Struggling to complete work

[two-dee]

Hey guys, I thought I'd keep this one short and sweet.

I don't know why but ever since this term started, I have consistently been struggling to find motivation in finishing my work. I manage to get it in on time and will receive good grades for it, but then I end up fretting over how well it could have been if I had just focused. I have used countless techniques in order to remain focused (pomodoro technique, study-appropriate music, website blocker, sitting outside of my room, clean desk) but I always find a way to slack off. Would someone be able to provide me with some advice as to why this may be and what can I do about it? It would be much appreciated.

[Peppermintbach]

Hi two-dee,

Good on you for reaching out here 🙂 I feel when the ambition is present but the motivation is a bit of a struggle, that can be very frustrating.

Well done for submitting those assessments on time especially considering your recent focus/motivation issues. Great work there!

I think perhaps try to remind yourself that what is done is done, and don’t be too hard on yourself. I would suggest keeping a forward moving focus...as in, try not to dwell too much on past assessments and keep your eye on the prize (i.e. the next assessment), which is what you’re doing now...

I wonder if there’s a common theme in your distractions e.g. is it something in particular in the environment that distracts you or is it more about being unable to focus your mind? Perhaps something to think about...

If you’re feeling up to it, I hope we hear from you again as we would like to continue supporting you. That being said, there’s no pressure or rush...just in your own good time and if you feel like writing again here.

Kind and caring thoughts,

Pepper

[LavenderTea]

Hey two-dee,

Thanks for your post! As a student myself, I completely get where you're coming from.
I found this post really interesting especially given the context of what I've been learning recently about personality. Yesterday, in an example given by my lecturer at uni, we looked at personality traits and how they influence our behaviour in the short term, and in the long term.

As peppermintbach suggested, it might be that there are things in your environment that are distracting you, so it might be worth looking at if there is something that regularly distracts you, and working on changing that.

On the other hand - and this is the part I found really interesting - there are some ingrained personality characteristics that influence our behaviour in the way that you describe. Some people can be really on top of everything, organized, get things done early and be able to concentrate for longer periods of time without getting distracted. HOWEVER, there are also some people who leave things to the last minute, and still manage to get the work done - that's just the way they work... And that's totally fine, as long as that's working for you.

If it's a matter of changing things in your environment, or changing study habits, I find it helpful to go to a library or a study area that isn't at home, and then once you get home forget about your work. This might mean staying back late and getting home later than usual, but it means you become more motivated to get work done so you can go home and relax. Reward yourself for getting your work done too – like watch your favourite tv show, or read a book (whatever works for you!). I also find it helpful to break tasks down into smaller tasks and do some each day.

If you realise that this pattern of behaviour is something you’ve done for a while and it might just be how you work, that’s totally fine! As long as you’re not constantly worrying about it after. Like peppermintbach suggested, it’s good to try and look forward rather than looking back. It might be easier said than done, but it comes with practice. If I get a mark that I’m not particularly happy about, I will usually tell myself that it’s okay (because we need to be kind to ourselves) and that there’s nothing I can do about the work that’s already been done, BUT I can still change what marks I get in the future… it’s just a little bit of self-encouragement.

You can do it!

Most importantly... really do be kind to yourself... Self care is #1!

[two-dee]

Hey guys, I suppose I should give an update on how I've been coping with the pressures of school and surprise, surprise, it's been shit.

My assignments are ok, and some I could probably manage better than others, but one in particular is driving me insane; even with teachers assistance and after school sessions, I'm still at the few little measly notes that I had made during the holidays and at the start of the week. It's an English assignment where we have to compare two texts and write a report with a thesis and all of the good stuff. Given that the English that I'm studying is at quite a high-standard, they have to be texts with a high literary value. I enjoyed my two texts on their own, but not to the point where I can start picking out the literary devices and techniques that achieve something in the story and all of the other rubbish that comes with studying this joke of a subject.

Even today was a pretty shitty day, as our Year Level heads were explaining how to fill in our university preference sheets. Now, I took the initiative and went to both Adelaide Uni and UniSA's open days and found them to be ok; neither good nor bad just ok, but thats not the point. Besides law and criminology, nothing else seems appealing to me and I know for a fact I do not have the ATAR to get there. And to top it all off, I asked one of our heads about my ATAR despite the fact that I carefully followed the process on how to calculate our estimate and she said that its too high based on my grades. I honestly despise the fact that these people (especially those in a higher position) treat everything as a bunch of numbers and don't care about providing good-quality, wholesome education. All those morons care about is shipping their students straight into employment, well I couldn't even begin to fathom the looks on their faces when they see one of their past scholars wondering the streets of Adelaide like a lost soul; thirteen years of education and for what? Just to end up like the other degenerates of this generation. Then again, I don't think they'd have the time, patience or even willingness to care.

[LavenderTea]

Hey two-dee,

I'm really sorry that it's been another crap week at school.

Assignments can be the worst to work on, especially when you haven't been able to get started, or get into that roll of things. I'm unsure what exactly you're struggling with, but I know that with a Google search of "literary devices list pdf" you can find some lists of common literary devices which might be a good starting point for you... it's annoying to have to remember them all off the top of your head. If you've enjoyed both of the texts on their own, that's a great start! Depending on when the assignment is due, it might help you to go through each text alone, with a list of the literary devices next to you, and mark off anything that you notice, and then do it for the second book. Generally with English reports, teachers expect about three or four body paragraphs, so if you can find at least three, that's fantastic! Also, you might want to search the book title with "literary devices" next to it on Google. You might be able to find some information on the specific texts you are reading. Whilst I recommend that this might be a helpful place to start, I do also suggest caution, and that you only use this to get some ideas, rather than copying what's there.

As for the ATAR/course choosing... this can be a really tricky time of the year. There seems to be a lot of pressure from teachers and others at school to do well, and to know what you want to do, and to take the "perfect" pathway into uni and then get a job... throw it all out the window. Not knowing what you want to do at this point in time is absolutely fine. If you do want to go to uni and study law and criminology, you can begin with a Bachelor of Arts which has a wide selection of topics/classes available. If your score is not exactly high enough, that's also fine too because there are other options. If your mark is good enough for another course, then some universities allow you to apply for that, accept you, and then allow you to transfer after a year. If this is not what you want to do, it's also fine to take a gap year to work out what you want...

The pathway through school/Uni/Tafe/Employment is hardly ever going to be the same for everyone.

Hopefully this is helpful.

LT.