It is 8pm and you have an assignment due at 11.59pm that night. You have not started on it because you are currently occupied playing FC24. One more match, you tell yourself. Then two. And then three, before you finally find yourself rushing to write an essay at 11:45 p.m. Sounds familiar? I am sure it does.

There is no doubt that the workload in RI is especially inundating . As such, to cope with such pressure, most of us engage in leisure activities – chiefly, gaming – to relieve ourselves of some of this stress. However, with the widespread perception of numerous students that gaming is the only way to seek any sort of respite from a seemingly ceaseless workload, students have and are spending too much time on games instead of work. When their workload naturally snowballs because of this, they end up gaming even more to distance themselves from their academic worries, forming a vicious cycle in which virtually no progress is made. What steps can you take to prevent this? What benefits can arise from these steps? Why are they especially important to you? Raffles Publications offers an explanation.

Managing an overwhelming academic workload is in no way a new concept, especially for Rafflesians. We are told to ‘plan ahead’ and ‘prioritise important responsibilities over leisure and relaxation.’ Although the advice that we are given is certainly in the right direction, there is a reason many Rafflesians, especially younger ones, are plagued by an air of academic inertia. The problem with the status quo is a lack of specificity with regard to what students are told. As students enter their Secondary School life, one of the overarching issues that they face is uncertainty, which concerns not just academics but also social climate. In an evolving environment, it is imperative that students’ habits evolve as well. This is why those students who tend to perform better in various spheres of school life are those that have adapted well to develop new habits and rid themselves of unhealthy ones. The most effective way to prompt such changes is to provide clear, actionable advice as it is the easiest advice to follow. However, the unfortunate truth is that in most cases, this process takes time—time that teachers and seniors simply do not have. 

Developing a proper work ethic requires focus, and the process of developing focus takes effort and dedication. The times we really concentrate are the times we rid ourselves of all distractions. This ranges from obvious things like the presence of a mobile phone near us as we work, to more subtle differences, like the physical environment we work in. Personally, I am simply unable to concentrate in a hot and stuffy environment. These are mere examples, but creating a working environment that is tailored to your needs requires meticulous self-reflection and awareness. Once you have identified your individual requirements, the next step is to implement changes for improvement. Just like any other habit, the key here is consistency. If you consistently make changes to your work environment, the results will be noticeable soon enough. As time goes on, you will become more focused and the more productive you will be. The benefits of this are extremely rewarding. As more work is completed in shorter amounts of time, you now have access to the flexibility of properly rewinding, or working towards personal aspirations – and for those of you wondering, yes, it could potentially free up just a bit more time for you to squeeze in that single extra game of FC24.

Though I am sure that we have heard this more than we would like to, the truth is – “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” However, the extent to which we need to plan is largely unclear to many. Do we only take down homework assignments and their due dates? Do we include little, seemingly insignificant tasks like asking our parents to fill in forms on Parent’s Gateway? Personally, I believe that the answer to this is very simple – we must try to include all tasks, big or small, in our to-do list. The reason is, as we get older, the number of tasks that we must complete grows exponentially. As such, the margin of error for forgetting smaller tasks significantly increases. If we do not have them written down, then the likelihood of us forgetting to complete them in the flurry of hectic schedules is dangerously high. The result, then, is overwhelming stress and worry, especially when we are called out by teachers for not completing them. 

Moving on, from my personal experiences, I have found that applications such as Google Calendar are incredibly effective in keeping track of deliverables. However, if you think that you have found an alternative that better suits your needs, then go ahead. The specific method that you use is not as important as when you begin to use it. I would recommend noting down tasks as soon as you receive them. This is to say that when a teacher announces the homework for the week, do not hesitate to take down what must be completed and when it is due right away. Additionally, if you personally think you can, there is absolutely nothing wrong in getting started on such work straight away. My only request is that you begin inculcating this habit right away. Take the first step as soon as humanly possible. Do not succumb to self-doubt on if you are in the right direction, because even if you have made a wrong turn somewhere, you will realise soon enough and make changes, which is better than complete inaction.  

Keep making changes to what you do. Keep improving. In the future, when you do end up looking back on what you have achieved, you will thank yourself. When things seem difficult, tap on to the support of your friends and family. Finally, always remember that consistency is key – in both planning and execution. The choice is ours.