Two more days

Since Monday this week, exactly a week to my first paper, I have been religiously waking up at 8.30, proceeding to the Reading Room in hall to reserve a table, having breakfast (set A: half boiled eggs, kaya toast and iced coffee, and sometimes a banana), then sitting at the desk right till 2am. With the occasional lunch/dinner/bathroom/nap breaks of course. It's something I've never done before and never had the discipline to do in my life. So I really thank God for my roomies, Eileen and Deborah, whom i've been able to sustain this routine with. Without them, I really doubt I'd be able to stay calm till now. I have this habit of doing random stuff, everything but study.

So this is the secret to being like those 'hardcore' students from China-

1. Have disciplined roomies.
We influence each other. Really. Even Eileen says she wasn't this hardworking last year (whether or not we actually study for soooo many hours is another thing, haha). We eat together, study together, and sleep together. Life would have been so much more dull and depressing without them. Deb is an inspiration, she displays such determination all the time!

2. Study in a conducive, comfortable place. Preferably one that's highly sought.
My hall's reading room is awesome, large tables, comfy chairs (not those plastic ones), with table light, silent (with the occasional annoying neighbours who takeaway meals - oh, the smell - beside you, mumble to themselves, make noise by fidgeting). Such conduciveness is both a blessing and a curse. It makes residents compete for a table (read: wake up early to reserve one), forcing Eileen and I to wake up early - or face the consequence of not having such comfort for the rest of the day and possibly having affecting productiveness (I have a tendency to relax and do everything UNrelated to studying). It's also good because the presence of others, especially the China students who are incredibly hardworking, somewhat pressures me to revise and not slack. Don't underestimate the power of the (real or imagined) presence of other people, as demonstrated in social psychology studies.

3. Have proper meals.
That's where we get energy to fuel our cognitive and physiological activities. My meals are the ideal breakfast-lunch-dinner structure and not lunch-dinner-supper or dinner-supper like it was during the semester. I feel better this way too.

4. Threaten yourself.
It's what drives me, somehow. If I don't sleep by 3am (ideally - 2am), I wouldn't be able to wake up the next morning, (or wake up feeling utterly like crap and regret not sleeping earlier), I wouldn't be able to get a table in the comfort of the reading room, I wouldn't be studying in the presence of fellow residents who are the epitome of hard work and discipline, I wouldn't be able to sit there and read through my notes for hours without getting some major distraction. I'd then sleep late again, and the cycle repeats. And then regret it at the end of the day, and after the exams. This is the last lap, the only time left to salvage my situation and the lousy assignment/quiz/mid-term grades during the sem.. And it's all about my psychological well-being I guess. Not wanting to feel like shit knowing that I could have at least have my best during this week and yet didn't do it.

Okay that was a lot of time ispent typing this, about 40 minutes gone now. Gotta get back to my notes. Or regret it. Self-threats work for me at least.