So Many Choices

I have a problem.

I recently got handed a few new assignments, which isn’t all that unusual since I am a university student.

The issue is this: They are all research or writing assignments, with no predetermined topics.

I can literally write about whatever I want.

And I can’t decide what to pick.

I’ve always thought that there is so much more pressure when you’re forced to pick your own topic.

Sure, at first you’re thinking “FREEDOM! YES!”…

…but then it’s 2 a.m. the night before it’s due and you still don’t know what to write about.

Or, you realize that you picked a terrible topic in the first place and you want to change it, but you don’t have time.

A good topic is the first hurdle to producing great, or at least half-decent, work. It has to be good.

This is the reason that I’m starting to feel a little nervous about completing my assignments.

Not only do I have three projects to choose topics for, but I also have to choose topics for my blogs.

That’s a lot of topics.

And to make matters worse, one of those projects that I have to do is a podcast.

I have to talk for three minutes about something.

Two things you should understand about me:

#1) I’m not sure that I’ve ever voluntarily spoken for three minutes nonstop about anything ever in my life.

#2) I’m incredibly indecisive.

Both of these points make it difficult for me to do a podcast.

My indecisiveness makes it difficult for me to do life.

I need to be absolutely sure about something before I commit, no matter how insignificant or trivial it is. I find myself thinking about every possible outcome of a decision before I make it, no matter how unlikely it may be.

Choices are everywhere, especially as a first year student.

What am I going to major in? Should I go to class today? Study now, or later? Option A), B), or C) All of the above? Do I really like this class? Drop it, or just hope it gets more interesting?

So. Many. Decisions.

How do I cope?

Well, I like to remind myself of the decisions that I’ve made that have worked out well:

1. Chose U of T. So far, so good.
2. Tried out for a basketball team. Love it.
3. Started blogging. It’s been fun.

This list is my proof of the fact that any decision that I make, (i.e. what to write about or research), has the potential to lead to something great (i.e. a decent mark).

Now, if only there was some surefire way to decide which project to tackle first…

Heads or tails?

When Things Go from Bad to Worse

A new semester means new courses.

 I was pretty excited that a new course of mine was all about writing.

Now you’d think that I would have this one in the bag, right?

I have a blog; I write all the time…should be easy, shouldn’t it?

Well, I’m learning that that’s not actually the case.

Let me explain.

Coincidentally, my first writing assignment was a blog.

My first thought was: YES! I KNOW WHAT A BLOG IS!

But I soon found out that what I normally blog about (i.e. random things that happen to me) are not very…academic.

And this assignment was supposed to be.

I had to write a critical annotated bibliography in the form of a blog about an article written by Stephen King.

So…a bit more complicated and formal than what I’m used to.

For this reason, as soon as I sat down to write, I felt the pressure.

Why, you ask?

Well, it was supposed to be short and succinct, coherent and easy to read. I needed to make good points and get them across in a manner that made sense, and was brief.

Sounds easy, but it’s kind of a tall order.

I kept telling myself that this shouldn’t be a difficult assignment.

I kept repeating in my head: this should be easy, this should be easy, this should be easy…

 …until there came a point when I admitted that it wasn’t actually that easy.

I was totally overthinking it.

And you know what that means: writer’s block was beginning to set in.

But I powered through it.

I had a draft (albeit a fairly rough one) finished, and I was feeling better about the whole situation.  

 That is, until the whole situation changed.

 

Yes, that’s a picture of a blank word document.

I somehow deleted my almost finished blog.

 

How, you ask?

Well, I highlighted and cut the few paragraphs of my rough blog in order to paste them into a template that the prof had provided. But after cutting and before pasting, I (for some reason) decided to copy a file from my documents and paste it on my desktop.

So, when I went to paste my blog, of course the only thing that got pasted was the name of that file that distracted me.

And so I cut my own blog, and couldn’t get it to come back.

The worst part was that it was late at night the day before the assignment was due (as per usual for a procrastinator such as myself) and I had to start all over again.

I was extremely frustrated.

I sat staring at my laptop screen for a solid 5 minutes begging my blog to come back to me.

 

 

But once that 5 minutes was up and my grieving process was over, I began writing again.

Just like before, I powered through it and got the thing done.

Moral of the story?

Always COPY, don’t CUT.

It’s just safer.

A Post-Midterm Lull and a Wake-Up Call

MIDTERMS ARE OVER WITH! HALLELUJAH!!!!                                               

Sorry, sorry…I had to get that out of my system.

I’m just so glad to be out of study mode.

No more reviewing for tests. No more staying up way too late to study. No more frantically trying to read the chapters that I need to read the night before the test. No more driving myself crazy making perfectly organized study notes…it’s all over with. I’m done. I’ve got nothing else to worry about…

Oh, wait. I just checked my calendar and it seems I have three essays due in November.

Huh…I might have gotten a little ahead of myself just now.

It’s really easy to convince yourself that once midterms are over, your worries are over.

But I guess that’s not exactly the case.

But those few days I had between my last midterm and the realization that I had three essays due were…*sigh*…glorious.

I gave myself a break.

I figured that after a solid week spent studying, I deserved a little time to just relax and think about absolutely nothing.

It was mind-numbingly perfect.

I watched TV, cooked myself some of my favourite meals, had a couple of nice long naps…

And then I went to biology where my Prof reminded us of our essays that are due at the end of the month…and I thought: “Ohhh, I’ve got PLENTY of time!”

And then I went to anthropology where my Prof reminded us of our essays also due at the end of the month…and I thought (slightly less confidently): “Oh, I’ve got plenty of time…?”

And then I went to my CCT course where my Prof reminded us of our essays due (yup, you guessed it) at the end of the month…and I thought (fully panicked now): “Ohhhhhhhh no. I’ve got NO time.”

So now those few days I had of rest and relaxation seem like fond memories.

I’m officially back in working mode. And I have to admit, I’m a little intimidated by writing my first set of university essays.

I know that I will have to step up my game from high school to survive here in this post-secondary world. My writing is going to have to be the best it’s ever been…which is much easier said than done.

I really haven’t written anything formal in a while. I’ve been blogging, which obviously requires a completely different writing style than what would be acceptable to a university Prof.

What if I’ve forgotten how to write formally? What if I accidently use random punctuation or CAPS LOCK in my essays!? What if I use humour (or what I think passes for humour, anyway) and I fail!?!

Oh, man. I need to calm down.

How do I beat my essay stress? Any suggestions? Did you experience a post-midterm lull? Are impending deadlines making you wish it was still PRE-midterms?

Let me know!