My EMA is due next week and I haven't even started it. Eek!

There’s a common misconception of me being very studious and dedicated to my voluntary work, leaving no time what so ever for having any kind of life outside of that bubble; my parents definitely think it (my mother accused me of suffering from emotional exhaustion a few weeks back when in fact I had food poisoning), and a lot of my friends think it too.

Well, that’s just so far from the genuine truth. In reality I’m really lazy with work and spend far too much time doing fun stuff, often to the detriment of my studies and voluntary work in fact.

Take this EMA I’ve got due in for example. It’s due by Thursday 9th June and as my last TMA was submitted on 4th May  that’s left a good month to knuckle down and get work done towards it. A month, that’s LOADS of time! So why am I only just starting on it tonight, just five days before I have to post it off? Because I’m the Queen of Procrastination Land, that’s why.

In the time between TMA06 being handed in and now I’ve… been on holiday to the highlands, had a weekend in Edinburgh (see picture), been caving in the Yorkshire Dales (see picture), been to Milton Keynes for a CEC meeting and been to the National Digital Conference in London to mention. These are just some of the things which have gratefully distracted me from starting my EMA. The trouble is, leaving it so late has meant I’ve had to forfeit going to the Downhill Mountain Biking World Champs in Fort William this weekend with a group of my mates; Gordie’s gone with them but it means I’m stuck in the house alone all weekend writing a 4,000-word essay. Bummer. I hope he scores me some freebies.

In truth though, it has to be said that I work best when I’m dangerously close to a deadline and it’s usually how I ‘roll’ all the way through my modules anyway. I don’t fret about my studies continually and try to cram as much studying in as I can, I mean for peat’s sake I work full time, volunteer part-time and study part-time; I’m entitled to try and cram a life in there somehow.

Besides, it was my decision to study and volunteer etc so I don’t see why Gordon’s social life with me should have to suffer because of my decisions (although I made some of those decisions before we met so he knew what he was getting into when we finally got together). I feel somewhat guilty about how much of my time is taken up with study and voluntary stuff and my mother is always bleating on about how neglected poor Gordon must feel so I try my best for us to do lots of stuff together. It would be ideal if Gordon studied too, then I wouldn’t feel so guilty, but four years of my gentle persuasion tactics haven’t worked thus far so I may just throw the towel in on that one.

So whilst it probably SHOULD, studying definitely doesn’t rule my life and is certainly not the most important thing in it. It’s in the top five, without doubt, but is far from the most important. I probably ought to spend a bit more time with actual studying and preparations for essays but I don’t and I know exactly what my problem is (and it’s one I must address if I want to continue with Masters and PhD level study); there’s just too much interesting stuff going on in the world and there’s just not enough money and time in my life to do it all. *sigh*