arrived. Procrastination was not an option anymore. The new academic year had indeed begun.

Sandarenu's box of books Read the rest of this entry »


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