20/20 – Day 12: 20 escapes from essay writer’s block

A poem:

Blank mind, blank screen, all is clear.
Scared to start and full of fear.
Not quite sure where to begin,
Nothing grand inspires within.
Vicious circles loop the loop,
“How can all my thoughts regroup?”
Take a look below and see
If these ideas can set you free.

  1. Free writing. Let all sorts out. At least you’ll be writing. Wikipedia has the rules.
  2. Compose without editing as you go. Similar to free writing, but not quite so relaxed.  For when your main problem lies mainly with perfectionism.  Leave that issue for later.
  3. Mix it up. Start at the end if you like.  Start wherever you want. Writing doesn’t have to be a linear process.  If you prefer to conclude before anything else, that’s okay with the world.
  4. Sum up what you want to argue/explain in a few sentences and work from that. Armed with your own overview, you’ve got more to go on.
  5. Use headings and notes as a core structure. Don’t know where to start? Take the information you already have and create a plan that way.
  6. Find quotations to work from.  You quote throughout an essay to back up, give examples, and engage.  Turn things on their head by using quotations as a way to start the writing process.
  7. Agree to craft just one sentence before walking away.
  8. Now agree to just one paragraph before walking away.
  9. Now agree to just one section before walking away. Little steps become bigger with confidence.
  10. Do/Don’t listen to music as you write.  Do the thing you normally wouldn’t do.
  11. Create a list of points instead of writing in full paragraphs. Challenge yourself to making 50 points. If you only end up with six points, who cares? You’ve made six points! Woo!
  12. Go for a walk and think about the essay as you survey the world.  To be sure you remember the good stuff, take a notepad and pen.  Don’t note stuff down on your phone/Blackberry.  Make this special, make this separate from everything else.
  13. Get rid of distractions.  Stay focused and don’t let anything get in your way.  That goes for distractions on screen too.  Try DarkCopy or Writer for getting rid of distractions while writing.
  14. Deconstruct the essay question.  The question is never as simple as you first imagine.
  15. Eat, drink, be merry. Is your gut holding you back?  Don’t go hungry or thirsty.  You’ll be most productive when you’ve satisfied your appetite.  But don’t eat too much or you’ll be annoyed by indigestion instead.
  16. Stop calling it a block.  If you treat any lack of writing as a block, you’ll feel more blocked.  It’s an opportunity to shine, not a block.
  17. Take relevant lecture notes, write them out again and work around them.
  18. Find dictionary terms for words mentioned. Look for inspiration through the definitions.  If that’s not enough, look the words up in a thesaurus too and see where else you can head.
  19. Change medium and/or location.  Handwritten essays can be typed up.  Try writing the old fashioned way.  And why always work in your room or in the library?  Use a bench on campus, a different computer room than your usual norm, anywhere that’s different.
  20. Refer to your essay as a ‘draft’. Your final version is where you think about the exact structure and ultimate arguments.  Don’t be so formal with a draft. Let rip!
Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)

20/20 – Day 11: 20 reasons to look up at the world

Let’s face it.  Most of us spend our time staring at a computer screen, looking down at your phone, watching something on a handheld device.  We do so much without stopping to look up and really take in what’s around us.

But it’s beautiful.  Away in the country, deep in the city, in a building, outside, there’s so much wonder wherever you are.

Why should you look up?  Here are 20 reasons for today’s 20/20 posting.  It’s short, because I want to give you some extra time to look around and enjoy!

  1. There’s a world around you. It’s easy to forget that.
  2. If you want to help that world, look at what you’re trying to help first. Give yourself all the enthusiasm you can to make a difference.
  3. To be inspired by the little things around you.
  4. Be amazed. We spend so much time looking down and away that even the most familiar surroundings can surprise.
  5. Online confidence is easy, but what about offline? It’s possible that people are beginning to project a more realistic picture of themselves online. But it’s often more difficult to be as dynamic offline as you are online.  Realism is one thing, acting boldly is another. How strong can you be?
  6. Not everyone is online. Most of you use Facebook, but not everyone is completely engaged with the Internet.  Can you engage with the people who don’t make as much use of technology as you do?
  7. Could you cope without the Web or without your mobile? Give it a go.  What are you free to do now?
  8. To get a different perspective. For instance, ask a librarian for help on research you’d usually consult Google about.  Google it later, by all means, but first do something new.
  9. While no one is looking… You could get away with something, since most of us are still looking down at our devices!  What do you dare do? [Oi, I mean sensibly!]
  10. Books still exist. Electronic text is not (yet) the only option you need consult.
  11. A conscious disconnect is healthy.
  12. Just 30 seconds taking in your surroundings is therapeutic.  Too often we don’t think about it.  This is like a miniature conscious disconnect.
  13. Because if you don’t look up enough, people start to look strange when they’re *not* pixelated.
  14. Sometimes the long way round is time well spent. We’re used to getting things instantly.  What if you did it differently?  A different way could take more time, but could also reap greater benefits…
  15. It’s just a tool, not a solution.  Don’t get stuck in the tool.
  16. Your eyes need a break.
  17. Experiences come from all around, not just a screen.
  18. Hey, you may miss “THE ONE” walk past if you head’s down. “Your soulmate? Oh, they were walking off into the distance about, er, twenty minutes ago.  Well, I don’t know, they looked in a hurry…”
  19. For all the communication you do, it makes many feel lonely.
  20. Life’s too short.

Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: Seeks2dream (cc)

EduLinks – Software, CVs, Cyberlife, Self-Confidence & Sleep

Is it that time again? Onward!

From Economist – Needle in a haystack

“When information was recorded on a tangible medium—paper, film and so on—everything had only one correct place. With digital information the same item can be filed in several places at once, notes David Weinberger, the author of a book about taxonomy and the internet, ‘Everything Is Miscellaneous’. Digital metadata make things more complicated and simpler at the same time.”

Gizmo – Best freeware programs

Gizmo – Best online services

Gizmo’s site consistently offers great advice on finding the best free software around.  Why use expensive programs when you can download something similar (and often better) for free?

The two sites above are definitely ones to bookmark.  I found a lot of software and online tools that I already use and love. I first heard about some of the items from Gizmo’s site in the first place.

100 Free and Useful Portable Apps for College Students

USB memory sticks are so useful. Yes, they’re small and I’ve lost count of the number of people who tell me they’ve left a stick with their essays on in the library or computer centre.  However, the benefits of these tiny sticks can’t be ignored.  Set up a home computer setup away from home by sticking your favourite software on the stick and using it wherever you go.

If you haven’t already seen the brilliant PortableApps suite, you should definitely check that out too.

Independent – Is it time to tear up your CV and try a different approach to finding your dream job?

You’re not limited to finding a job using traditional methods.  How far do you want to go?  While the article helpfully suggests how to push your search further and harder, I wouldn’t suggest you rip that CV up quite yet.

Yahoo! Finance – 10 Resume Red Flags

Get your not-yet-ripped-up-CV in shape for applications. Some seemingly ‘must-have’ CV areas may do more harm. And think again before you try some techniques to make your CV stand out.  It could stand out for all the wrong reasons…

University of East Anglia – Are YOU at risk of plagiarism?

Test yourself on how well you know your stuff.  Can you use material from lectures and lecture notes without referencing?  Are you allowed to discuss an assignment topic with another student?  Can you re-use material from your own essays?

From Leeds Student – Sleepless Students

“Many of us theorize that by sleeping all weekend we can make up for the hapless sleeping patterns of the previous week – a sort of banking system for sleep. However consistency is key. It is actually advisable to sleep the same amount (ideally 7-8 hours) every night. This would involve the same bed time and waking time even on weekends! Understandably, for many this will be unachievable, after all weekends were made for lie-ins. However, ‘banking’ sleep can actually lead to feeling more tired. This is due to an increase in melatonin, a sleep regulating hormone that can be caused by oversleeping.”

Matt’s Idea Blog – The 20 top time wasters, stealers, nibblers, and how to nab them

While I go through the 20/20 series of posts, here’s a Top 20 list for getting your time back and zapping the things that eat away at that precious commodity.

Apophenia: ChatRoulette for the uninitiated / ChatRoulette from my perspective

If you’ve not heard of the randomly social-connecting webcam service ChatRoulette, the first piece will bring you up to speed. It’s not to everyone’s taste. If you’re well aware of the site, the second piece discusses the service further and how it reminds the author (Danah Boyd) of the earlier days of the Internet.

ChatRoulette has quickly become a popular site, but I can’t see it as anything other than a novelty.  It’s not the future of web apps, even if it is bizarre and compelling for many.

MakeUseOf – How To Create A Good Password That You Will Not Forget

You don’t have to rely on the name of your cat, a rude word, or 123456 to remember a password.  As the article shows, you can create a memorable password that looks nonsense to anyone else.  Who’d have thought a Bryan Adams fan would have no problem logging in to their email with a password like ‘E1d_1D!4Y:)GMa’.

Positivity Blog – 3 Common Mistakes When Trying to Improve Self Confidence

Don’t just think something positive, DO something positive.  Don’t just imagine the worst outcomes, imagine the BEST outcomes.  Don’t just rush into things, PREPARE each step of the way.

20/20 – Day 10: 20 pushes to get you working

Difficulty in starting a project doesn’t have to be down to procrastination.  A number of factors can buzz around, disrupting your efforts.  You may not even know what’s causing the problem.

If you’re serious about starting, or at least want a nudge in the right direction, here are 20 possible solutions for you.

  1. Start straight away. Important, yet rarely used.  The best way to deal with any work is to start soon after you’re given the task.  You needn’t do loads, just get started.
  2. Small chunks. Part of the brilliance with starting straight away is that you don’t have to spend hours in one go.  20 minutes here, half an hour there…in the first few days you’ll be a lot closer without breaking into a sweat.
  3. Stop treating coursework negatively. It’s easy to feel trapped in essay hell when rushing to complete work, especially when looming close to the deadline.  A negative attitude toward the work will simply make you feel worse.  Fine, given the choice you won’t always jump at essay work over everything else, but when a job’s got to be done, you’ll find it more difficult when you’re downhearted about it.
  4. Study buddies. Some people swear by the power of working with others.  They don’t have to be on your course and they don’t have to be in your year.  It may help for some study, but the main draw here is to get together in a group so you can spur each other on to work.
  5. Write casual. Treat writing like a personal blog post, diary entry, Facebook message, or conversation.  Switching to scholarly gear isn’t an instant process.  Get rid of the problem by going casual.
  6. Use different materials and stick with what makes you happy.  If you hate staring at a blank screen on the computer, get a pen and pad.  If the software proves too distracting, try a minimal interface.
  7. Procrastinate AFTER you start, not before.  Procrastination before you know where you want to go with an essay makes the job harder.  Procrastination when you’re half way through the process is not so bad.
    Anyway, a bit of a pause can be a good thing.
  8. Write drunk, edit sober.  Whether or not you take this advice literally, the point drives home the need to write without fear.  Don’t clear up as you go along, especially if that means obsessing over the exact words and ending up writing nothing at all.  When you’ve written the detail, you’re in a better place to mould it suitably.  Set aside separate time for the editing process.
  9. Take inspiration from unlikely sources.  This depends on the subject, but some lend themselves to this exercise.  An unlikely source doesn’t have to be weird, just away from a regular starting point.  For instance, your lectures are separate entities, but they overlap in terms of content, reference, people, and so on.  Therefore, a generally unrelated lecture may still hold a cue to set you thinking.
    Alternatively, a news story or a YouTube video could provide you with an idea.  Be on the lookout for anything that draws you back to the essay you’re working on.  Anything is possible.
  10. Work somewhere else.  The simple process of leaving one situation and engaging with another is often enough to give you renewed vigour.
  11. Do something daring. Changed perspective and a sense of the unknown help bring clarity to your thoughts.  Step out of your comfort zone and do something you wouldn’t normally. A bit over the top, you might think, but it can feel so, so good!
  12. Don’t offer yourself rewards for work. Just make it rewarding! You should be studying this for a reason.  If it’s that dull, pick a different theme/title.
  13. Find inspiration from quotations.  I’m not talking about self-help nuggets.  I’m referring to quoting others in essays.  When you find a killer quotation, write around that.  Shape the essay around the quotation, rather than shaping the quotation into the essay.
  14. Use your past work as inspiration. I don’t mean you should plagiarise, but you should look back to relevant coursework and refer to key points and major areas in order base your new work.
  15. Go for a walk/run. A very common piece of advice (regularly offered by myself among many others).  Alas, it’s advice commonly ignored.  It works so well, you should at least give it a chance.
  16. Change the lighting.  This is a weird one, but it works wonders.  If the main light in your room is on, turn it off and use a desk lamp instead.  If it’s the middle of the day and your curtains are open, see what happens when you close them and have a bit of artificial light.  Changes in the light do all sorts to your attitude, mood, outlook, and focus.
  17. Use a timer. Race yourself.  Just ten minutes can help.  Force yourself to work until the alarm goes off.  A bit of pressure can go a long way.
  18. Ask the tutor for an interesting reference/starting point.  They’re not going to tell you how to write your essay.  Neither will they hold your hand and give you a killer introduction.  However, they should be willing to discuss where you’re looking to take ideas and suggest key areas to explore based on those ideas.
  19. Brainstorm and mindmap. Go crazy…Write lists, make charts, draw pictures, you name it!  Pick key concepts, search a bit deeper, and attempt to shape a rough outline.  I often do this when preparing anything, not just coursework.
  20. Don’t research. Write blind. See how you do and put the research in after you’ve had a go.  Research can bog you down, so write what you think it best first.  Even if you scrap it all later on, it’s the fact that you’ve actually given the topic thought that helps drive you further.

Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: Retrofuturs (cc)