How do you make yourself work?

[crosstoe]

I have a lot of work for uni to do but I can't seem to get motivated to do it. Usually I'll make myself a nice cup of tea, tidy my desk and then try and start. Or if I have lots of time, I'll go to the gym first so I'm too tired to leave my desk.
What do you do when you have to get your head down and do some work?

[Fifth Avenue]

Clean my room. biggrin

Then, get a drink.

haha. just like you.

[crosstoe]

Yea usually a cup of tea really helps but this time, I've drunk it already and all I've done is open microsoft word.

[en_songeant]

If you find it hard to concentrate on your work or just to get started, you could try bringing only the stuff you need for your assignment to some place like the library where there are fewer distractions. Usually, watching other people hard at work makes me want to look busy as well.

[Tute Sweet]

It depends what subject it's for.

When I did English Literature, I used to just have to force myself to sit down, remove all distractions, and get myself into the mood by reading some work by theorists that particularly inspired me.

When I did Creative Writing, I just used to sit down with a bottle of gin and write whatever came to my head.

It's no wonder I enjoyed my Creative Writing degree more than my English Literature degree!

[Vinnie Antoinette]

Tute Sweet

When I did Creative Writing, I just used to sit down with a bottle of gin and write whatever came to my head.

Your my hero.

[crosstoe]

Quote:

It depends what subject it's for.

When I did English Literature, I used to just have to force myself to sit down, remove all distractions, and get myself into the mood by reading some work by theorists that particularly inspired me.

When I did Creative Writing, I just used to sit down with a bottle of gin and write whatever came to my head.

It's no wonder I enjoyed my Creative Writing degree more than my English Literature degree!

That does sound like a good idea.
My project is on autochthone minorities in Austria. I'm not even sure what autochthone means. :S so maybe the gin won't help with this one.
I would go to the library, but apart from it being soo far away and me being soo lazy, I'll need my laptop and I'm not risking carrying it around birmingham with me.
In theory, what I should do, is block gaia and facebook from my computer until it's done.

[Annari Annona]

For me, I have to make sure I have snacks nearby and loud music playing. If no urge to work comes to me then, I just grumble for a minute and get down to it.

@Tute Sweet: Well done! rofl I have to wait until about one AM to get any decent writing done.

[Dillyo]

if you like to draw, bring a sketchbook & some water or snacks to somewhere quiet {like a library} & bring your work, too. make yourself sit there for 2 or 3 hours & draw in between your work problems.

it makes it seem less like work & more like fun.

[You Will Heal]

If I'm writing a paper or something on the computer, I just give myself incentives; like after I write four sentences or so, then I can listen to a song and play some solitaire. Then I write three or four more sentences, and play some solitaire. And so on. Once I get into the groove of writing, then I don't have to stop so often.
At least this way I'm working instead of staring at the screen for thirty minutes without accomplishing anything.

Or I can always just remind myself that I need to do this to get a good grade. rolleyes

[In media res]

Blast angry Latin opera

[scholargeek13]

I procrastinate until the last possible moment and then realize "oh crap, I have a paper to write and an exam to study for" and then I work very fast to get it all done. I'm such a college student, haha.
Oh, and turn off your internet if you can (so you don't get on gaia and facebook (another thing I do a lot!))

[halves]

Tidy my room and desk and promise myself a treat at the end of the hour. I've found my bad habit of procrastination has got a bit better now I have a goal- I need to get at least ABB in my A levels to do good enough to get into my uni of choice, and ideally I'd like an AAA. I know I'm capable of it so I just tell myself that if I don't work hard I'll be letting myself down.

[Chaos_of_Destruction]

crosstoe

Quote:

It depends what subject it's for.

When I did English Literature, I used to just have to force myself to sit down, remove all distractions, and get myself into the mood by reading some work by theorists that particularly inspired me.

When I did Creative Writing, I just used to sit down with a bottle of gin and write whatever came to my head.

It's no wonder I enjoyed my Creative Writing degree more than my English Literature degree!

That does sound like a good idea.
My project is on autochthone minorities in Austria. I'm not even sure what autochthone means. :S so maybe the gin won't help with this one.
I would go to the library, but apart from it being soo far away and me being soo lazy, I'll need my laptop and I'm not risking carrying it around birmingham with me.
In theory, what I should do, is block gaia and facebook from my computer until it's done.

autochthone sounds like the french word for aboriginal.

[crosstoe]

I've figured out what it means now. It's the minorities who've been there for 100's of years not recent imagrants. Like Gypsies (shouldn't say that apparently, it's Roma) and the Czechs.
Well all I've managed to do is highlight some stuff. It's too cold to work! My fingers are numb.