February Procrastination

[mustdash]

So, I know it is still January, but I have a TMA due next week, and though I have known in my head what I need to write, I have spent the whole bloody day fighting with Word.

2k words need to be pretty much done before my tutorial tomorrow night.

Why do I do this to myself. (rhetorical, not looking for any answers

I got a brilliant mark for my last TMA, and now am scared I can't match it.

Lovely DH is lighting the fire, DCs are chatting nicely before bed, and it is almost o'clock.

Anyone joining me?

I've tidied up and fiddled with my tma, but still have 300 more words on the Iranian post revolution constitution to do before I can have any

ps if I ever form another band, I'm gonna so call it 'The Iranian post revolution constitution'

"are you lot doing any work???"

Sort of... I'm over the word count but haven't finished saying everything I want to say yet - snip, snip, snip!

Also the son who moved out on Monday has just been back to collect another duvet and dry a load of washing.... and most importantly use the internet as theirs isn't yet connected.

But I do need to finish this one this evening so I can go and see/stay with DH tomorrow with a clearish conscience!

Hi OoBE I think I have AS too. I'm a brilliant learner, an absolutely abysmal employee, and useless PhD student :) I'm good at things, especially one-offs. Am currently on Employment and Support Allowance, have turned self-taught forensic accountant to do my divorce accounts on excel, and am planning a morning's training for the mental health service user group I'm on. I may soon start writing a book I'm planning - I certainly have copious notes!

My most recent course was an MA in Linguistics, when the kids were 11 and 9, though stbx was not really working at the time and when he did it was weekends. this carried on while I attempted a p/t PhD, but I had too many ideas and wanted to read All Possible References before starting work, a recipe for disaster :) Kids are now young adults.

Am liking the Iranian post revolution constitution band a lot. Let me know when the single is out .

I'm a snipper too, Joan. I write so much and make so many notes that at least I can get rid of some of the tosh. it's a bit George Eliot without the talent. . (see also pink's All Possible References comment ....

Pink, I took over as the treasurer of a local not for profit and found myself responsible for payroll. Ergo I'm now an unemployed (unemployable?) permanent student with an alarmingly intricate knowledge of the Canadian tax system and phd level knowledgeable of cerebral palsy courtesy of dd2. When I can find someone to employ me I'm brilliant, because I am completely single minded about whatever it is I'm doing... (and modest, too)

...hence the issues with finishing courses. All or nothing. And rl is full of kids and husbands and voluntary work and all sorts of crap that means I can't focus on study.

my aim for this weekend is to get everything shifted around and reprioritise so that study gets back to the top of the pile.

Honestly.

I finished late last night-it was complete crap, but it has gone hooray.

Still (surprisingly) quite keen on the Iranian post revolution constitution as a name for a band

1500 due on 6th March and I haven't even looked at the units oh dear can't be bothered.

Hello everyone!

I've had a monster cold that dragged for 2 weeks so didn't get much done. I think I will have to drop one of the modules, which is very annoying on so many levels- obviously the cost (will still have to pay OUSBA back and as I'm overseas it's something like 1600 pounds) and well, the humiliation of not being able to hack it...

I've got a 4000 words essay to write on Virginia Woolf and Orlando. The deadline's tonight. I can't ask for any more extensions. The assignment calls for including sources from outside of the course materials, so I've been looking through JSTOR databases for academic articles and found a few relevant ones, but tbh there is no chance in hell I can write 4000 words before midnight.

Hope everyone else is doing better than me.

Hello Winnybella,

How's the writing gone today? Is it a substitutable tma so worth sending in whatever you've managed even if it's not your best effort?

Re. dropping a module, is the workload manageable when everything is going smoothly or will it always be a struggle? I chose to drop the OU study when trying to combine OU studies with my 'concrete' uni course - everything was suffering - not just the studying - and I'm glad I made the decision I did.

Got email from tutor asking where the assignment is?

Oh, I don't know what to do.

Hi winny, glad you're over your cold.

Given that you've paid so much for the two courses, is there any way you could continue with them both, just knowing that having missed a few of the TMAs you'll get a lower mark overall than you'd hoped for? There is still time to knock out a couple of poems - only 40 lines required!

Maybe you could just do a damage limitation exercise for this year's courses, and then just do one course next year so you can really focus on it? I mean in terms of your overall degree it probably doesn't make much difference if you score 1 or 2 courses lower than you wanted, right?

Let's look at how much time you have - am I right in remembering that you work out of the home during the day? What are your childcare arrangements etc.

In my experience the OU don't want you to drop out of a course and if you contact the regional office (is there an overseas one?) you might be able to get a further extension if you can let them know that you're having problems of a serious nature with procrastination (although you might not want to mention that!)/stress/other illness. You could just say something like, you're in a horrible situation and have been ill and need a further extension otherwise you might have to drop off the course. I'm sure they would help.

I think, if you'll permit me to say this, but it's your perfectionism that gets in the way isn't it? I know you've been ill just now, but generally it seems you won't submit something if it's not up to your usual standard, or you don't want to cobble together any old crap and submit it just to make the deadline?

But the thing to remember is it really doesn't matter, no one is judging you but yourself. Also, the majority of students don't achieve the higher marks. The tutor won't think less of you if you submit something not polished. Sometimes it's better to just submit something while accepting it ain't great. I'm a terrible perfectionist, it held me back for years, YEARS I tell you. I'm getting better - this time I submitted for the AA316 even though I thought my essay was shit. I thought I would feel bad, but I actually felt relieved because I'd made the deadline. Something to think about, anyway.

Have you already decided to drop the A215 for definite?

Gosh this is getting long now - is there anything I can do to help?

No, no, I'm definitey not dropping A215. It's the 20th C. Lit. I have a huge essay to write about Orlando and tbh I am soooo not motivated. I'm not sure I can manage doing both courses, that's all. And I have already missed 2 tmas on the A300, which means that if I submit something way below standard right now, I'll end up with pass 4.

Yes, perfectionism, but at the same time I think if I'm extremely lazy as well.

I've got to reply yo tutor, damn, she must think I'm taking the piss. Shall I just ask her what she thinks?

How did you do on the tma02 for A215? I didn't submit this one either. FFS. But I feel if I have to focus only on CW, I might be able to finish with an ok mark (no chances of first now, though, as none of the tmas are substituable).

It's probably very lame of me to still lurk on these threads even though I haven't been a student since last summer, isn't it

chipmunk - are you enjoying DD306 yet? I loved that religion block (against expectations)

winny - sending pos vibes your way. I tried doing two courses in a year once and found it bloody difficult.

good luck everyone

Hey, Proles. Will we see you back here next year?

Just sent the email to my tutor, saying that I'm not sure what to do

winny, is there any way you could plead ill health/stress/whatever and defer the A300 until next year? I deferred after a false start at uni back in the day and they let me join the 1st year again the following year. Is it possible with OU if there were extraordinary circumstances?

I did better than I expected on TMA02, that's for sure. The poetry may well be another matter

Oh, good

No, I would have to lie and I have already asked for so many extensions, citing various illnesses/procrastination that I'm sure they are all aware where the problem lies.

Fair enough. I wasn't suggesting you should lie, as that way madness lies. More just a kind of recap of the various reasons why what has happened, happened and pitifully begging and telling them how overwhelmed by it all you are. But it sounds like you are a mite more emotionally continent sensible than I am

I'll wait to see what tutor's response will be and take it drom there.

Yes, poetry Now, this is scary to me

Have just got TMA04 mark back and a high pass 2 so skipping around the room, as I was sure it was crap, am not at all sure I argued any point at all .

Religion was ok it did open my eyes a bit to the mindset of religious types, which is probably a good thing.

Hi proles not sure I am enjoying it; it's not quite as painful as A207, but I'm all alone. (still no sign of a tutorial)

Excellent news, well done chipmunk

Well done, chipmunk

I have to tell the A300 tutor tonight whether I'll be dropping out or not. If not, she'll grant me a short extension (few days max, I think). BUT I haven't yet started on the poetry tma for A215-due on Thursday. I NEED to look for a job. I've been running around like a headless chicken, doing a bit of this and that and not really achieving anything.

If I drop out, I still have to pay something like 900 pounds to OUSBA. They may give me a few hundred (a third) discount on the next year course. And obviously, I feel ridiculous for not being able to manage it all.

What do I do???

Can you take a temp withdrawal instead of dropping out?

Not sure if it works with ou... Worth asking? Or deferral and rejoin course at same point next year?

I don't think I can defer unless I have some very good reason i.e. serious illness, death in the family etc.

Damn. I really don't think I'llbe able to finish that essay in few days time plus it'll be a bit of struggle getting all the next ones done plus ECAs...

DP told me to think about it as strategic withdrawal not surrender

Excellent news chipmunk!

winny - OK, I think you should write three small poems (easier than 1 big one) totalling 38-42 lines, write the commentary, and submit the bugger. Don't try for anything majorly ambitious like, erm I dunno - Alexandrines or sonnet. Just 3 little free verse poems about something family related (you said family stuff comes up in freewrites?). You'll be surprised - you'll get at least an OK mark, really, you will. Do this tonight. Tomorrow at latest. Submit, move on, don't look back.

Then you move onto your 20th century one. Cobble something together, minimum word count. Aim for completion of essay rather than a good argument at this point - you'll find that as you start writing and physically putting words on page, it will get easier.

Then submit on Friday. Take weekend to relax, start job hunting Monday.

YOU CAN DO THIS.

I know for a fact that you can do an essay in 2 days, without having done the reading/prep, because this is what happened to me last time. I didn't do my usual thing, I didn't even have proper hold on an argument imho, but I focused on a few points and did textual analysis yadda yadda, and I got a highish pass 2. Before I blitzed it, I was convinced I was not going to submit. It was SO worth it.

START WRITING. THAT IS THE KEY!

sorry for caps, but I REALLY WANT YOU TO DO THIS FOR YOURSELF.

and chin up.