Productive Procrastination.

In recent posts I've droned on about the swamp of university essays I'm currently wading through. Well after a month of library time and research term has now started, my first 5,000 word beast and I'm polishing up a second (thankfully shorter) essay at the moment. However, staring at my netbook screen for 12 hours a day is not the most exciting thing and I keep having to think of treats (such as trips to the water fountain or loo) as incentives to get keep me writing and get my a couple of hundred words closer to the finish line.

However, I'd be a massive liar if I said I've been that focused the whole time. at times I've been productively deceptive with myself, as my creativity's dark side thinks up jobs to do in order to put off getting out my laptop, all in the name of productivity.

Some of you may be familiar with the YouTube sensation that is Jenna Marbles. Some of you won't be, but all you really need to know is that you she is a vlogger who posts weekly videos. One of the first video I ever saw of hers was 'Things To Do Instead of Cleaning Your Room'.

Well Jenna, I think I must have crossed a threshold of lunacy, because I've recently been a room cleaning, laundry doing machine, in order to avoid essaying.

There's a fine line between efficiency and procrastination, however, over the past few weeks suggest that I may have actually found a decent balance. I may not have been on task the whole time, but a lot of my procrastination has actually been productive, and consequently lessened my academic guilt.

During essay and exam season students can easily get sucked into a black hole of Red Bull, sleep deprivation and an 'All Library, All The Time' mentality. But I think my weird new habit of 'Productive Procrastination might actually help me in this last week of essay madness and the upcoming insanity of revision and exam season. Sometimes ticking off the little jobs actually help- I cleaned out my diary earlier this week. after pulling out all the pieces of paper I'd rammed in there it's not only a quarter of the size- but I can actually use it for planning without fear of unleashing a paper tsunami!

You know I'm getting really hyped for climbing Kilimanjaro in September and essay madness has both pushed me into a state of super excitement and possibly made me a better Adventure Leader. Having so many deadlines has made me really organised and lots of deadline close together has made me better at forward planning. I actually submitted my last Adventure Leader report early because during moments of total essay mind block I'd take a couple of minutes to contact my group and check on their progress and totals. This meant that I actually had all the information I needed and had made personal contact with the guys. Not only did my report write itself in minutes, but I got the mood boost I needed after my essay failure had started to drain all my drive. I felt even better knowing how well my team our doing, so fair we've collectively raised over £23,000 for Practical Action and the Meningitis Research Foundation... and I've just had them more stash delivered to get out on the streets and keep fundraising.

They say "If you want something done, ask a busy person" and I think there's a lot of truth in that. From my recent experience a busy person loves new tasks- they great distractions, but don't making you feel like a complete time-waster the same way that a cheeky half hour on Facebook might.

The more 'productive' I am and the more jobs I tick off my check list (e.g. two loads of laundry, hoovering my room and changing my linen) only leaves me with less excuses not to turn my attention back to my work.

That's it really. Even this blog was a cheeky bit of procrastination- but hey, I achieved something. I made a whole thing- even if it is just a blog post!

I'm going back to editing now- good luck to all the other students out there currently in essay mode and fearing exams. Remember, there's always a way to take a break without feeling like you're wasting time and soon enough you'll be on a roll!

Here's your musical reward. This is my friend Flik singing an amazing song which I have now had stuck in my head for days. I'm trying not to learn how to play Cups until I actually have hours to spare because I know I won't be able to stop until I've got it down to pat.

Summer Dreams and Panics.

As I mentioned in my last post, my new favourite study distraction is dreaming of summer and all the adventures ahead. (Note to self: don't forget about exams as they'll be coming up first.) The most exciting thing about my summer is that I'll end it in Africa where I will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Practical Action, before heading over to Kenya where I'll be volunteering in an orphanage.

Everytime I think of this trip I am filled with excitement- and terror. I don't really know what to expect of the trek itself or have any great idea how my body will handle it. All I know is that I'm stubborn as a mule and will be pushing for the summit... in the snow... in the middle of the night. Luckily, all fears can be calmed by the sounds of Toto... he knows about Africa, he'll lift me to the summit.

This trip will be a real challenge and I'm completely awestruck at the prospect of visiting Africa for the first time, overcoming a huge physical challenge and looking out at the world from the summit of Kibo peak, at 5,895m above sea level. However, this challenge isn't an abstract thing that I'll swan off to do in 5 months. As an Adventure Leader it has become part of my daily routine over the past 6 months as I've been recruiting participants, organising fundraising and supporting my team (who have already raised over £20,000!). That's logistics. Practically I've been working to improve fitness (completely non-existent before October) and have just started to look at how much I'll need to save in order to cover my climbing kit as well as injections and medications.

Travelling to Africa does carry risks and whilst planning your trip you should always go and speak to a Health Advisor. I did this on Friday...

Since signing up for this in September I've been aware of the this side of things and knew that I'd having to pay for malaria tablets and get immunised against Yellow Fever... and probably a couple of other things. I was not ready for this consultation. It was half an hour of

**Rabies.Hepatitis.Meningitis.Malaria.Really.Expensive.**

Pause for minor panic. Listen to Toto.

I've calmed down a bit now and spoken to some friends who've travelled in East Africa before- and luckily even some people that have climbed Kili and so could share all their tips and the wisdom of their experience. I think I've got a plan. It'll be good... and I've got Toto.

I'm trying to focus on how great I'll feel about myself once I've summitted... but all the things I need to do in order to get there can be pretty scary. After each moment of panic I've been making decisions pretty quickly though- I've got my group to think of.

I'm off now to write a fundraising report and finish my essays. Watch this space for updates on Kili preparations- I'm holding off writing about training so far because any confessions will be super embarassing.

**Please visit MyRaising profile. It's a totally safe and secure platform where you can support me by donating directly to Practical Action, whose work saves lives all over the world (including East Africa) my finding innovative ways to use technology to combat poverty.**

What Would Toto Do?

Getting on a Roll...

So last week I had a right good moan. Having spent hours on end in the library I was getting nowhere and feared never reaching a reasonable word count, let alone making any sort of coherent argument, submitting an essay prior to a deadline and obtaining a respectable mark towards my degree.

However, towards the end of the post I had calmed down a bit, remembered that I'm an optimist at heart and set myself some practical targets:

1) Finish at least one of my essays.

2) Take note of something blooming marvelous in my life and tell you all about it on my blog. 

I also set a made a secret third target... (3) Go home and see my family and friends again before true essay panic and exam revision starts.

I can't quite believe it, but I actually did quite well...

Last week started slowly. My first, and most important, target seemed completely out of my reach. The essay I was focusing on needed to be 5,000 words long, my concentration was waning and the words were coming s.l.o.w.l.y. However, on Wednesday I finally started to get some flow  and come Thursday evening I felt confident that I could finish on Friday and, time dependent, even catch a train to London.

Words cannot express my state of euphoria when I walked out of the library on Friday at 4:30pm, instead of my usual 8:30pm. Not only had I finished an essay that had been drawn out like a form of cruel and unusual punishment but I had no reason not to head home. I even arrived early enough to go to the pub! I was so happy.

Having finally gotten my head into the essay game and crossed off a big one from my list as I flying high. Therefore, not only was I happy to go home, but I could really relax and enjoy it. I spent almost all of Saturday out with Mum, trying on clothes... and being spoiled. I got an outfit for a family wedding next month and a gorgeous beige leather jacket. Oh, and mummy might have paid for everythingI told you; SPOILED.

I also got to spend a lot of time with my great friend Jess, who I haven't seen properly to natter to since we went on holiday in September. 6 months is TOO LONG!! It was really nice to just sit in the pub (and then at my house because the pub closed) drinking wine and chatting about... everything. We caught up on everything that's been happening and we hadn't gone into detail on; made plans for the summer; discussed what we'd like to do once I graduate; discussed how much we like wine; talked musics and films- and even had time to reminisce from juniors through to sixth form. Such fun!

Now, that's 2 targets met and celebrated. What about the third? Did I not notice anything beautiful that I just had to rant about? As I already mentioned there are loads of little things about the last few days that have made me happy and excited about the near future, but what's really got be excited right now is the prospect of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in September. It's so exciting. I spent all of Sunday morning in bed with a cup of tea and my Traveller's Atlas reading about the East Africa... and then branched out and set my sights on the rest of the world. It's so exciting!

The bed buddy's of a wannabe explorer and amateur adventurer...

I now miss home and want to go back. I can't wait for essays and exams to be done so that the sun can come out and I can play!

Anyway, it's back to the library grindstone now, I hope to finish my short essay quickly so that by the weekend I'm only editing and glossing the two that are due throughout next week. Hopefully I'm now well and truly on a roll. 

Watch this space for more info and excitement about my upcoming Kilimanjaro trek and African adventures!

p.s. Enjoy the video. I'm a little bit in love with Nina Nesbitt right now. She has a great voice and is a pretty talented song-writer too...