Why my smartphone will ruin my degree

It’s January; Christmas and New Year have come and gone and dreary 2013 has begun.  The decorations and pretty lights are down, the food has been eaten and people are feeling porky through over-consumption. We are back at Southampton. Which can only mean one thing: It’s exam / essay time.

Students will be queuing up outside Hartley Library early in the morning as The Fear kicks in, ready to spend hours upon hours revising, note-taking, researching and essay writing. We will grip our hair in the horror of realising nothing had been done over the Christmas period, whilst those around us will yearn for an early night or even just a few free hours  spent with friends.

It’s not a pretty sight, but it is what we are here to do. To study, to be tested, and to earn our degrees, whatever stage of education we are at. Once it is over, we can sit back, relax (for a bit) and then start the process all over again for semester two. But for now, we must just grit our teeth and get on with it.

I myself am in the process of essay writing, since most Humanities subjects are based on coursework for the majority of the marks, and my Masters is entirely graded on my essay work. This is the biggest workload I have ever had, and despite having spent most of my Christmas break staring forlornly at my laptop and trying to do as much as possible, I am still unsure how I will get it all done. To make matters worse, nearly all my essays are worth 100% of each module. No pressure, then!

Unfortunately, now I am back at my flat with all of the University’s resources at my fingertips, I still have not gained much more momentum than when I was at home. You see, along with exams and essays comes procrastination; an art form that has been honed and perfected by students in order to avoid, at any cost, their work. This will, for me, range from browsing trashy gossip websites and re-watching old episodes of New Girl or The IT Crowd, to endlessly scrolling through Facebook and Twitter. We all do it, and I have three years of procrastination experience under my belt. Only, this year, it’s worse.

This summer, I upgraded to an iPhone.

Now, firstly, I have to say I am glad I did it. This year I have needed to be easy to contact for the Wessex Scene and for job applications, and my connection to the internet and Facebook is essential since most of our editorial contact occurs online. I get more for my money, and I no longer need to use my really old digital camera on days and nights out (hello, Instagram. Please, don’t judge!).

However, now comes the problem of distraction. Out of habit now, I am constantly checking Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, texting fellow students about our woes, and playing Draw Something or Word Feud when I feel that things are getting a bit too much. I can close the Facebook window on my laptop, shut off the internet and try and concentrate as much as I want, but the lure of the smartphone is forever present. It’s almost like a reflex. And it’s rather sad, since I never wanted to become one of those people; glued to their phone at all hours of the day. It’s time to take action.

I hereby propose to myself that I leave my phone across the room, on loud, charging by my bed at the opposite end to my desk. No more Word Feud. No more unnecessary Facebook stalking. I will be able to hear a text or call, but otherwise the iPhone will be for work-free time only. Otherwise, sadly, the rotten thing will ruin my degree.

So Happy New Year to you all! To those of you who are students, I wish you the best of luck with your essays and exams. Let’s beat this procrastination problem together. Who’s with me?

Joanne