#5. set timer again and write essay

[nerdle-turdle]

Honors English I & II vs AP Lang for me has been:

"Oh no, it's Wednesday and this essay is due Friday, and I haven't finished the rough draft."

"Okay, I haven't written a thing, the essay is due first thing tomorrow, and it's 10pm. I've got time."

[horrormavenwescraven]

🧠 5 No-Stress Exam Revision Tips for CIPD Learners (That Actually Work)

Hey future HR leaders! ✨ Exam nerves kicking in? Whether you’re tackling Level 3 knowledge checks, Level 5 case-based assessments, or Level 7 theory-heavy essays—revision doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Let’s break it down with 5 chill ways to revise smart and stress less:

1. Focus on the Exam Format First 🎯

Know what you’re walking into. 💡 Try This: Multiple choice? Practice fast recall. Essay-based? Drill structure + theories. Ask your tutor: “What kind of questions can I expect?” You’ll revise way better with this insight.

2. Use Active Recall (Not Just Re-Reading) 🔁

Reading notes is comfy but doesn’t stick. 💡 Try This: Test yourself daily. Cover the page—can you explain HRM strategy or the 5D model from memory? No? Review it again. Repeat until it flows.

3. Mind Maps & Models = Your Best Friends 🧩

Link theories to visuals—it clicks faster. 💡 Try This: Create one-pager mind maps for key units like 5OS01 or 7SBL. Add key theorists, definitions, and how they apply in the workplace. Pin it above your desk. Boom!

4. Mix Study with Breaks (Seriously!) ⏳

Cramming burns you out—pacing wins. 💡 Try This: 25 mins focused study, 5-min break. Use a timer (Pomodoro style). Walk around. Breathe. Then dive back in with more energy.

5. Simulate Exam Conditions 📝

Test the real thing before the real thing. 💡 Try This: Set a timer, pick a past question, and write a full answer. No peeking! Afterwards, check against marking criteria. Improves confidence and performance.

🔥 You’ve Got This! You’re studying HR to change the game—don’t let exams psych you out. Use these tips, stay consistent, and go in with confidence. Got your own revision hacks? Drop them in the replies! Reblog to help another student. Need extra prep support? CIPD Assignment Help is just a click away. 🙌

#CIPD #CIPDExams #StudyTips #HRRevision #CIPDLevel3 #CIPDLevel5 #CIPDLevel7 #HRStudent #ExamPrep #AssignmentHelp #StudySmart

Let me know if you want the next one to cover study burnout, balancing work and study, or maybe CIPD referencing hacks. I’ve got your back! 💼✍️

4o

You said:

next

ChatGPT said:

Here’s your next Tumblr-ready CIPD blog post, all about managing study stress. Perfect for anyone feeling overwhelmed as they juggle assignments, exams, and life! 🌿💪

🌿 5 Simple Ways to Manage Study Stress During CIPD (Without Losing Your Cool)

Hey HR warriors! 💼 We know—CIPD assignments, exams, and deadlines can feel like a lot. When the stress kicks in, it can be tough to stay focused. But don’t worry, we’ve got 5 easy ways to manage stress while staying on top of your game. Let’s keep calm and carry on!

1. Break Tasks into Bite-Sized Chunks 🍽️

Don’t stare at your to-do list like it’s a mountain. 💡 Try This: Break tasks into smaller, manageable parts. Instead of “Write assignment,” try “Research theories for 30 mins” or “Write intro paragraph.” Celebrate small wins!

2. Move Your Body (Even for 10 Minutes!) 🚶‍♂️

Feeling tense? A little movement can clear your head. 💡 Try This: Take a walk, do some stretches, or try a 10-minute yoga session. Physical movement boosts your mood, increases focus, and reduces stress.

3. Prioritize Sleep (Yes, Really) 😴

No one wins with burnout. 💡 Try This: Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep. A well-rested brain is way more productive and focused. Need an extra energy boost? Try a 20-minute power nap in the afternoon.

4. Practice Mindfulness (No, It’s Not Woo-Woo) 🧘‍♀️

Stress often comes from our own thoughts. Quieting your mind can help. 💡 Try This: Take 5 minutes each day to meditate. Close your eyes, focus on your breath, and let go of the tension. Apps like Calm or Headspace are great for beginners!

5. Ask for Help When You Need It 💬

We all need support sometimes. 💡 Try This: If things are feeling overwhelming, reach out to a study group, a mentor, or even a tutor. They’ve been there, and they can offer guidance or reassurance. Don’t suffer in silence.

🔥 Stress-Free Study is the Way to Go! Balancing life and CIPD doesn’t have to be a constant struggle. Use these stress-busting tips to stay calm, focused, and energized. Got your own ways to manage stress? Drop them in the replies! Reblog this if you know someone who needs a little stress relief. And remember—CIPD support is just a click away at CIPD Assignment Help.

[laughingcomrade]

🧠 5 No-Stress Exam Revision Tips for CIPD Learners (That Actually Work)

Hey future HR leaders! ✨ Exam nerves kicking in? Whether you’re tackling Level 3 knowledge checks, Level 5 case-based assessments, or Level 7 theory-heavy essays—revision doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Let’s break it down with 5 chill ways to revise smart and stress less:

1. Focus on the Exam Format First 🎯

Know what you’re walking into. 💡 Try This: Multiple choice? Practice fast recall. Essay-based? Drill structure + theories. Ask your tutor: “What kind of questions can I expect?” You’ll revise way better with this insight.

2. Use Active Recall (Not Just Re-Reading) 🔁

Reading notes is comfy but doesn’t stick. 💡 Try This: Test yourself daily. Cover the page—can you explain HRM strategy or the 5D model from memory? No? Review it again. Repeat until it flows.

3. Mind Maps & Models = Your Best Friends 🧩

Link theories to visuals—it clicks faster. 💡 Try This: Create one-pager mind maps for key units like 5OS01 or 7SBL. Add key theorists, definitions, and how they apply in the workplace. Pin it above your desk. Boom!

4. Mix Study with Breaks (Seriously!) ⏳

Cramming burns you out—pacing wins. 💡 Try This: 25 mins focused study, 5-min break. Use a timer (Pomodoro style). Walk around. Breathe. Then dive back in with more energy.

5. Simulate Exam Conditions 📝

Test the real thing before the real thing. 💡 Try This: Set a timer, pick a past question, and write a full answer. No peeking! Afterwards, check against marking criteria. Improves confidence and performance.

🔥 You’ve Got This! You’re studying HR to change the game—don’t let exams psych you out. Use these tips, stay consistent, and go in with confidence. Got your own revision hacks? Drop them in the replies! Reblog to help another student. Need extra prep support? CIPD Assignment Help is just a click away. 🙌

[an-act-of-will]

Episode 5-Still here, and still writing

Thanks for tuning in to your regularly-scheduled writing journey podcast, An Act of Will. I’m your host, Sydney. Let’s get started.

First off, I’d like to thank you for being patient with me while I get this whole ‘podcast’ thing down. It’s been a little slow writing-wise lately because I’ve been working a lot at my day job, and when I’m off I just need to decompress because it’s just a lot. But this is what I’ve been up to.

In the Village, I finished off two scenes after I re-read them and found out that they were actually done, and not just kind-of done but need tweaking like I thought. So that was really encouraging. That’s one of the reasons I like the way I’ve set up my document right now- I can write little scenes and get the dopamine boost of finishing little tasks on the way to a huge task.

I also started reading through what I’d written again, taking notes along the way. I’m still in the process of that. I needed to do that because while I did leave short notes as to what preceded missing scenes, I only had vague descriptions of some. I legit have like ‘add romance scenes’ or ‘add more clues’ since it’s a mystery, but no ideas of what to add. So I thought reading through and taking more detailed notes would help. I only allowed myself to summarize or add brief notes in the margins, not edit directly. This way, I don’t get bogged down in details when the whole story needs work. That’s a practice that’s just good to have, separating drafting and editing. They require completely different skill sets, so trying to do both will bring nothing but frustration.

Before starting my work on The Village, I’ve been keeping up with my Ray Bradbury Challenge. Sort of. I’ve read three stories, essays, and poems and written one short story so far. Not exactly a lot, but it’s more than what I had and that’s always something to pat yourself on the back for. I haven’t exactly been sticking to the ‘read one of each every single day’ or ‘write a story every single week’ but it’s what I can do when I can do it. There’s nothing wrong with lowering the bar. It’s a challenge you’re doing to better yourself, so changing any arbitrary rules or adapting it to better suit your needs is always a good idea. If anything, you can always up the ante or lower it, depending on what you need. When you see your hobby as a chore you dread, it’s time to either take a step back or stop taking it so seriously.

That’s about all I’ve done in the time between last episode and the recording of this one, but I have a few days off so I’m hoping to get back into at least reading The Village again. If I do more, that’s awesome. If not, my expectations are manageable.

Since this update is so short, I figured I’d share some more of my process with you. For a long time I didn’t have a process, but around the time I started seriously thinking of ideas for this very podcast, I figured it was high time I made one.

The first step I did was figure out why I wanted to have a process. And the honest answer is because I want to finish projects fully so I can actually get them done.

The first thing I do is I organize my tools. First and foremost is my laptop, which I use to store all of my writing. I write digitally the vast majority of the time because I can type faster than my hand can move with a pen. Maybe I’ll handwrite a book in the future as a challenge for myself, but that’s far in the future if I do it at all, so yay for current me.

Next up is my Forest app on my phone. Forest is a productivity app that I love because unlike a timer, you can see your progress. You set a specific time, and at the end of it you grow a digital tree. You can see your progress through the day as it tracks, and you can also go back and see your weekly, monthly, and yearly progress. I’m one of those people that can like look at a timer and not feel like the time is ‘real’ because when the timer goes off, nothing happens but an alarm. I try to do a 5 minute warmup using just a regular timer because my free Forest app doesn’t go that short, then a break of like 2 or 3 minutes, and then 15 minutes of work. I try to work on a single project, but if I get inspired I write a few notes to myself on the side. Sometimes it’s physical, sometimes in my phone, sometimes just in a new document in my Scrivener file.

Next is candles. One thing about me is that I love candles. Lighting candles and having a nice scent is something that makes me feel like I have everything put together. I even have separate drafting and editing candles. My drafting one is sea mist and my editing one is coconut. I’m hoping that will act as writing triggers in the future since scent is one of the most powerful memory triggers.

Next is tea. I solely drink black Lipton because I’m a basic bitch. I also fix each mug with an ungodly amount of milk and sugar so it no longer tastes like tea, so there’s that.

Next is pen and paper. I know some of you are probably thinking ‘wait, didn’t you say that you type faster than you write?’ And yes. Yes I did, because I do. But using pen and paper helps me almost ‘unlock’ certain parts of my brain that don’t get stimulated by a computer, and it’s an awesome way of getting ideas out without worrying if they’re quote ‘good enough’ unquote. Sometimes I need a different method to get my creative juices flowing, and pen and paper is the way I do it.

This is a weird thing that I do rarely, when I’m really and hopelessly stuck- a rubber duck. I know, I know. But I read somewhere- and it may not even be true- that people who code software use them to talk out their problems in the code. There’s something about verbalizing blocks can help you work them out, and no one is available to listen to a writer talk 24/7. So a rubber duck is something that acts as a way to talk at something and get your thoughts out. I tend to record my rubber duck sessions so that I don’t have to remember every breakthrough.

Next up is star stickers. I found the method through a YouTuber named Alexa Donne. The point of the star sticker method is that if I’m a good noodle and write for 30 minutes, I get a shiny sticker. I get that star sticker for every 30 minutes I write. I also get a star for every thousand words, so if I do both I get two stickers. I know, it’s a little juvenile but sometimes you have to treat yourself like a kid. Plus, everyone I’ve ever met likes stickers. I decided to use it to my advantage.

After I have all my tools in place, I open both my current project and my free writing document. I use the free writing document when I’m stuck, and often it can start to shake things loose. If it doesn’t, I turn to either my physical writer’s notebook or the rubber duck

To write, I used to use Google docs, but since I heard tale that they’re using documents from there to teach AI, I stopped and moved exclusively to Scrivener. Is it a bit more inconvenient because I no longer have an app at my fingertips when I have an idea when I’m out and about? Yes, but I also have a notes app on my phone and can write things in there. Anything to disrupt the attempts of corporations to use AI to make art instead of humans. And that’s not me being ‘anti-computer-progress’ or whatever, it’s me doing my best to preserve people’s livelihoods and stop corporations from being able to use computers to do their jobs. Artists of all kinds deserve to be paid fairly, and AI is only hurting them. So I’m 100% against AI created so-called ‘art’.

That’s my process so far. I’m sure it will evolve and change as I do as a writer and human. And that’s something to embrace rather than fear. If something isn’t working like it used to, don’t be afraid to do what I always do- chuck it in the fuck it bucket and move on. Having to find new tools can be overwhelming, but once you do it makes your life a lot easier. And who doesn’t want an easier life?

That’s all for this episode. Thanks for coming with me on my journey through storytelling. I have a Tumblr at an act of will with hyphens between the words if you’d like to keep up with me there. I will see you in a month. Until then, I wish you well and happy writing.

[gotouniversityuae]

Cracking the SAT: Strategies for Success from Top SAT Classes in Dubai

Hello there, little dreamer! You must be dreaming of studying medicine abroad, and wondering how to secure a spot in a prestigious medical school. Am I right? Well, you know there is one quite clear way, you must pass the SAT exam. Nervous? Don’t be because Dubai offers exceptional SAT classes. These classes have been guiding students towards success for years. These classes are known for providing students with tricks and strategies which help them handle the toughest questions smoothly. And we are here to talk about the these strategies from Dubai’s top SAT classes that can help you excel in the exam. Let’s go!

1. Early Start, Smart Study:

Oh my god we can’t stress on this enough. Start your preparation early. Nobody like the last minute rush especially for such a difficult exam like SAT. Not starting your preparation early will only leave you with a lot of regrets. So you better start early. Make schedules for yourself and start covering each section everyday. Make yourself a routine and go!

2. Grasp the SAT Format:

Studying aimlessly would not help. You need to have all the information about the exam pattern, the timing, the kind of questions being asked, entire the syllabus thoroughly. Knowing the format will only give you confidence on the exam day. So, so do your research before reading just anything.

3. Time Management Mastery:

No matter how much you study and how will prepare you are on the exam day if you cannot finish all your questions on time there is absolutely no point. So what you need to do is you need to master the art of timing. You can improve your time management skills by taking a lot of practice tests and mock tests. Set a timer for yourself before starting the test and evaluate how will you could manage time.

4. Strengthen Math Fundamentals:

Yes maths can be quite difficult, but you know what? Practice makes a man perfect. So what you need to do is you need to practice the concepts problems again and again. Focus on the previous year questions, look for the questions that are being asked frequently, look for the areas where you need improvement. Try to practice the problems that scare you the most because the more you will practice them the more you will be able to grasp them.

5. Enhance Reading Comprehension:

Reading comprehensions can be a little tricky. You need to practice again and again focusing on the core strategies such as identifying the main areas, scanning and skimming.

6. Develop Writing Proficiency:

Developing writing proficiency is very important for SAT exam. Improve your grammar, sentence structure, and essay writing. The best way to enhance your writing skill is writing at least one essay everyday.

7. Authentic Practice Materials:

Please don’t be misguided when it comes to authentic study materials. Do your research and pick out the best books and study materials that you need to do good SAT exam.

8. Analyse Mistakes:

Analyse your mistakes, analyse the areas where you need improvement and always remember mistakes are a part of learning.  And you can improve yourself through regular practice.

9. Seek Expert Guidance:

If all of this is sounding a little overwhelming here’s what you can do. Enrol in a sad coaching class in Dubai and you’ll be good to go.

10. Stay Positive and Confident:

Positivity is the key. Stay hydrated, stay positive. It will automatically boost your confidence which means you will be able to perform better on the exam day.

We hope, this was helpful. Good luck to you!

[nanowrimo]

Five Tips for Memoir Writing When the Words Feel Too Hot to Touch

Memoir writing can be powerful, but often times, requires the writer to look back on difficult times in their lives. NaNo Participant Emily Henderson talks about her own experiences with memoirs and gives tips on navigating painful experiences.

Content Warning: Death of a child to cancer.

I've been working on a memoir for what feels like 1000 years. In the beginning, I wrote about how, by the time I was 18, I lost both of my parents, one to a plane crash and the other to breast cancer. I wrote about my descent into alcoholism and eventual path to sobriety. I wrote about marriage and motherhood, all against the backdrop of my love for running. I thought this would be my memoir.

But then, in 2019, my youngest son Aiden was diagnosed with brain cancer, and four months later, he was gone. Suddenly, the memoir I had in my mind no longer made sense, and I stopped writing. It wasn't until the pandemic that I returned to journaling and running to process my grief. I decided to run every street in my city, and thus a new shape for my memoir began to form.

In 2021, I threw my hat in the NaNoWriMo ring. I began knowing how hard it would be to write about my son and all the trauma surrounding his death. I wanted to protect my mental health while I tried to put words into the most painful moments of my life. Below are a few strategies I employed to help me win NaNo.

1. Gather Source Material

I re-read old journals, blog posts, and social media posts. I highlighted different themes and organized them into sections. For instance, I marked scenes from my childhood and those about my son with different colored highlighters. The idea is to avoid getting lost in memories when the focus should be on writing.

2. S.O.S. Journal Prompts

On days when the words just aren't flowing, I like to have a few journal prompts handy. I write them down on index cards and pull them out when I get stuck. I made some of my biggest writing breakthroughs with these prompts.

“The doctor said….”

“On a good day….”

“At my age….”

3. Change your entry point.

I wrote around and around the scene where my son dies, possibly trying to change the ending, but I couldn’t seem to get it right. Rather than bang my head against the wall, I came at it from a different angle. I wrote about my husband and how our marriage grew stronger through our son's treatment. Then when it came time to write the worst moment of my life, where my husband and I hold each other as we say our final goodbyes, I felt more relaxed and confident that I could do the scene justice.

4. Write a rant.

I have a lot of anger around the loss of my son, and I find writing a long rant about how unfair it all is, helps to clear the cobwebs to find the truth in the narrative. I like to set a timer for 20 minutes and write nonstop, even if all I write is, “I miss my son,” over and over again.

5. Non-judgmental social support

Writing about trauma is emotionally draining, and I knew I would need to decompress after tapping into the harder parts of my story. I scheduled lunch with close friends with whom I could talk openly. They often made connections I couldn’t see, and that led to even more writing breakthroughs.

Once again, life keeps happening, and in January, I gave birth to my fourth child. She is next to me as I write this, cooing and grunting while she sleeps. It seems my memoir has shifted once again, and I have a perfect epilogue to my story.

Emily Henderson is a freelance writer living with her family in Santa Barbara, CA. Her essays have appeared in HuffPost Personal, Scary Mommy, Writing Class Radio, and The Santa Barbara Independent. She is currently working on a memoir about processing the loss of her son while running every street in her city.

You can read more of Emily’s writing on her Substack, I’m Really Very Literary, or follow her on Instagram @emilykathleenwrites or visit emilykathleenwrites.com. Photo by Carli Jeen on Unsplash

[your-fav-is-an-ib-kid]

idk if you want/can answer questions like this but um do you have any advice for people going into the IB program ?

hi! Good luck on the getting into IB! I would absolutely love to give some advice. As much as this blog jokes and complains about it the program can be a really cool thing that teaches you a lot of skills and the content can be super engaging if you have good teachers. Every school is different naturally but here are some general tips! (And this blog is certainly followed by plenty of current or former IB kids so if any followers have advice please feel free to add to this post!)

1. First and foremost: You’ll be fine. So again, this whole blog is full of people complaining and joking but the IB program is nowhere near as bad as the worst you’ll hear. Don’t let the culture around it trick you; if you do the work you will be okay. Staying all night every night, needing caffeine to survive, having no social life etc are not actually things that should be part of your normal life and if you’re that overwhelmed there’s likely problem you may need to work on. Find what works best for you, keep up with the work, and keep an eye of your mental health. It might be harder than what you’re used to at first and there may be an adjustment period but you can do it promise. 

2. Actually do the work and prep work. It is 1000% easier when you take the time to do the work. Could you not read the material and BS- class discussions and exams? Maybe. But it will be way harder than actually taking the time to read the book. And hey some of it may actually be pretty interesting.

3. Try your absolute hardest not to procrastinate. Especially on the big stuff. Pretty basic tip but boy does it help. Sometimes procrastination feds from an anxiety about doing it right. Know that just starting gets you on that path. Sometimes it’s executive dysfunction. Find your best personal fix for that: setting timers for stating and breaks, setting specific times, pairing a task with another easier chore or pair it with going out somewhere else, having a designated study zone/time, break the task down etc. Personally I also like writing down assignments as due much earlier than it’s actually due to trick my brain. Whatever works!

4. Learn to study. A lot of IB kids are ex-gifted kids who never learned to study but in IB you actually need to. Even if you aren’t it’s good to learn to be good at studying. Learn what’s best with you. Do you need a designated study area? Alone or with classmates? Test questions or reading over notes? Try to avoid cramming though-study in blocks. You’ll especially need to learn how to memorize memorize memorize

5. Make friends with your fellow IB kids. You’re all in this together and it’s much more fun to be stuck with friends. And to have peers to work with. Make study groups, make group chats, have hang-outs. This can help you succeed in class and keep your mental health intact. Reach out to teachers too when you’re struggling ideally, they should be there to help you

I believe they changed some of the exams and things after I graduated so some specifics may not be relevant. Any recent grads/current students please feel free to correct me. But here’s some quick specific tips:

1. get started early (start logging CAS activities ASAP, brainstorm ideas and prepare sources for essays and projects (especially the EE!) long before you need it, read the literature and memorize quotes, prepare your arguments and evidence and understand both.

2. Anything can count for CAS if you make it count

3. Know your literary features

4. make sure to prepare for the specific format of the exams and projects. IB is very strict about their guidelines. Ideally your teachers should prepare you by teaching these guidelines and giving practice papers. Most of them are essays and many of them you have to come with evidence memorized

5. Take classes that interest you. there’s not a whole lot to choice in IB but if your school gives you options absolutely take them.

Overall good luck! Don’t stress! You’ll get what you put into it. And then you can come back and laugh with the rest of us.

[medieval-canadian]

Hello :) would you happen to have any tips/resources for people with adhd who are behind on work and NEED to get stuff done? It's the holidays but I have a big research paper due in 2 weeks and I haven't done a thing, it's making my life miserable worrying 24/7 about it 😭

oh man. oh babe. im so sorry you’re in this situation, and also i have no idea when you sent this and therefore no clue if im responding in a timely manner or not, but i totally 100% feel you because i was doing the same (worse) with the grading i dragged forEVER and also now im in a very very similar boat with my special fields prep. so this may end up being a useful exercise for me, too.

i guess my top tips would be:

1. take one day fully off. not off by virtue of the fact that i made no progress even though i tried (no matter if “tried” looks nothing like trying from an outside perspective, we know it’s not that simple). just. off. you are not supposed to do any work on the thing today. today you are going to wash your piled up dirty clothes (and if you’re feeling ambitious maybe even FOLD IT and PUT IT AWAY!!) (i have literally never done those things all on the same day though so like. no pressure). or whatever other thing is staring at you from its pile of filth. have a meal. take some naps. rest a bit, guilt-free.

2. once you’ve had your day off, sit down and make a list. making that list may start with looking up other lists (WITH A TIME LIMIT I.E., A LOUD OBNOXIOUS TIMER. if u have a mac look up the nag timer app). basically every time i have to write a research paper, i have to look up a step-by-step on how to write a research paper. that’s (for me) often the first obstacle--i can’t start because i don’t remember how to write a research paper, so how the fuck would i know where to start? now that you’ve got a step-by-step guide (or four), combine/customize them into your own list. my version of the list often has way more detailed steps than any of the ones i looked up.

2b. that list may look like: -turn on computer -open word doc -set up MLA formatting -pull out syllabus/assignment description -choose prompt/topic/text (30 mins) -open google & search basic terms (15 mins) -open library website and search terms (20 mins) -open google scholar and search terms (15 mins) -etc.

***N.B. i don’t know what discipline you’re working in so like, keep in mind i’ve only ever written literature research essays.

***also, it’s pretty important to try to set those time limits; use timers. if you really need more time, you can set the timer again, but having the buzzer go off helps you to pause and evaluate: do i really need to go down this rabbithole? do i need to spend more time searching for a source to support my claim that Irish independence happened in 1923 when i just wasted like 3 hours on that? or can i just assume that that’s common knowledge in the course on the Irish Literary Revival? (true story) (why that was so hard for me to find i cannot say but it was and i couldn’t get my brain unstuck from it until i got really pissed off and was like “FUCK THIS” and then thought, wait why am i bothering)

3. take a break--go for a walk, play with your pet, slice an apple for a snack. REFILL YOUR WATER (if you haven’t been drinking up till now, drain the bottle THEN refill it) (i always forget to drink and it’s WILD how much that will mess up your workflow)

4. consider playing pretend--it may sound silly/stupid/i haven’t done that since grade school, kat, what the fuck are you talking about, but honestly sometimes it works! pretend you’re your fave character lost in a research binge (i rly like stiles from teen wolf, okay, and it’s the perfect vibe for getting into it). pretend you’re a big important researcher whose findings could change the field forever and they are desperately needed PRONTO. etc.

5. if all else fails, ask for an extension if you can!

[lesbeet]

sorry to ask a big question like this unprompted and of course please don't feel a need to answer this, but i'm having difficulties right now as a college student who managed to never really practice composing formal writing in high school and my first 2 years of college now having to take writing intensive courses. i feel like theres a lot of shifting between different modes in a bit of an intuitive way needed to write effectively, and i'm sure with practice i could get a better sense for that, but in general ive never been good at organizing my thoughts and have a lot of trouble with executive function issues/adhd stuff that make it so that when people try to break things down like ‘just write an outline before you write to structure your thoughts!’ as a simple first step it feels like theres so many unnamed steps i’m supposed to figure out before i can even get to that point. i get the feeling there might just not be easy answers applicable across different people beyond the normal steps people recommend for essay writing and i just have to continue trying to figure it out even if it feels pretty fruitless right now, but i just wanted to ask since i know you’ve talked about both being an english teacher and having adhd (while ofc that doesnt mean youve had that issue, i at least feel it might be easier than how ive tried to articulate my issues with people knowledgeable about writing in my life who dont have adhd or anything) i was wondering if you maybe had any advice about how i could approach this or break things down further or anything? thank you so much even if you just read this and don't respond, my apologies for sending all this!

i'm actually going to approach answering this from more of an english teacher perspective than from an adhd-er perspective, bc i find that a lot of my students without adhd also struggle with organizing their thoughts and putting them into words to a degree that necessitates further direction beyond just "go write an outline"

i can't really give you any specifics without knowing the style of writing or the goal of the piece, but 9 times out of 10 you'll be pretty well served by either:

1. compiling evidence until a pattern emerges, which will help you figure out your overall angle, thesis, claim—whatever you call it, it's the central idea that your writing piece is pointing to. then you can figure out the best way to present your evidence in support of your central idea

or,

2. if you already know what point you want to make, then it's just a matter of figuring out the best way to do it. is there specific evidence that you can use to support it? is there a particular train of logic that you could delineate to help your reader reach the conclusion you're trying to present? sometimes trial and error is best here, or even setting a timer for 5 minutes and typing stream-of-consciousness-style nonstop about the topic to see if any repeated ideas emerge. again, looking for patterns helps here, and adhd-ers are often particularly adept at pattern recognition! once you've found the patterns that will help you make your point, it's honestly not the worst idea to just rearrange them in your head until it feels like it makes sense. most poorly organized writing i read is only poorly organized because the writer put down the ideas in the order they came up with them and didn't try to rearrange them into something more effective. if you try putting things in different spots, you'll start to get a feel for what makes sense, which ideas logically lead into one another, etc.

for writing fiction, honestly the same options can work for brainstorming or outlining, but instead of a thesis, it's a theme, and instead of evidence and a path of logic, it's characters and a plot.

ik this is super vague but i hope it was helpful! if you want more specific advice, feel free to reach out over chat! thank you for being patient i meant to answer this yesterday kdsjflksjd <3

[jungle321jungle]

Ten Of Swords: Level One

The world of Swords of Power and Conquest was one Virgil dove head first into, giving his soul and life to the game. He would play whenever he could, and had even decided he wanted to go into game design. At times he had even dreamt of how wonderful it would be to be inside that world for even a moment- until that world became his reality.

The familiar world he had come to love was now a foreign prison, one with no way out.

A Log Horizon AU. If you don’t know what that is, this is a Show Better Than SAO AU. If you still don’t know, the sides get trapped in a video game.

Ao3 - Masterlist 

Taglist: @hells-missing-a-goat @angels-and-dreams @ollyollyoxinfree @gattonero17 @chumo-cookie @dreaming-always @anxiety-ismy-name @mrbubbajones @janustheliar

~~~~

Level One: A Place That Doesn’t Really Exist

He had gotten the game on a whim out of boredom. It was something he heard of a lot from kids at school, but with a laptop as old as his he had never considered getting it himself. And then he got a new laptop for his birthday. And a few days later, knowing he’d be bored during his family’s Christmas party, he downloaded it. It had taken forever honestly, and he kept going back and forth to his room to see when it would finally be ready for him to play. When it finally was prepared he had sat on his bed surrounded by younger cousins who had made their way into his room (past the door he had been 80% sure he had locked) and made his character. They had opinions on his character’s look, and even the name. But finally he thought he had found a way to both trick and satisfy the kids, and typed the name of the toddler in. He had fully expected the system to reject the name and then the kids couldn’t complain when he changed it to something he actually wanted. He hadn’t expected the game however to fucking accept “Anthony” as his screen name.

It had been a stupid introduction gaming, but back then Virgil didn’t realize how much of an impact Swords of Power and Conquest would have on his life. At one point he had thought the name was cheesy, but soon enough just like the rest of the world of Lirya, Virgil fell in love with it.

The intricacies of the many skills available, the complex fighting system which interpreted those skills, and the way it seemed to thrive without any form of class systems, were all mesmerizing to Virgil in ways he couldn’t describe. He had thrown himself into the game playing day and night (much to his parents’ dismay), and fell more in love with it each moment.

He had tried other games, at the urging of friends who claimed Swords was too pointless with all the holes in its main quest. Those games had been fun, and Virgil had even tried a bunch of different genres. But there was something about Swords which always pulled him back. Maybe because it was his introduction, or perhaps because the constantly updating side quests and his in game friends were too great to give up. So much so that years later Virgil found himself not only playing, but wanting to go into game design. He wanted to create- to work on something just as good, if not better than Swords. To give someone else the feeling he had when he first started the game.

He was a true geek wasn’t he?

“I could’ve told you that,” Simon commented.

Virgil rolled his eyes as he typed out his reply, you can’t tell but I’m rolling my eyes

He heard as the guy gave a slight laugh, “You know the point of this feature is to talk right?”

My roommate’s napping, he was feeling sick

“Rude of him... I just got a message from Tact. Apparently he wants to meet and talk.”

What about?

“Doesn’t say. Just says he has some info worth paying for.”

Go handle it. I’ll watch things here

“Sounds good, don't get more handsome while I’m away.”

Virgil rolled his eyes but didn’t bother to reply as Sam teleported out. He gave a stretch as he looked about his screen and the empty shop. On the other side of that virtual wall would be customers hanging out and lounging around, he supposed he could switch outfits and join those working, but he wouldn’t gain much from that. Maybe it was time to sign off for the night, he could watch some of the Twins’ videos. The latest guild had apparently done a large raid against one of the sphinxes of legend, that would be a cool video to watch. With that thought in mind he logged off and when the window was closed he noticed his calendar open.

His calendar with words written in red for the following day.

CALC TEST

A curse slipped from Virgil’s mouth as he glanced at his clock. 5:34. If he skipped dinner and studied straight until midnight maybe- just maybe something would stick. Hopefully.

~~~~

Virgil was on the brink of committing murder.

Not only was he stressed about his exam in the morning, but his roommate’s, Jonas’, NyQuil fueled snoring had been loud enough on its own. But on top of that there was  the sound of their neighbors. Virgil had never been a fan of those living in the room to his left. This was usually on account of one them seeming to have an “overnight guest” over too often subjecting Virgil to sounds he wished to erase from memory. But tonight that wasn’t the case (at least not yet), tonight was a party.

A loud party which had gone on far too long.

The party had begun probably around nine or ten. And since it had only persisted and grew in volume. At first Virgil had knocked on his wall annoyed, but when that had yielded nothing he had gone over right before midnight to complain about the noise. The one who had opened the door had been taller than him, and if Virgil wasn’t so annoyed and tired he probably would’ve found himself spending more time staring at that gorgeous face as opposed to bitching about the noise. The guy had nodded once and had promised to quiet down.

But that had been two hours ago.

And it seemed Virgil’s second trip to yell at his neighbors to shut the fuck up a few minutes prior had done just as much good. So there was only one course of action left.

“You told the fucking RA?”

Virgil looked up from where he had been staring at his Calc notes in preparation for the test about to begin to the face (of who else but) his neighbor. “I asked you to quiet down twice,” Virgil replied looking back down to the equations in front of him.

“But tattling? What are you? Five?”

Virgil took a deep breath as he looked back up to that face. “It was two am.”

“I don’t care. No one else on the floor seemed to care.”

“That’s not my fault.”

“Alright everyone!” The professor cut in. “It's that time!”

As if calculus exam’s weren’t bad enough on their own, his neighbor’s eyes were glaring holes into the back of his head the entire time. He definitely failed that test. And the pop quiz in CS. And then he had left his Spanish homework in his room (and turns out the asshole neighbor is in that class too). Oh and of course he couldn’t forget he still had an essay due.

Today was just shit in its purest form.

And there was only one shovel Virgil knew how to use.

He couldn’t stop the sigh of relief which escaped his lips as he sunk into his desk chair.

“I take it you had an amazing day?”

Virgil just gave his roommate the finger as he pulled his laptop from his backpack. After glancing at the clock he could play for about an hour before needing to switch to writing his essay in order to be done before it’s due at 11:59. “Hey will you yell at me to stop in an hour?”

“Set a timer,” Jonas advised. “I’m not being yelled at again for forgetting.”

Virgil rolled his eyes before doing as he was told. With his timer set he pulled his headphones on and logged in. Logging in was accompanied by a message from Ralph.

The Silver Green Sharks and the Zora Regime are warring today on the Sheriyan Ruins in two hours. I’ll send a follow up with the exact coordinates soon as I know.

Virgil glanced at the time the message was sent with a smile as his inbox refreshed with a new message. Ralph seemed to have perfect timing as always.

He found a spot toward the outer ring of the ruins where he’d been hidden in the shadows of the collapsed building. And not a moment too soon, because it was then others began to arrive at site. But after nearly forty minutes, Virgil was finding neither guild seemed to be timely. They just seemed to have taken sides, but neither had bothered to attack. Virgil’s fingers were itching for something- anything to do. They needed to start fighting soon, before Virgil spent too long playing and his essay (and grade) suffered as a consequence. He sat there, spinning his phone’s ring stand in his hands and biting his tongue, and then a shout sounded over his headphones. He hadn’t been paying attention enough to know what it said, but the moment the voice ceased the two armies charged.

The chaos was instant, and Virgil had to stop himself from smiling at the sight- he had nothing to smile about just yet. His eyes scanned the details of everything in his character’s field of view- which wasn't much in this spot. But even if he moved further out he wouldn’t have enough information... He’d need to get to higher ground to see anything, but he’d need to risk being seen. But then again the risk was a portion of the fun. Virgil’s eyes flickered to his skills list, his mind already running through the combinations he knew. This was the true fun of Swords. To a new player a single skill was simply that. To a veteran its a building block, a string meant to be interwoven in an unseen pattern with others to create even better ones. The combinations were near limitless overall, and every pattern held potential. But even with so many patterns only five patterns could be saved to be used a single click before the level cap. Others would take long casting time purely based on the abilities of the player.

The skills, the skills, the skills.

Virgil could and had gone on and on explaining to friends the combinations he had found and written down, and he could go on about theories he had for new ones. But this mission wasn’t the time. It wasn’t the time to think about improving his skills to get what he needed, right now he had a single saved skill, which would be useful in this situation, Silent Presence. A sneaking and cloaking skill which would keep him hidden for five seconds before a cool down too long to let him use it again if needed. Virgil took a deep breath and poised his fingers on his mouse and keyboard. He’d run, look for higher ground while looking out for any possible grabs, use his skill and then steal the best thing he could.

He took a deep breath and then he was going. He ran out amongst the masses fighting, dodging them as he went. If anyone noticed him, they didn't say anything or try to fight him, most likely assuming he was a mercenary. He moved quickly spotting a higher bit of a crumbling wall, a few feet higher than the rest and everyone’s heads- perfect. He gave another deep breath, and then charged the wall. He jumped up to another crumbling piece and then double jumped up to the top ensuring he used Silent Presence as he did.

Virgil bit his tongue as his eyes scanned the screen and zeroed in on where a few of the The Silver Green Sharks and a Zona regime commander surrounded, and she was failing to fight back. But regardless of who would win, there would be some nice drops. The only problem was that he wasn’t sure how much longer that fight would last, but with Silent Presence ending he had no choice but to move and hope for the best. He hopped down and started running going wide to see the fight going on his left. But as he went Virgil’s gaze couldn't help but slip to his timer and he bit his tongue noticing how much was left, three minutes. Maybe he’d go a few minutes past, he’d just need to get a good drop to make it worth it.

The Silver Green Sharks had forced the Zora Regime’s commander back away from her troops. There were three of them, surrounding her, forcing her to back up as they attacked him from long and short range with all the skills in their arsenal. From his angle none of them looked particularly impressive by Virgil’s standards, but it didn't matter. She was failing to fight back despite the impressive looking sword in her hand (a high level one no doubt given the Zora Regime’s status), so her HP wouldn’t last much longer. And that meant Virgil needed to move faster. He glanced at his remaining skills debating if he should save his Speed Sprint for before or after this grab. But looking at how badly this commander was doing he didn’t have much of a choice. He charged forward watching as the commander fell and the Silver Green Sharks began to jump for joy. Virgil didn't waste time jumping with them. He used the last of his speed burst to run up to the dead character.

The sound of his timer pierced his psyche and Virgil’s fingers slipped causing his character to stumble, but he tried to regain his momentum as he reached the fallen commander. The moment his hand was on the sword he wasn’t even sure if anyone was following him but he didn’t bother to check as he continued to run as fast as he could. He gritted his teeth as he ignored the sound of the timer ringing loudly in his ears, he couldn't think about that right now. Right now he needed to focus on the game. So in case of pursuers, he switched the sword strapped to his back, for the higher level one he had stolen. He had never been good enough with long distance weapons to rely on them. He could only rely on how fast he could run. He ran for the outer edge of the Ruins where he could dive into the forest. His fingers were flying across the keyboard queuing up a teleport crystal. For a moment he thought he was free-

“Turn the thing off!” Jonas shouted at him.

Virgil grimaced but didn’t bother responding as enemies began to come his way. He gave a swallow, eyes scanning the map for an escape as he tried to ignore Jonas’ bitching in the background. Damn he should’ve saved the fucking sprint.

The cliff. It was a gamble but if he managed to get the edge, maybe they would slow down enough rather than push him off the edge. He just needed enough time to plug in the coordinates to the crystal. That would only take what? Four seconds? Could he buy himself that much-

“Virgil!”

“Shut up.” He returned, or was he directing it at the shouting voices in his headphones. Quite frankly he didn’t care. They were gaining on him, but as he reached the edge his character skidded to a stop. The enemies behind him didn't close in but they were too close for comfort. If they shot an arrow he was dead. Virgil gave a swallow as he finished typing in the last of the coordinates a risky plan before him.

“Virgil!”

He jumped from the cliff and hit teleport at once, and as he began to teleport he felt an overwhelming amount of relief. He couldn't help but smile as Jonas snatched his phone away, nor did he care about the angered shouts in his headphones.

And then came the deafening static.

It was sudden- it was loud- it was piercing and Virgil let out an involuntary scream of pain. He reached to rip off his headphones only to feel his body crash to the ground as his vision flickered. Until he was left completely alone in the darkness.

A groan escaped Virgil’s lips as he pushed himself to his knees. He rubbed at his closed eyes wondering how the hell he had managed to take such a hard fall from his chair before he opened them.

He was greeted with the sight of grass. Grass and trees.

Virgil gave a swallow as he pulled himself to his feet trying to annoy the way his heart had leaped into his throat which was already constricting itself. He tried to force down his panic and the rising bile- he tried to breathe - but his gaze was focused on the sign.

On the sign he had once helped put in this exact spot. But that didn’t make sense, that spot- this spot- that sign- was at the fork leading to the tavern- to a place that doesn’t really exist...

At least, not outside of the game.

~~~~

Level One - Level Two

[friendfromdsmp]

Being Productive In Lockdown

What with Coronavirus keeping everyone in lockdown, I’ve noticed that people have been feeling guilty about not being as productive without the incentive or push to meet deadlines. Here’s how I (a bad choice to speak on this tbh I’m terrible with both procrastination and executive dysfunction) would advise you stay productive during lockdown:

1. Make a list of what you need to get done THAT DAY. Not tomorrow, not over the week, THAT SAME DAY. Break it down into as small a step as you need to, if everything seems to big - even include getting anything you need to perform the task could be included. Nobody can tell you how much to write as one step. Also, make sure you can mark off each task as it’s completed - you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment that will make it easier to continue and you can visually see how much there is left and how well you’ve done so far

2. Get started on the list IMMEDIATELY. If you leave it to later, you won’t start at all (or at least I probably wouldn’t lol). Your motivation is probably high from making that list and giving yourself the illusion of productivity, right? Use it! 

3. Grab your phone and some headphones. Don’t look at anything else, go straight to your music and put it on, then pocket that phone immediately before you get distracted. If music isn’t the best idea for you for a particular activity, take the headphones anyway - people are less likely to distract you if they think you can’t hear them and they won’t derail your motivation

4. Tick off every task as you do it. That’s your cheat sheet for organisation and tiny amounts of motivation through achievement, so make sure you use it! Even if it’s as small as ‘get geography book’ or ‘load the dishwasher’, you’ve still done good! You earned that tick!

5. Praise yourself for each task completed, no matter how big or small. So you’ve only completed your first task and it was only ‘put away cups’? Well, that’s still you being productive! Tell yourself that you did a good job, tell yourself that you’ve done good and that you’re proud of yourself. You might feel a bit silly or that your lying, but it also allows you to practice building yourself up! Eventually you’ll know it’s the truth and you’ll feel so good about yourself, just like you should!

6. Make a game or competition of it when motivation is low. Compete with a friend or family member to finish your tasks first, or challenge yourself to finish before a certain time. ‘I bet I can finish this sentence before Ed Sheeran finishes this song’ or ‘I know I can finish this question within five minutes - let’s set a timer and race it’ are great. The idea is to appeal to your competitive side to get you motivated again, as well as (get this!) using anxiety to your advantage - you know how you manage to rush out a whole essay the night before it’s due but you wouldn’t know where to start if it wasn’t so close to the deadline? Giving yourself some kind of solid deadline can help you tap into this ability, but since it’s completely inconsequential whether you meet that deadline or not, you can continue afterwards without concerns. No real pressure!

7. Take breaks whenever needed. You know how we have that list of everything you wanted to get done today? Well consider it a side quest as opposed to the main objective. Contrary to what you may think, you don’t have to get it all done. You want to be productive and you have been productive, even if you haven’t done it all. Go ahead and half-ass the whole thing, it’s still something! You never said you’d do it all, you made a commitment to do what you could and sometimes you can’t do much - which is perfectly okay! As long as you did your current best, you’ve done good and should be proud of yourself! The plan wasn’t to stress or burn yourself out, so take all the time you need to relax, gain your physical/mental strength back and remember that a few things ticked off is still better than nothing and it means less work tomorrow!

8. Don’t deny yourself food, water or sleep to be productive. Don’t stay up late to get that very last task complete or skip lunch because you’re on a roll. If you still have that motivation, great! But don’t forget to take care of yourself - you are and always will be right at the top of that to-do list and are more important than any other task. Remember I said earlier to consider the list a bunch of side quests? Well you’re the main game. People don’t get games for the side quests, they get the game for the main objective. Why are you any different?

9. Once you’re done, whether it be through finishing the list or just feeling like that’s enough for one day, reward yourself. You’ve done amazing today, even if you didn’t complete your list. You were super productive, don’t let yourself forget it! Go on, watch your favorite show or YouTube series or movie, go eat that special snack you’ve been saving, have a long bath or shower, take a nap, go take a walk, play with your pet, play a game, enjoy your favourite dinner, whatever will make you happy! Didn’t accomplish everything you hoped to accomplish? Treat yourself anyway! You were still productive, give your brain a little positive reinforcement for being so good! Let yourself be happy and proud of yourself rather than focusing on the ‘it’d be better if I had done this...’ BS. You earned happiness, not negativity!

[uni---verse]

Ten concrete tips that help me study / be productive as a procrastinator

- Sometimes I find it easier to multitask than to sit still during online lectures, but the side task has to be a "brainless" activity such as unloading the dishwasher, doing laundry, making pasta, or anything else that's automatic and still allows you to listen. It's often even easier to remember the content of e.g. an audio file or online lecture if you associate it with the image of making a toast in your head, it's like certain aspects in your memory are linked to certain movements or images (similar to the street strategy where you go for a walk and associate certain buildings with certain bits of information). Doodling helps as well, but with other tasks you get the feeling of double productivity and have more time during the day.

- Summarise texts paragraph by paragraph and write down the most important information from them so you don't have to re-read the whole text to find one important fact.

- Break your tasks down and state clearly what you need to do and how long each step will approximately take. Timetable your week (or just your day if you can't plan that far ahead) and start each task at a specific time. THEN DO NOT LEAVE YOUR TO-DO LIST UP TO INTERPRETATION OR VAGUE LIKE “DO WORK”. WHEN YOU WAKE UP, START DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR THE DAY. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. DO NOT GIVE YOURSELF A CHOICE. THIS IS THE PLAN.

- Got a small but annoying task to do? Do it IMMEDIATELY. Before breakfast. Before getting comfortable. With your coat still on if you just came home. You won't even notice doing it.

- If you have to do something easy that takes a little longer, like hoovering, cleaning, copying a text into your notebook, cutting paper into smaller pieces, or clicking the ad button 100 times to get free cash on FishLive, you can either listen to music while doing it or set a timer/microwave/kettle/oven and see how fast you can do it. Little chunks are the most helpful, e.g. set a timer for 30 seconds to 1 minute and see how much you can get done during that time. Then set another one, and another one, and another one. Soon it will be done.

- Start small: Say "I will work on this for 5 minutes". (Or if you have an event later in the day that can serve as a "deadline": tell yourself you'll work until e.g. your boyfriend gets home.) That way it doesn't seem overwhelming at first but gets you in the zone. Chances are you'll want to finish once you've started. And if not, try again later / tomorrow.

- If you can, set a specific time for each task if you have several ones. That way you won't be doing one task and feeling guilty about not doing another. There will be a time for everything. You can't do everything all at once, or you'll end up doing nothing.

- If you're stuck on an essay because one word is difficult or you don't know how to phrase the next sentence, do another paragraph first. Stuck on an exam question? Do another question first! Mark it as incomplete, and even if that one sentence remains incomplete in the end because time ran out, at least it didn't keep you from writing entirely.

- Split each task into segments / categories, for example: "unpack boxes" sounds overwhelming and vague. "Sort through boxes and categorise items by: memories / art / rubbish" makes more sense and gives you a pointer where to start (in this case: start by marking three areas on the floor for memories / art / rubbish). For an essay, you can aim for a certain word count, topic, paragraph, or chapter each day. That way you'll remember to take breaks while still feeling like you finished something and are making progress. And you'll have an overview of how long it's gonna take if you work on it consistently every day, which will make it easier to get into a routine.

-If you consistently fail to motivate yourself to start a task, take one step now to prepare everything for the task. For example, if you can't bring yourself to watch that lecture - have the tab open on your laptop, so when you start it up in the morning, it'll be there and all you have to do is click Play. If you have trouble going outside, lay out your clothes for the next day so that hurdle is out of the way. If you don't like cleaning your room, put large bits of rubbish away first so you only have to take them to the bin.

[christinefoley]

How To Manage Time and Work Like A Boss

I’ve been a teacher for nearly thirty years now, and so I should be red hot at knowing how to manage time. After all, the average classroom teacher regularly has so many plates spinning on a daily basis that every limb is a whirling blur in perpetual motion. Experience has taught me that allowing even one plate to go gyrating off its axis can bring chaos and catastrophe for the whole delicately balanced collection.

Blogging

But this blogging malarkey- well, that’s different. And I’m finding the whole issue of time management more challenging than I’d anticipated, to be completely honest. I mean, thinking about the whole idea of becoming a blogger was…well- just fantastic, really. I love writing, and blogging means that I can write about stuff that really interests me, and never again have to write about things that just don’t.

Primary School Teacher

To clarify what I’m talking about, you may not know this, but the average primary school classroom teacher is obliged to take an interest in such mind-numbing subjects as: rocks and soils, units of measure ( both metric and imperial), adverbial phrases and subordinating and coordinating conjunctions. Admit it- you’re bored already! Imagine having to feign interest in that lot- and a whole host of even more boring topics besides- for nearly thirty years! I don’t know how I’ve done it!

Working From Home

So, what I thought was: become a blogger: write about interesting things, things that get my fingers positively sparking over the laptop key board: it’ll be great! Hey- and you get to do it from home, and manage your own time! Goodbye M6! Goodbye difficult parents! Ta-ta to staff meetings and professional development and tedious meetings about assessment. No more report writing- hurray!!

This will be the new pattern of my Week

Monday morning: awakened at 7am by the alarm- no more 6:30 for me anymore! Up, dressed, breakfast and ready at my laptop to report for writing duty by 8:30 am at the latest.

Straight into writing/ preparing next blog post.

Timetable

9:30 am: take first break: wee, coffee, throw the ball for the dog in the garden for around 20 minutes, then back to the keyboard to work steadily through until lunch at around 12:00.

12:00 healthy lunch put together: salad, hummus, green stuff- that sort of thing- and eaten before 1pm before returning to the laptop for another hour’s work. That hour will be spent emailing, and suchlike.

FREE TIME!

2pm-5:00 FREE TIME! Wow! The whole afternoon off!!

Obviously ,this precious time will not be frittered away on any kind of pointless activities: no, it will be utilised for exercise, dog-walking and attending classes that I’ve really wanted to attend but have always been otherwise occupied teaching PE, the Egyptians or subordinate clauses or suchlike. No, now I will spend my afternoons attending French conversation sessions, singing, creative writing workshops and book clubs. I may even join a hiking club and enjoy hiking in the nearby Lake District.

5pm: teatime. Evenings will be spent working on my blog business- no more than an hour or so- and then I’ll actually go out: live music, pubs, the theatre, meals out- whatever I want, because there are no lessons to plan for the next day- and certainly no marking. Fantastic!!

Manage Time?

It’ll be a joy! No more telling myself I’ll do an hour’s marking, then I’ll fill in those assessment tables and then I’ll spend another hour and half preparing tomorrow’s lessons, before……..NO MORE, No more for me!

So, you’re asking, has it worked out like that?

Well, the fact is that I’m still teaching at the moment, so haven’t had the chance to try out this new lifestyle which I have planned out for myself just yet; but I’m having this creeping suspicion that I’m not going to be able to live that life exactly to plan.

Deadlines

Why not? Well, I guess I kind of like deadlines- I am programmed to respond to them anyway. I was always that one who started working on my essays well before the deadline at university, so that I had plenty of time. I was never the last minute panic type-no, I kind of used the whole two weeks preparation time to get pages of notes together and then panic over the last few days about how I was going to create anything of any value out of all that stuff.

Being My Own Boss

What worries me now, is that, as a blogger, working on my own blog, I am going to have to impose my own deadlines, and I’m not convinced that I’ll be all that good at it. It’s that thing about being my own boss- in one way, it’s what we dream of, but in another way it’s kind of scary. I mean, when you’re at work and things go tits up, the boss is ultimately the one who has to take it on the chin- not you. But if you are your own boss, and things don’t go right- well……it’s all your fault.

How To Manage Time and Work Like A Boss

So, before I cut the umbilical cord of a regular job and life pattern, I’ve been researching some hints and tips from the experts about time management- I’m in my note-taking preparation stage.

Find Your Most Productive Hours

Now, there’s a great idea! Work out when you are generally at your most productive and schedule most of your heavy lifting tasks for those times. A  first rate tip for time management- after all, how many people have you heard declare themselves a ‘night owl’ or ‘an early bird’? Loads, right?

Night Owl, or Early Bird?

So obviously that got me to thinking about myself: am I a night owl, or an early bird? A night owl, probably, because I’m used to working in the evenings after school. OK, so save all the deep-thinking stuff for the evenings. Yes…..possible, I guess.

Write a to-do List the Night Before

Undeniably a top idea! Apparently, only takes about five minutes and it means that the next day you can hit the ground running without any fiddling about. Hmmm, so- five minutes before bedtime…just a quick list…

You know what that would mean for me? Five minutes writing, followed by 45 minutes lying awake thinking it all through. Sleep well and up at 7:00 am to hit the ground running? Not on your nelly.

Back to the drawing board…next tip for how to manage time, please?

Start on the Most Critical Task First

Yes….now, that’s good….I get that. Get the thing that’s bothering you most out of the way first thing and you’re bound to feel better about yourself and what you can achieve.

Now that makes perfect sense! Thing is….that’s just not me. No, better for me to get a few little things ticked off my list first to get me stoked up with enough confidence to bring out the big guns and get cracking on those tasks that are going to CHANGE MY LIFE.

Sit down at my laptop and hit myself straight between the eyes with something that scares the pants off me and has probably kept me awake ever since I wrote it down on that to-do list the night before? That just ain’t happening.

Next hint, please….

The Eisenhower Matrix

What d’you mean- you’ve never heard of it? Well, I’m not a fan of tables, because they bring out all my twitches, but this one makes perfect sense- you may want to look it up. In essence, the idea is that you write down all the tasks you need to do- in one, long, terrifying list- then you categorise all the tasks. If it’s urgent, mark it ‘U’, if it’s important, mark it ‘I’, and if it’s neither of those, then cross it out.

Still following me?

Next, you evaluate how much time each of the remaining tasks on your list is likely to take and arrange a plan for yourself. Now, I must admit, I’m liking this idea of time management…especially the stuff that you can cross off the list altogether. The aim is to identify your genuine priorities: which tasks on your list are going to get you to achieve your objective the most quickly, and which, simply, are not.

Like it. Yes, this is one for me! Next tip, please…..

Use Time Constraints- Set a Timer

This tip to help you to manage your time advises using a timer to set time to achieve certain tasks, as the task will inevitably expand if there is an unrestrained time in which to do it. The idea is to beat the timer- complete the task in even less time than that which you allocated!

Hmm. Have I not escaped the 5-9 to escape exactly that- time constraints? The school timetable is gone, so I devise one of my own? Not sure I want to do that to myself, although I do understand the benefits of this time management idea, and every task does undoubtedly expand if there are no constraints in terms of time.

Hmm… I need to think this one through…….and while I’m thinking about it I might just make another cup of coffee and put a load of washing on…maybe iron those few shirts? Watch a bit of TV?

No, Christine, you’re talking about being productive, remember? Now, sit down and just get on with it.  

Next hint to ace time management, please.

No Distractions

No browsing your ‘phone, checking through emails, doing odd bits of housework. Now I have struggled with this trick of how to manage time, but have actually had a breakthrough in recent weeks.

What has worked for me, is to go out of the house- no dog wanting to play, no endless possibilities for making coffee and no housework-style responsibilities. The other benefit of being out of the house-for me- is no silence.

Silence

I’m not very happy with silence- it makes me a bit edgy. Never been very productive working in libraries and such places. However, it’s no good putting on music either, because then I start listening to that instead of concentrating on the job in hand.

Coffee Shops

I’ve found that coffee shops are my perfect place for productivity. Not only is there the gorgeous aroma of freshly-ground coffee beans wafting up my nose, but there’s just the right kind of background noise- neither too loud nor too silent to distract me. Obviously, a great cup of cappuccino also enhances the whole experience.

If you would like to learn more about how to manage time, and tips that you could use to improve your own productivity, then take a look at this excellent article by Dan Silvestre: ’23 Time Management Techniques of Insanely Busy People.’

[dxitydoo]

So... the iPhone SE...

Alright this one is gonna be a long one so scroll on past if you’re not interested. If you are, then buckle up because here’s a multi-part essay about my opinions on the new SE.

For anyone that saw my post about getting a new phone and wondered what phone I got, I got the new iPhone SE (yes, I’m an Apple person. Don’t come for me).

At first, I was seeing videos of people getting excited over the phone but now, as time has gone on, those same people are now making videos criticising the phone.

Admittedly, they have some good points to bring up. The battery of the new SE is not amazing. It doesn’t outlast my dad’s XR which is somewhat annoying to say the least.

My counter-argument to that is that it lasted a whole day of me playing games on full brightness in the sunlight and didn’t die on me once which is honestly incredible after the last phone i had but anywho we’ll discuss this later.

My problem with a lot of those videos is that I feel like they’re getting the wrong end of the stick about what the SE is trying to be and they’re comparing it to the wrong phones.

The Original SE

The original SE’s main selling point (seriously why did Apple name them like this this is confusing) was that it had the newer internals of the 6S (so the faster processor, the better camera, etc) in the smaller body of the older 5S.

That was why I, and a lot of others I’m sure, liked it. Because it was a newer phone but in a size I preferred.

It also didn’t break the bank.

The old SE was praised for combining new and old in a way that complimented the old form-factor and rejuvenated in while also allowing people to access the newer features that were coming out in updates. At the time of writing this (27/04/2020), the old SE still supports new iOS updates and runs iOS 13 with minimal hiccups (not counting the fact that iOS 13 isn’t the most bug-free of updates).

But now, in 2020, the new SE is released and people are criticising it for the same thing they praised it for back in the day. They’re complaining that it has Touch ID, that it doesn’t have a edge-to-edge display, that it’s small, that the battery isn’t good, that the camera doesn’t stack up.

Look.

Everyone is free to have their own opinion. If you don’t like the SE, that’s fine. You don’t have to. No one is forcing you to. Just keep scrolling coz I do like the SE and I’m about to defend it til I run out of breath.

The “Old” Body

The SE combines old and new. That’s it’s schtick, that’s its gimmick. It was the thing for the 2016 SE, its the same for the 2020 SE. Although I would’ve loved to see an SE with an edge-to-edge display like any of the X or the 11 range, I’m not super surprised it hasn’t happened.

In fact, the small changes they have made, such as all colours now coming with a black bevel (and the better colour matching between the bevel and the screen), make it look really high-quality and beautiful honestly.

It has the same body as the 6, yes, but it doesn’t look like the 6 because of that colour-matching. And I appreciate that.

Oh! And the back being the non-metallic colour? God that’s sexy. The back is more reminiscent of the 11 (or the XR, I suppose, depending on what colour you got) than the 6 or 7. So it’s not unchanged?

Touch ID and Haptic Touch

Again, a controversial topic. The Touch ID in the SE is like the 3rd Gen or something?? I don’t actually know. But it’s several generations in at this point and it shows.

I came from the original SE, which had one of the first ever generations of Touch ID (if not the first) and the speed with which this new phone unlocks is incredible compared to the older model.

I tap the button once and the phone unlocks instantly. That is it.

Maybe it’s cumbersome to have Touch ID back again after all this time but if you’ve come from a Touch ID phone, especially one of the older models (which really... I think that’s probably the intended audience), it’s a big improvement.

And look no further for someone who was viscerally against the fake button Haptic Touch thing.

I hated the idea of it. My view was I either wanted the real button or no button at all. Full stop. End of story. You’d never change my mind.

Yeah... the new SE changed my mind.

I have the haptics turned up to the highest setting and it actually feels like a real button. Its less spongy than a real button, of course, and feels stiffer (kinda? Maybe just shallower) but its actually a really satisfying feature.

I remember first trying the fake button on the 7 and it vibrated at the wrong time or you’d try to press it to do one thing and it’d do another. It was confusing and made it very difficult to use.

I will say now I haven’t actually tried using an 8 so I can’t pass judgement on that but i like the SE.

And the Haptic Touch is really really nice.

I never thought I’d have a phone that has built-in rumble when playing games but here we are. This is the future.

Aside from being kinda nifty to feel the vibration in your hands when something happens on-screen, the Haptic Touch vibrates under your finger when interacting with the rotating dials to set timers or reblogging posts on tumblr. It’s a weird experience but not an unpleasant one and I like it way more than I was expecting to.

The Small Size

As for the size?

I really like it.

It’s big enough that it feels like a step-up from my old phone but not so big that I’m struggling to hold it (*cough cough* the XR *cough cough*).

Okay so my touch-typing is suffering a wee bit at the moment but tbh I started to struggle on my old phone before I upgraded coz the screen was just a little too small so it’s more a me thing than an it thing. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

The camera.

I feel the need to mention that my last phone was the 2016 SE so, maybe it’s because my standards are really low, or maybe I’ve never owned an 11 and, therefore, have no comparison for it that way? But I don’t think the camera is bad.

In fact, I would even go so far as to say the camera is really fricking good.

After using a phone with a front-facing camera that could barely shoot 480p, stepping up to 1080p on the front is Wild™. The difference between this new camera and the old one is incredible.

If you want a camera that shoots good quality photos, has good colour balance, can actually show the sky as blue when shooting through a window (yes this is how low my expectations are), then omg this phone is incredible.

Obviously, its never gonna beat the 11 with its two cameras and its not gonna be able to contend with the 11 Pro series with their three cameras but hey, the phone is like half the price so??

The Battery

Okay, so lets talk about the battery.

I know this is a bit of a sore spot with people because iPhones recently have been coming out with bigger and better batteries every year.

I did a quick check through and, according to Apple, the battery life is about the same as both the 7 and the 8, which makes sense as they all share the same body. Unfortunately, that means that its probably a size issue. As in, thats the longest a battery of that size can last in a phone. Which is kinda annoying.

But, this is a post about my experience with the SE and I haven’t ever owned a 7 or an 8. My mum owned a 7 and the battery on that was god-awful and I’ve had a much better experience with my SE than she did.

First of all: some context.

Again, a friendly reminder my last phone was a four year old SE. It was a 64GB one as well, so you know I’m being legit (they stopped selling the 64GB (in the UK at least) about a year after the phone’s initial release).

So the battery on my old phone was absolutely fine. At first. As time went on and the phone got older, it did, unfortunately, begin to struggle.

As a reference, a few months before I replaced it (given lockdown doesn’t give the most accurate overview of what it was like to use on a day-to-day basis), it wouldn’t make it through a day at school without dying at least once, sometimes twice.

I had to carry a portable charger with me everywhere I went.

I left my house when it was on 100% and, by the time I got to school after an hour on the bus, it would be on 60-70% on a good day.

Letting your battery die everyday is really not good for it but, try as I might, I couldn’t stop it from happening.

I tell you this to let you know that my criteria for a good battery is literally just “lasts me through the day”.

I’ve had my new phone for about three days now and it hasn’t died on me once.

I played games on it in bright sunlight with the phone on full brightness for several hours straight yesterday and yet it still lasted me through the day and then some. After being off charge for 11 hours, it just about hit 20% before I put it on charge.

Today, I was on social media: tumblr, instagram, youtube, for the majority of today. Both tumblr and instagram had an uncanny ability to completely decimate the battery life of my old phone. They could reduce it from 50% to 40% after 5 minutes. But, again, no problemo for my new phone.

It got to about 50% today before I put it back on charge to go have dinner.

I’d say that lasts through the day quite nicely.

Especially given it’s getting a lot more use than it would normally because a) I’m stuck inside with nothing to do and b) shiny new phone!!!

But I digress.

So, Why Does The SE Exist?

I’m gonna be real. I don’t think the iPhone SE (2020) is trying to be anything fancy. It’s not trying to be the next iPhone 11, it’s not trying to replace the XR. If anything, it’s replacing the 8.

I don’t think the SE is a bad phone. It does everything it says it does and it does it well.

I think the YouTube reviewers have it slightly wrong. I don’t think they should be comparing the SE to the 11 or the XR because, realistically, the people who own those phones aren’t gonna be buying the SE for themselves.

The people who are gonna be buying the SE are the people who have the 5s or the old SE or the 6s or even maybe the 7. (I’m not sure how noticeable the jump would be from 8 to SE, given they have very similar specs).

They’re the kind of people who want a new phone but don’t have the money to go for the more expensive XR or 11 range.

Or maybe they don’t want a giant phone because idk bout you but I have small hands and the XR is both large and heavy and that’s not practical. Plus, the XR with women’s jeans? Really? Not happening.

So, while I understand why reviewers are comparing the SE to the 11s or the XR—because the SE has the internals of those two and is closer to them in terms of release date—I don’t think it’s actually realistic.

TL;DR

YouTube reviewers are comparing the SE to the recent phones when they should be comparing it to the older ones, which is the more likely transition. The iPhone SE has a lot more going for it than people say and I really like it.

[momentofmemory]

it’s almost the end of october, which means one of the greatest, most terrifying exploits known to writers is upon us: NaNoWriMo.

there are plenty of super good survival posts out there, but as this’ll be my seventh time participating (six wins, hoping for a seventh), i thought i’d drop my own set of tips into the mix. i’m going to focus mostly on the practical details of how to write; if you want tips on the writing itself either search the writing/reference tags or pester me to do another one later :P with that said, ~on with the post~

Step One: Figure Out Your Goal

i know, i know, obviously it’s to write 50k, but what does that mean to you? are you expecting

polished prose, ready to send off to a publisher?

being able to write every day? 

just throwing up a bunch of ideas?

a mix of everything?

all of these are valid, but they’re going to require different approaches. if you want jaw-dropping writing, you’re going to need in the ballpark of five or more hours each day, if not more. if you want consistency, you’ll want to look at your normal schedule and set up a couple times you know you can write at. if just you want words, pretty much all you need to make sure is that you squeeze writing time in whenever.

your goal will probably change as the month progresses, and that’s totally fine. just check in every so often to remember a)what you’re working for and b)if it’s actually plausible. speaking of...

Step Two: Realize Your Limitations

1. Typing.

imma get super practical here: your typing speed dictates how fast you can get done. if you write 40wpm (the average), you cannot write the full 1667 in a half hour any more than you can run a mile in under three minutes. it’s honestly not a bad idea to check out your own speed, if only to help you understand yourself better. in my experience, actual writing then works like this (using my max speed, 89, as an example):

Absolute Max: 89 wpm (baseline)

Warring: 70 (75% of baseline)

In the zone: 45 (50% of baseline)

Taking my time, concentrated: 22 (25% of baseline)

anything lower than your max/4 probably means you’re spending a lot of time either researching or staring at the page, so just be aware of that.

2. Time & Focus

this kinda goes without saying, but best case scenario this is at least 1-2 hours of your life a day, or dedicating full Saturday/Sundays if you’re a weekend warrior kind of person. it’s so, so worth it if you can make time for it, but also don’t feel bad if you can’t! doing a half nano (25k) or whatever you want is also a fully acceptable plan.

that said, if you do have time, figure out your focus too. if you’ve never been the kind of person that can type for six hours straight, you will probably not magically become this person when it hits Nov. 1 (though with practice, you might be by Nov. 30). i like trying to write at least 300 before work and another 300 during lunch. that way there’s only 1k left for the evening, and having words on the page just makes me feel better. experiment with different ways of blocking out your time in the first few days and see what works best for you.

3. Don’t Forget You Live in a Body

writing is hard work, you will need to eat brain food! hunching over wrecks your back, stand up and stretch every so often! you will hate existing if you forgo sleep for days! and for the love of charles dickens, patron saint of getting paid by the word, take care of your mother-effing wrists!!

seriously on that last one. i’ve ignored it in the past and thoroughly screwed up my wrists one year; don’t be me. keep in them in a neutral position, do regular stretches, and if you need to, get wrist wraps (i recommend these).

Step Three: Actually Doing the Thing

the previous steps have had pretty broad advice, but now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty. these are mostly things i know work for me, and therefore may not for you—adjust to your own needs!

1. Write for 15 Minutes Every Day, Non-Negotiable.

i don’t even mean this is a “write 15 min and then your brain will be tricked into writing more” kinda way, but like, literally. you’re probably not going to be able to do 1667 every day—sometimes you’ll be tired and just won’t have the time. you’re very likely, however, to have 15 minutes, and you’ll want to use them. Doesn’t matter if you write 50 words or 500 in that time, at least you’ll have done something, and that’s usually enough to keep you from feeling like just giving up the next day.

2. You Might Need Physical Spaces

i’m a pretty sensory person when it comes to writing, and having a dedicated writing space is so helpful for me. going back to the idea of being an embodied person, it’s a lot easier to get your brain into a writing mode if your body’s already there. some good options include:

coffee shops (cozy! food!)

a specific room in your home (easily accessed! do what you want!)

libraries (free! quiet!)

a friend’s house (writing buddy! easy access to sounding board!)

all of these places usually have access to wifi, which is a positive.

3. You Definitely Need Digital Spaces

i pretty much always write in the same processor, once again because it helps set the mood. the main options include:

google drive (solid choice, cloud backup, mobile accessible)

dabble writer (cloud backup, links to nano, dark mode, chapter options)

write or die (only for actual writing—a scary but effective motivator; save elsewhere)

word/pages/etc. (ready to go on your computer, formatting options)

scrivener (great plotting tools, detailed interface)

i use dabble writer myself (they’re a nano sponsor, so you can get it free for this month, and as a double bonus you get it half off for the rest of the year if you win). and no, i’m not getting paid to wax poetic about them, but honestly i’ve used it to win the past two years and i adore it. 

anyway my biggest tip here is that i SUPER SUPER DON’T RECOMMEND NON-CLOUD OPTIONS. it’s very risky, but if you must, do a proper back up at least once a week. that shiz is not worth it.

4. The Timer is Your New Best Friend

because i’ve heard this argument before: no, it’s not a crutch, and no, it’s not cheating. it’s literally best practices. i’m personally a big fan of this online timer, and i let it run for 15 min every time i write. after each session i check how many words i wrote, then after maybe a quick 1-2 min break, start over.

you can totally set the timer for longer or shorter periods, depending on what works for you. i’m a fan of the 15 min sessions bc it’s just long enough to get a bit of flow going, and just short enough that i can convince my spacy brain that we can get through it without wandering. it’s also a fantastic length for warring, if you’re down for that.

5. Write That Idea Down for Lewis’s Sake

the original idea for the chronicles of narnia came to c.s. lewis when he was at a restaurant, and thank the lord, he wrote it down on a napkin. he wouldn’t write it until some time later, but if he hadn’t written it down, he might’ve forgotten it. why is this important, you ask?

BC YOU WILL FORGET THINGS.

if you have an idea, write it down in your phone or your notebook or the waterproof paper in your shower, because i don’t care how sure you are that you’ll remember it, you super won’t. i’ve forgotten many solutions to plot holes in my time and i still hold vigils over their graves. don’t be me. write it down.

Step Four: Managing that Inner Critic of Yours

all right, pay attention. i’m not going to tell you not to edit, because i would be a massive hypocrite if i did. i totally edit during nano. the important part is letting your editor help you win, not hurt you. and that means gaming your critic’s system.

1. Have a Dedicated Deletion Section

many people hear “don’t delete anything” and baulk, because for some of us it’s distracting and we want to rewrite that section until it matches our vision. so, i’m here to tell you: delete it!! rewrite entire chapters!! just save the original content as part of your word count. this is another reason i love dabble, bc at the start of nano i just make a separate part of the book, label it “delete”, and any time i’m writing and dislike a sentence/paragraph i just dump it into that folder and move on. this way you still get to keep the numbers (and why shouldn’t you? you wrote them!) while also writing words you actually like. plus, sometimes that line you deleted in ch. 1 winds up being supremely pertinent in ch.15, and now you can just copy/paste it instead of having to try to remember what exactly you’d said.

2. Acknowledge Ranting as a Time Honoured Tradition

think there’s no precedent for that 2K diatribe you wrote on the london underground? well fear not, because you can’t possibly do worse than hugo’s entire chapters worth of content on the french sewer system! or melville’s frankly terrifying obsession with the finer features of whale biology!

like, yeah, maybe you’ll decide later you don’t need it, but for now, embrace that soap box. dead white guys have been doing it for centuries and still get places in college syllabi. the least you can do is give it a place in your word count.

Step Five: Have Fun!

i know, i know, it’s cliche, but seriously. if this isn’t fun, or at least rewarding, why are you doing it anyway? so enjoy it! send passages you’re proud of to your friends! daydream about it in the car on the way to work/school! cry over a notebook about the twist you just came up with! nano’s a time of fun and exploration, and you shouldn’t miss out on it because you’re thinking too much.

also, this might be counter productive to put at the end of an essay on nano, but don’t obsess over reading essays on nano :P there comes a time when one must simply do, and nano is pretty much the definition of that.

[harrysdimples]

Okay so I'm about to start working on a big project for college and I always find myself very very anxious to start? Like as of right now I have everything I need to start filling out my journal like all my resources and images etc but I'm finding it SO hard to start, like it fills me with this sense of dread but the longer I leave it the worse I feel, I hope this doesn't sound silly:(

oh it doesn’t sound silly at all hun, I struggle with the same issue all the time lol (currently experiencing a similar problem rn in fact) and I know how frustrating it can be. I think the main thing you need to think about is why ur feeling so overwhelmed by it and anxious to start it, is it bc the amount of work you have to do is scaring you, or is it more to do with you being nervous that it won’t be the quality you want? I think in either case, the best thing to do is just start with literally just 5-10 minutes of looking at something to start off, not even writing anything down or whatever. literally just put a 5 minute timer on your phone and open a few tabs to see if you find anything to start you off. if you feel motivated and like you can continue working for a little bit after the timer has gone off, set it again but add another five minutes onto it and so on. if you still feel really overwhelmed by it, maybe try writing a to do list just so you can manage what you have to better with seeing the stuff you have to tick off? if it’s like an essay based thing, try writing just random bullet points of things you want to include and build a few sentences around that and eventually (for me anyway) it turns into me being able to develop paragraphs out of them. another big motivator for me is changing the font and colour to red comic sans because I hate looking at it so much lol and it motivates me to write faster so I can change it back to normal at the end. it’s just about breaking the steps you have to do, down into smaller goals that are achievable when you’re feeling stressed by it. don’t beat yourself up about feeling this way, a lot of people feel similarly, and I know you will feel ten times better if you even just get a little push to do that 5 minute starting point. you’re gonna smash it babe!!!!