Wednesday 20 December 2017

Festive Essay Writing

Much to my dismay, most of my (admittedly generous but also very much needed) Christmas break is going to be dedicated to essay writing, rather than getting fully immersed in the festive season, as I would have liked. I'm sure this is the case for many people in education, particularly at undergraduate or postgraduate level. I LOVE Christmas so I don't want to compromise, therefore I'm going to work on ways to keep the festive spirit going whilst writing essays (or even studying for exams for that matter!). Hopefully this is somewhat motivating!


  • Make you study space festive. Fairy lights, tinsel, baubles, even a little tree... I'm sure you know to make you space look cosy and Christmassy! Or work in an already festive space. I've taken to inhabiting the living room, which is all decked out for Christmas.
Our lovely Christmas decorations! They make me feel just slightly less miserable whilst chained to my laptop

  • Christmas music!!! Pretty much a given. It's always fun to sing along while enduring the pain of reaching the word count. Try not to cry thinking about the joy of Christmas while your essays keep you chained to your desk, though!
  • Warm, comforting hot drinks- make them festive if you can! A sprinkle of cinnamon goes a long way. There's festive instant lattes sold at some supermarkets (like the Nescafe toffee nut latte at Tesco, which I have sadly yet to get my hands on. I did try it last year though and it's luxury, honestly. Almost as good as the Starbucks one!). There's also mulled wine/cider if you want to push boundaries, though doing your essays under the influence of alcohol is maybe not a good idea so try to avoid going overboard (even if it does numb the pain haha). And if you're feeling particularly naughty and have a few spare quid lying around get a Costa/Starbucks/Cafe Nero or whatever coffee shop coffee you like 'cos why the hell not. 'Tis the season to be indulgent, is it not??
I really wanted a toffee nut latte for this post but I wasn't able to get my hands on any in time, so this is a vanilla latte with a pinch of cinnamon. Still tasty!

  • Festive snacks. I'm not going to list festive snacks, I'm sure you have your go-tos. Plus you need the energy, essay writing is draining and essay writing during the Christmas period is just bloody miserable, so obviously you have to eat. I don't think you need much more convincing than that!
  • Little trips out to soak up the festive atmosphere. You need a break, so make that break as festive as possible. Take a walk and check out all the pretty Christmas lights, hit up a Christmas market, do a little Christmas shopping (or, on second thoughts maybe don't because Christmas shopping can be pretty stressful...maybe Christmas window shopping?) etc.
  • Break out the Christmas jumper (or the Christmas pjs). Christmas jumpers are so fun, great for keeping your spirits up while trying to motivate yourself. You can get 'em nice and cheap from Primark. 
My Christmas jumper, a gift from a few years back. It's hilarious, a fat, grumpy cat all decked out for Christmas. Kind of like me writing my essays this year 

  • Festive scented candles. I'm a huge scented candle fan, I've definitely mentioned them in other posts! Around this time there are loads of festive scents around, and you can get them really cheap too (...from Primark, I'm also a bit of a Primark fan, if you couldn't tell).
80p from Primark!! And it smells amazing, it really captures the celebratory elements of Christmas/New Year's (I mean, it's prosecco, duh!)

  • Pop on a Christmas movie in the background if you're feeling devilish. Yeah, it's cheeky to work with the TV on in the background so it's maybe a better idea to save the Christmas movie for your breaks but if it makes the process more bearable... 
  • Get a log fire going (or, failing that, get a virtual one on your laptop or TV). We have a log fire but we never light it (damn, I wish we did, it would be so delicious). A bright, crackling log fire on the TV is the next best thing... it does actually make the place feel more cosy,  and we all know it's easier to write essays when you're feeling cosy! 
My little TV log fire. It's basically the real thing, provided you have a very active imagination.
I hope essay writing isn't totally killing you and you're also enjoying the festive season. This is going to be my last blog post before Christmas so... Merry Christmas! (and, um, a happy new year too if I don't get round to publishing my other post before then).

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2 comments:

  1. Love this! Thanks for the tips! I’ve got deadlines throughout Christmas so finding it hard to stay motivated and Christmassy at the same time! Xx

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome, I hope they do help! It's the one thing getting me through my essays haha

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