At the start of the week, I found myself getting ill- the onset of a horrible cold that clouded over me for the remainder of the week left my head heavy and my nose very red. Despite this, I still managed to hand everything in ahead of the deadlines, and I feel relatively happy with how I wrote them all, and the standard that I produced them to. 

SO, I thought I'd write a couple of tips down for anyone else that is struggling through deadlines, or have some looming ahead. 

1.

START EARLY

I try to start research for essays two weeks before the deadline date. That gives me about a week / a week and a half to read up on the topic, then almost a week to write (and rewrite) the essay.

2. 

PLAN

It's always good to at least plan an essay / report. Know the general line you want to take, this can always be adapted when you're writing it. Structure is key, so following an outline really helps the essay flow. 

3. 

PRIORITISE

If you've got a few things due at once then prioritising is the key. What's due first? What has the most weighting for your grade? What will take the longest? Aside from completing the tasks according to their due date, I like to get the most horrible thing out of the way. If there's a horrible essay that I don't like the look of, it's sometimes easier to just get it out of the way, saving the ones that I will enjoy till after. (Not necessarily enjoy, but at least find a little more interesting!)

4.

TAKE BREAKS

Doing essays in one long stint is tiring and hard work. It's so much better to just have a few hours of productive work, then an hour off. I actually give myself most evenings off, if I'm able to - letting myself have treats like that helps to focus my work, and makes me actually do it. It's much better then staring at a screen trying to get words out after 3 hours of reading, and fighting off the urges to check facebook and twitter "just one more time".

5.

CHUNK THINGS DOWN

I think I've mentioned this strategy in a few other posts, but I will continue to because it works. Don't look at the big picture. All those deadlines and a short amount of time seems scary- believe me, I know. But chunk it down into manageable chunks, and suddenly it doesn't seem so sickening. Sort out a timetable and goal for a day, and achieving that will make you feel amazing. Have a look at one of my posts about the benefits of having a schedule because that is the key to the day. Reaching the goals that you set yourself really helps to stop the stress taking over. 

And those are my 5 tips to dealing with stress. This really helps me when it comes to looming deadlines, and helps to calm me down when I start thinking I won't be able to do it.

Let me know what you do to stop the stress setting in!

Love,

Emily

xxx

Bloglovin | GFC | Twitter | Instagram