Concentrating on coursework...

[Sonnenuntergang]

Yo!

So here we go: Bascially I'm having issues with doing coursework. This is probably gonna sound a bit dumb but yeah. I'm doing a course which is really challenging and demanding in the workload and I've been given A LOT to do over the summer... So here I am, and I still haven't done enough. I don't let myself go out very much, because I think that I should be doing work indoors - but I swear - staying indoors all day is driving me up the wall! My friends keep asking me to go out, but I keep saying no and I think it's cheesing them off a lot and I feel like even more pressure is coming from them. I really want to go out, but a lot of my friends who aren't on the same course don't understand and won't leave me alone.

Also, I like to type essays and stuff up on the computer, so I spend a lot of the day in front of the computer and it's making me crazy! Because I need to research, I have internet access, but sometimes I abuse this and spend a lot of time on games and things. I tell myself that I'm 'having a break', but then I get addicted and keep on thinking "one more game" and end up spending a lot of my day messing around on games. My self restraint is really weak right now.

I get up in the morning with the intention of finishing an essay, or the like, like I did today, but I only ended up writing 500 words when I'd been sat on the computer for most of the day.

I constantly compare myself to other students and try and make myself feel better because someone else gets bad grades and I feel very down when people do better than me. I don't mean to be horrible, but I just want to be able to be on the same level as everyone else.

I panic like mad in exams and I've tried lots of things to calm myself down beforehand - to my shame I even drank an alcopop before one exam, but only ended up with a headache! I'm doing a 2 year course and all my exams are in May and to be frank, I am completely terrified!

I imagine that this probably sounds really silly and I know that grades aren't everything, but I come from a family that isn't particularly well off and I'm scared senseless that I'm going to end up like my parents and won't be able to provide for my family in the future.

I guess what I'm asking for is advice on how to keep a balance between studying, social life and God... At the moment I feel like I'm going nowhere and that I'm useless. I used to love playing the piano, but now it feels everything I was passionate about is being drowned by stupid college. Bible verses would be good, or some godly revision tips lol or something!

Thanks peeps.

See, this is why exams should be illegal.

 

[Marcus Constantine]

I'm not a particularly organized person by default - I have had to train myself to be more organized than I normally am comfortable with. I have a schedule that I keep beside my desk at work. It has Monday-Friday on it and then in columns under each day I have two tasks in the morning and then a block for lunch and then two blocks in the afternoon. There aren't any times, so it's less rigid, which I like. I think having some type of schedule would be good for you. You need a time to study, a time to write, a time to be around other people, and a time to meet with God (I sound a bit like the book of Ecclesiastes there). Setting aside blocks of time to do these things will ensure that all of these things get done. It comes down to discipline, which is a necessity for the Christian life and something that I'm still working on because it doesn't come easy to me. It also helps if you have friends that are more interested in being a college student than having a good time all the time. Studying can be boring and writing papers on things you really don't care about is also boring, but if you are where the Lord wants you, you should do the best job possible.