For the part of semester when “just get organised” isn’t quite cutting it.
Somewhere between the mid-semester break ending and Week 9 beginning, my calendar became slightly offensive.
An assignment here. Placement work there. Classes, Storyteller work, regular work and exams sitting just far enough away that I can still pretend they’re not happening.
I looked at everything and had one very reasonable thought:
“Okay. I’ll just be really productive.”
As if I had discovered something revolutionary.
This is usually the point in semester when the productivity advice starts appearing too. Start early. Make a timetable. Prioritise. Get eight hours of sleep.
All very sensible.
But sometimes, you already know all of that. Sometimes there is simply a lot going on.
Maybe everything isn’t urgent
I’ve noticed that when I have five things to do, my brain likes to treat all five as though they’re due tonight.
They usually aren’t.
So lately, instead of trying to perfectly organise the next three weeks of my life, I’ve been asking a much smaller question:
What actually needs me today?
Sometimes it’s an assignment. Sometimes it’s placement work. Sometimes it’s the email I’ve mentally replied to approximately seven times without ever actually pressing send.
It’s not a groundbreaking productivity system, but it makes a long list feel slightly less loud.
And when I do finally choose the assignment?
Maybe you just need to start… badly
There is something about a blank Word document that makes me believe my first sentence needs to be brilliant.
It does not.
Some of my assignments have started with three questionable bullet points, half an introduction and “FIND A SOURCE FOR THIS” written aggressively in the middle.
The polished version can come later.
At this point in semester, I’ve realised that starting badly is usually much more useful than waiting to suddenly feel ready.
Maybe your break should actually be a break
This is one I am still learning.
Closing my laptop, immediately opening my phone and scrolling for 40 minutes does feel like a break.
My brain apparently disagrees.
When deadlines are getting closer, stopping can feel strangely unproductive. But I’ve had evenings where I’ve stared at the same paragraph for so long that even the paragraph was probably tired of seeing me.
Sometimes my reset is an iced coffee and a different study spot. Sometimes it’s a walk around campus. Sometimes it’s going home and deciding that today has simply done enough.
The assignment will still be there tomorrow.
Very loyal of it.
Maybe the plan genuinely needs to change
And then there are weeks when even your best plan doesn’t survive Monday.
You get sick. Something unexpected happens at home. Work gets complicated. Life, very inconveniently, continues happening even when an assignment is due.
I’ve realised there’s a difference between “I left this a little late” and “something has genuinely affected my ability to get this done.” And when it’s the second one, trying to quietly push through isn’t always the only option.
La Trobe has processes such as 3-day extensions and Special Consideration for circumstances that affect your assessments. They’re not a magical “deadline please disappear” button, there are eligibility requirements and processes to follow, but they’re worth knowing about before you’re sitting there wondering what you’re supposed to do.
And not every difficult week is really about the assignment itself. If something is affecting your wellbeing, Wellbeing Services is there to support students, and if you’re experiencing concerning, threatening or unsafe behaviour, Safer Community is another place you can reach out to for advice and support.
Sometimes managing a busy semester isn’t about sticking perfectly to the original plan.
Sometimes it’s knowing what to do when the plan changes.
So, how am I doing?
Well, I’m writing this near the end of semester, so I can’t exactly tell you I’ve cracked the code.
My calendar is still full. Exams are still approaching and future Shubhi will almost certainly have some feedback for current Shubhi about the assignments she could have started earlier.
But I’m starting to think this part of semester doesn’t need a brand-new, perfectly organised version of us.
Maybe it just needs us to decide what matters today, start somewhere even if it isn’t perfect, recognise when we’ve done enough; and occasionally admit that another productivity tip isn’t what we need.
Anyway.
I should probably go open that assignment.