Ok so I have an essay in tommorow so looks like I am going to be up late, I have had 2 weeks to do this essay and I started a week and a half ago aiming to have it done by yesterday. Why do I always end up working through the night, anyone have any advice on getting submissions completed before the deadline?
My advice? As soon as you are assigned a project, start it. Get a good chunk of it done in the first couple of days then relax and refine for the rest of the time allotted. When you leave a project until the last minute you *always* do a poor job compared to one which is nicely planned and done in a timely fashion. p.s. I was the same until my 2nd year at uni.
Im the same i guess when you don't have to do something you don't do it when your brain realizes the risk of not starting (e.g not getting it done in time) then you start kicking into gear its just the way some of us are sadly
This is good advice right here... I have a final project due in routing and switching next week (5 cisco router configs in a deliverable format....) and I haven't started yet, it sucks, and I do it all the time Seriously, when you get a project, especially if it is going to be due in the last few weeks of school (busiest for me at least), start it asap, and get at least half done, it really does work
I'm done my 2nd year of university tomorrow after my last exam. I find starting something early and just doing and pieces as you go is great. If you have an hour or 2 between classes, find a suitable place to sit down and get some done. You'd be surprised how much you can get done when you do a paragraph here and there. If you only have a few minutes, point form notes / working on an outline is great
I never ever do schoolwork before I have to. I've only just finished a 3 hour mock I have due in for tomorrow.
I have this problem really badly. I simply don't work until its too late...not a good idea when my A-levels are coming up soon... Sent from my Desire HD
mansueot has got it spot on for me - I was awful for this at uni (dissertation including writing a program in 5 days anyone...) but if i started a bit of work between classes when I had nothing to do, it got me much further and I was much more likely to carry on doing it... doesn't feel like it's taking up 'your' time then either. RwD
It's something I've got to change. Got several bits of coursework for uni due in in the next 2-4 weeks. None of which I've started. Am aiming to have a proper start at atleast one of them tomorrow.
Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law. In other words, you can't easily plan out how long something will take, so start it ASAP. Waiting until the last minute is a disaster waiting to happen
I used to be terrible for this, starting essays no more than two days in advance of a deadline, etc. By honours I realized I couldn't keep on doing it or I wasn't going to get the grades I wanted. That really bucked me up. I just planned well in advance and I remember one year I had finished my entire semester's coursework by reading week. Then I noticed that something was missing: guilt. You see, I could always shovel the guilt of not-working to the back of my mind, where it would fester. It felt like liberation to not have it. So I started being really stringent with time-management during my masters and doctorate, just treating them like jobs that ran from 10-6 (albeit with a two hour lunch break). You get the hang of it, you work out what work's best for you and, most importantly, the grades you want.
I know the feeling, am currently doing a important piece for uni atm, only got till midday before it has to be in, had plenty of time, did even start the prodject a thousand words then just stopped. Though as others have said do a bit at a time and it will go, also find somewhere where u can work no distractions.
Forgot to mention, when your working on outlines and such, music can really help. I find when your stuck somewhere listening to some music, relaxing or taking a break helps clear your mind before going back at it. I got through 1st year leaving most things until last minute and I did well enough, but I've decided this year to try and do better. Doing my weekly readings and actually doing the work on time, I find it easier to follow along with the course, especially in certain classes where the teacher takes up homework and takes questions. I think the biggest struggle with doing work / homework is what someone else said where you just throw it into the back of your mind. 1st year of university during the last few weeks there was a lot of projects and assignments due, and when you leave them all until last minute it really becomes frustrating and overwhelming. You might get by just fine doing things last minute but if you took more time and did a bit at a time from when the assignment was originally assigned you'd probably have some more success grades wise.
Always start as soon as you get the assignment! I've been the same throughout my entire degree, mainly because I know I can leave it to the last minute and still do ok. The only work I've done well before a deadline is work that I enjoy or find interesting. My dissertation, for example, should be finished today a full 10 days before it is due, the assignment due in on monday, hasn't been started. Guess which one I find interesting
Main problem with starting work early however is that it always seems to expand to fill the time available, (parkinson's law according to wikipedia) and so if you start later it will probably take less time in total. I find a work a lot better (usually) closer to a deadline, but I don't however recommend starting a 3000 word lab report at 1600 the day before it's due in when you also have a 3 hr mock exam the next day....(not deliberately delayed however, was ill when I had planned to do it) Almost finished now though so it seemed to work...
I did this all the time in college. Would leave my I.T. A-level assignments to the last night, get out the red bull and work all night It might have had something to do with having the most information/research collected by the final days of assignment hand-in, and felt I would do better than compared to doing it on the first day. I still did good though!
