It is the time of year for what I like to call a single-person collective action failure. Monday Jordan (MJ) decides not to start on reading that is due Wednesday, leaving Tuesday Jordan (TJ) to curse his previous incarnation for leaving 200 pages of reading for one day.
If only MJ had done half of the reading. But no, MJ always defects, devastating TJ and leaving Jordan as a whole worse off.
With the onslaught of midterm work finished, the first full week after Fall Break is on us. If you are anything like me, you're already exhausted.
It is easy to focus on work when essays are due, exams are coming up and the end is in sight. But once that end is reached, it is always difficult to rededicate yourself to more work. Fall Break, which should be a welcome respite, provides a taste of freedom from responsibility, but as classes begin again, we realize that taste was only a tease.
Every year that I have been here, I have planned on doing some work over Fall Break. Freshman year, I even paid the fine for overweight luggage because I decided to drag home two novels and a textbook-none of which were opened over the break.
This year, I failed once again in my endeavors to accomplish anything over Fall Break. Of course, nothing is due right after break, so I didn't really have to finish anything, but I still feel a sense of failure. For me, Fall Break has always marked the point at which the lofty goals with which I entered the year evaporate.
Everyday work starts to seem harder; readings longer, problem sets more daunting and Blackboard posts more demanding. This is the time of year when study breaks grow longer and eventually surpass the actual time spent studying.
Each week becomes simultaneously shorter and longer: It feels like forever until the next weekend, but there never seems to be enough time to get ahead on classwork.
It is fair to say that these are the mid-semester doldrums. Even the social life takes a hit. You know you're in trouble when instead of going out with your friends on a weekend night you opt not to leave your room-not in order to work, but to be worthless, surf the Internet and watch TV.
Well, what is to be done? How might one overcome the post-Fall Break apathy that always seems to descend around this time?
Here are some things that I've been trying. Give them a shot if you are struggling like me, or else let me know a strategy that works for you.
Accept that although nothing major is due immediately, the little things you start skipping right about now do affect your grade because those little things are what make you learn. I know cramming right before a test works, but you might not have enough time to cram for everything later on in the semester.
Go to the library. The real killer around this time is breaking up 20 minutes of work with two-hour study breaks that just consume time without entertaining. So find a corner in the library of your choice, blast through your work and then go and have fun.
Make sure your fun rejuvenates you. I find I need to be with people to really feel like I've done something worthwhile other than work. After a dinner with friends, I don't feel so bad about going back to my desk; after a couple hours watching TV I just feel like a waste of life. Figure out what works for you and do it.
Don't nap. Here is a perfect do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do moment, because I probably average 1.4 naps a day. Napping doesn't make you better rested, and it destroys your night's sleep. Also, if you figure out how to avoid napping after being up until 2 a.m. Sunday and then going to your 8:30 class, please let me know.
I know that skipping class seems like a reasonable thing to do, and it can be. But if you only have a limited number of absences, make sure you save one or two for the home stretch. Playing hooky to finish up a paper or do some last minute cramming for another class is a much better idea than skipping because you don't want to get out of bed for your 11:40.
Don't let your October self's laziness get your November and December self into a mess: Keep those goals alive.
Jordan Everson is a Trinity senior. His column runs every Wednesday.
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