Читать книгу How to Write Brilliant Psychology Essays - Paul Dickerson - Страница 30

 Acknowledge that you feel like being distracted – being swept away from the bits that feel stressful with the work in front of you. Those feelings are fine, but why not carry on with your work anyway?

 Possibly probe why you have such negative feelings – often stress, anxiety and guilt – associated with your essay writing. Is there a way you can help yourself approach your writing in a spirit of play rather than of stress?

 If it is not simply too depressing, you might calculate how long – in a typical month – you spend on doing things that you slip into in an unthinking way. Social media, video games and TV are all likely candidates, but you can create your own list.

 Consider a deal where you will first do your writing and then go for distraction time. Finding the optimal timing for this is tricky, as the more distractible you feel the more you may have to charm your way into writing with the promise of an imminent break – but that break has to be timed too.

 You may find that certain environments might reduce some of the prevalent distractions that affect you. Writing with another person silently present, working in a café or library, or online study environment may work for you.

 Different times of day can have quite a different energy about them as both we and our environment change quite markedly. I am writing this sentence at 1:57 am. The house and the road outside are very quiet. It’s a different feeling from when I was jotting down some words here at 7:30 am yesterday, and different again from writing for a few minutes on a subsequent train journey with my children at 10 am.

 Always allow yourself back. It’s not too late. Don’t try to kid yourself that you’ve blown the day and there is no point in starting now. You haven’t and there is.