Keeping in Uni-Mode over the Festive Period

Semester A is pretty much over & Christmas is literally around the corner - seriously where has the time gone? It's finally time to come home from university to spend this holiday season with your loved ones but unfortunately you have assignments, reports, and exams due the first week back from Christmas break. Stressed isn't the word *sigh*.

I'm sure that all of us have been through that horrible feeling of being handed work to do over Christmas. It's a student's dream to have a Christmas holiday but sadly it will only be just a dream. Even I have found it difficult to find the motivation to turn on my laptop and look at my desktop screen trying to piece together words when all I can hear is 'All I Want For Christmas is You' playing in the background. Holiday season is a HUGE distraction, however we all made the decision to attend university so having assignments over Christmas was bound to happen.

via Unsplash.com

It's so easy to get caught up in the festive period and forget about your work, but trust me heading back to university and stressing out about your work isn’t the way forward. Just watching Elf and Home Alone 2 whilst stuffing your face with roast dinner isn’t the best idea. The goal for the Christmas holiday’s is to get your head in the game and finish your work. Lucky for us, there is a way to get through this. Try and follow these 5 simple tips that should make working at home during Christmas a little bit easier!

1. Be Prepared. Sounds quite simple, but a lot of students focus on the going-home-element of the festive period and forget to plan what work needs finishing whilst at home. Go through all your modules and find out when your assignments are due. Take note of your deadline dates and put them in a planner or you can use the notes app on your phone. If you can physically see what you need to do, you'll be able to manage your time wisely to get these done.

2. Disregard Social Media (if you can). I struggle with this so bad, but I'm working on it. If you can disconnect your social media accounts whilst working this will help to improve your ability to work at home. I have the tendency to write a few paragraphs and then check Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and the next thing you know, I've lost a good 30 mins of writing time. As of lately, I’ve started putting my phone on the other side of my room and I make sure that my laptop notifications are off so that I don't get the temptation to check messages from friends. Give it a go and see if it works out for you!

3. Don't be afraid to ask for help! It's normal to feel overwhelmed with work especially whilst you're at home. If you’re struggling with an assignment, don’t suffer in silence - it's not worth the headache. Get in touch with your course mates or even go the extra mile and email your lecturer. Most of the time they will get back to you and assist you in any way that they can, so make good use of this.

4. Take regular breaks, we all need them. Just because you have work to do doesn't mean you need to bury your head in your work every single day of the holidays. We all need a break sometimes just to clear our minds. Taking some time off does help as you can rest your brain and can now focus better than you did the day before. However, don't go overboard and take too many breaks as you'll lose your train of thought.

5. Aim to start the New Year with most of your work completed.  Although this seems a bit lengthy to do, it will help so much. Regardless of your work being due in January, try and get it done before New Year’s. The goal is to not bring work from the previous year into the new year. You know the saying 'New Year, New Start'? Implicate this saying into your work and you will achieve a whole new outlook when doing your work.

Hopefully, these tips will be good for whoever needs them! As a final year student, I've got so much work to do, so by having the opportunity to head home for Christmas has made me smile. If you're interested in what I get up to over the holidays make sure to keep up with me on my social media accounts below. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Tomi xox

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About me:

Hi there! I’m Tomi, a third year student studying BA (Hons) Photography at Hertfordshire and a member of the Social Street Team. My interests consist of Blogging, Social & Digital Media and living my life with a positive mindset. Sounds a bit cliche but that’s what I’m all about. I do also love food and meeting a diverse range of people through my workplace inside and outside of University.