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Posted Feb. 11, 2013

How to Make Postgraduate Deadlines Less Stressful

Want to know how to make postgraduate deadlines less stressful? Here's how...

Deadlines have an uncanny ability to get people worked up and stressed out! Yes there are some lucky people out there who are able to deal with impending deadlines with a carefree attitude and ease of mind, but for most of us deadline day is a time for panic, stress, fear, and thought block. If this sounds familiar, there are some measures you can take to ensure that your postgraduate deadlines offer a sense of relief rather than fear.

Planning When you think about it logically there is absolutely no need to be rushing around chasing your own tail hours before your postgraduate deadline, as you were given plenty of time to complete the task in a calm and collected manner. To be honest it really is your own fault that you didn't begin writing your theses until a couple of days before it was due in, and this lack of efficient planning is the number one cause of deadline panic! If you make a realistic plan when you are given a task, working out generous estimates of when you hope to achieve each section of the work, and then leave the last three or four days before the real deadline absolutely free, you will have a structure in place to avoid any last minute mayhem.

Discipline Making a plan is the easy part – sticking to it is the difficult bit. We all know how hard it can be to sit down and get stuck into the books weeks or even months before the work is due in, but disciplining yourself to work as early as possible really will save your nerves closer to the deadline. There are some techniques that you can use to try and get into a better habit of working. Why not create your own deadline a few days before the real one, and promise yourself a reward if you get everything done in time? Or how about setting yourself a challenge to complete the work as soon as it is handed out? This way you could be sitting easy with plenty of time to spare, no stress involved. When you set out your plan of action, ensure that your deadlines are realistic and achievable. It is important to give yourself enough time to complete each task otherwise you will have a serious backlog of work the closer to the ultimate deadline you get. Don’t put yourself under unnecessary stress by creating deadlines that are too short as you will be swimming against the tide right from the start.

Redefine the word Deadline The way in which we react to specific words affects our mood and stress levels. If the mere thought of the word ‘deadline’ strikes you with fear, why not take a different approach and simply refer to it as a time allocation. This simple yet effective method of word play can have a surprisingly big impact on your mood. Some people find it effective to add time allocations against specific segments of work instead of a deadline date, and by doing so they are eliminating any fear associate with the word itself.

Tackling Deadline Issues Head-on If you constantly find yourself cutting it close when it comes to meeting deadlines, and you are the person who ends up staying awake 30 hours straight in an attempt to get it done in time, maybe you need to address these common issues:

  • You are not working as efficiently as possible – this is a common problem as people often do not work in the most efficient way possible. This means that everything takes longer than it should. Speak to your classmates and find out how long they have been taking and if there are any tips/ tools to help you streamline your process.
     
  • You are getting distracted too often – this happens to us all doesn’t it? Just as you sit down to begin work, something more important or interesting pops up and you end up tidying your desk, browsing on Facebook or doing something else equally as unproductive. Before you know it two hours have passed and you have barely made a dent on your postgraduate study. Cut this out and not only will your productivity will sky rocket, meeting deadlines will also become much easier.

Do you have a dreaded fear of postgraduate deadlines? Or any deadlines for that matter? Related Articles 5 Postgrad Student Stress-Busters

 

 

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