Doing a runner..again.

Ciao,

Yes.
Again.
I know.
I'm sorry.
I'm a flake.
A letdown.
A huge disspointment.
Sorry.

One day I'll actually write about thing's well and people will enjoy reading this but right now there's far too much going on.

I'll be back when I can - promise!

Vixxie.

Silence is golden

Ciao,

As Atlas Cerise so sweetly pointed out at the bottom of my last post I have been silent for just under a month, which, no matter how you dress it, is appaling!
But the truth be told I've just been far too busy!

For about a fortnight after I posted I spent most of the day and all of the evening curled on the sofa being a total Snooker nerd, and no I am not proud of this addiction but I just love Snooker to peices so judge me as you will!

Snooker Hero Ronnie O'sullivan, whom I may be
just a little bit in love with..

But what's more important than that (apparently) are my exams. I've been stuck revising, learning, preparing and being rather bored by schoolwork. Of course there have been highlights and days off but whatever free time I have I've learned to snatch selfishly for myself nowadays.
I have another 4 modules in June/July but the big 2 hour R.E exam (worth 50%!) is over now at least!

So I'll try and make more time for this little project but over my exams it'll have to come second.



There will probably (no promises!) be another post before next Wednesday that's a little better than this one so sit tight.


Caffeine and calculators,
Vixxie.

Staying motivated

Ciao,

I thought I had to write about this because it's something I'm no good at. And we all know that to write about something you have to kow what you're saying so off I went to do some research.

This was totally me! Ha!

Staying motivated is important for everyday life and if, like me, you are someone who looses focus easily or can't get interested in the first place then this article may just be for you!
I've chosen to focus it around homework and coursework but I'm sure it can be applied to loads of other things!

Consistency and routine.
I'm a total routine-nerd. If there's no routine nothing gets done with me. Schools fine because there is an hour for each lesson and the layout of the day is always the same. Homework is not so good because it's my own time. I come in, grab a snack and surf the net for a bit. Then I might play a game (major Sims nerd!) and then have dinner. Then it'll be about 6 or 7 and I might have a bath or take the dog out. Then I might..and the list goes on. The thing is that since there's no specific time to do something it can always be done "later". There's always something else to do and homework seems so boring! If you set a specific time to do something and always do it at that time then it'll become second nature. It really helps to have a good routine.

Make it fun.
I know this sounds really stupid. I mean, Homework? Fun? The two just don't mix. But you could try to make it sound more appealing by tweaking the normal way to do it. Things I would recommend are:

• Go out! To the park, to the library, round a friends house (warning: may do more harm than good if you're both easily distracted!), or, if you have the guts, sneak somewhere you're not supposed to be and do it!
  
• Find a funky pen. Simple, I know, but it makes homework so much more bearable for me when I can doodle in a bright red marker or write all swirly with an expensive pen. I've even done maths homework in crayon before!
  
• Swap! Find a friend who's homework you'd prefer to do and make it a personal challenge to get them to swap with you! Talk, guilt trip, flirt, promise, blackmail: do anything to make them swap! But please, do a good job! It's not fair to let your side of the deal go - plus they won't want to do it again!
• Race against a friend. Obviously don't do this if you've got a mega important essay to hand in beause you need to concentrate for that but for smaller homeworks it's funny. All you need is a friend with the same homework! If you want to make sure you're both not cutting corners try marking each others work after; for every mistake +1 second!

These are just some ways to make it seem..um..less of a drag; if you have your own slam 'em in the comment box!

The "just five minutes" rule.
This little nifty trick if a life saver! If you're thinking about whatever it is you have to do and dreading it just say to yourself "I'll only do five minutes." 9 times out of 10 you see that it's not as bad as you thought it would be and that it won't even take that long in the first place! I've become so much more productive since implying this. And even if you still don't get into the work you can always break for a while and do another five minutes later. Unfortunately though, this may not work for essays unless you have a looooong time to do it!

Having a manager.
Usually parents do this without your permision and it's just called "nagging". Well no more! Why not ask someone to watch over you and keep you on track. Parents are good choices as long as they remember to check up on you and don't nag too much. Friends can be good but if they're round your house you probably won't be doing homework, if they phone you could end up talking for hours and if the nudge you on MSN you know it'll start a nudge fight! ;)
And alarm or something is usually perfect, however.

Inspiration.
Go: find some! Now!

Rewards.
Ah, the timeless classic. You can reward yourself with some time off, a bag of sweets or a night out. Better yet - and so you don't cheat! - make a deal with a parent or friend. If you do this (and do it well!) they'll take you out, buy you those sweets or let you have a few hours all to yourself.


Well, these are just some tips I've picked up through the years, I'm sure there's plenty more and if you have any of your own drop 'em in the box!

Cuddles and cookies,
Vixxie.