Harry Potter and the Seven Stages of Procrastination – Part 2
Carrying on from where we left off, the pressure mounting and deadlines fast approaching.
Step 4 inspired by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Fall out with a friend.
As stress increases and the pressure of deadlines really hit me, my friend took the brunt of it. I felt totally overwhelmed and that no one could feel the pressure as much as I was! In true Harry Potter and Ron Weasley style, my friend and I completely misunderstood each other, ended up arguing over nothing, and weren’t able to resolve it quickly! Friends are there to support you and to have fun, but we do need to remember that everyone has their own things going on and own levels of coping. Talk things through and be considerate; exam/deadline stress is not worth losing a friend over. If Harry and Ron can work out their arguments in Goblet of Fire, then you guys can, too! I’m happy to say that after we saw each other in person, we burst out laughing and realized we had no clue as to why we started arguing in the first place! Sorted, kind of, if you don’t count the mounting pile of assignments I had to do. Hmmm.
Step 5 inspired by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Let it all out!
In the same week that I fell out with my friend, my stress found a voice of its own. As I sat in an office with my university mentor, I just let it all out! After 10 minutes of vocalizing my internal angst, I felt a lot better. Turns out cleaning out a hamster cage, cleaning up after a cat, and essay deadlines tip me over the edge! As I finished loudly declaring everything that was wrong with my life, I reminded myself of when Harry arrives at 10 Grimmauld Place. Feeling kind of sheepish, I was able to talk more rationally about ways I can reduce my stress over this period. I did feel a lot better for vocalizing everything, but I was no closer to finishing my work, and I felt like a bit of an idiot!
Step 6 inspired by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Find an old book.
In true Hermione fashion, when I am feeling lost or out of my depth, I head straight for the library! I was trying to write an essay on the changing face of publication, but I had no idea what I was meant to be focusing my essay on. After many frantic web searches, I was completely lost and dashed to the library. I decided to head to the section I knew my topic was stored and found a book on the theme of the essay. In an eerily similar situation to Harry and Ron finding the Half-Blood Prince’s textbook; hidden in a dark corner of the library, a book caught my attention. I found a desk and opened it up and nearly cried with relief! Inside the book, some keen student had left multiple post-it notes with additional helpful references. I peeled out all the post-its and entered them into the university search engine. To my astonishment, I found articles on the topic to get me started! Sadly, there were no spells handwritten in the margins, but after Harry’s experience of using Sectumsempra, I was pretty relieved! After going through five books already, I was finally starting to make some progress on my work! Phew!
Step 7 inspired by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Parts 1 & 2
Overcome all your fears to produce an impressive essay.
Okay, here’s the thing: I suck at pressured writing. Some of my friends can pull an all-nighter and create a brilliant essay, but I can’t! I knew I needed to use every skill I had to make sure my assignments were okay! As I was running toward the finish line of essays being complete, I was able to have a minute to recognize how far I had come. I had time managed effectively, hit the library, and completed an essay plan. I realized I had learned a lot about how to be a good student. Okay, so I’m no Hermione Granger in the brain department, but I was learning and improving with each day. Surely, that’s the important thing?
I hope exam/assignment season isn’t getting you down. Remember it’s only for a short period! Try to learn from any mistakes you make and do your best!
