During his most recent appearance on his phone-in radio programme, the Deputy Prime Minister was challenged to eat a bacon sandwich tidily in order to best Ed Miliband. He proceeded to take a bite and all of it went in his mouth, which is either a success or welcome proof that the Deputy Prime Minister can eat properly, depending on which way you look at it. Given that his political career appears to be going the way of this poor table in a Georgian TV debate. I’m sure Mr Clegg its hoping we see it as the former. While I doubt the dear readers of this blog or the British public at large are ready to accept his political credentials as being restored on the basis of biting into a sandwich, - although we do seem happy to overlook Nigel Farage’s questionable expenses because he likes a pint - I do hope he himself takes some enjoyment from it. Because when the big picture looks as bleak as a long stay in hospital, sometimes it’s best just to focus on the joy the tea trolley brings.
During exam term, and particularly at the time when exams are truly upon us, everything seems to become swept to the side. The only way of keeping time is the countdown until the next exam. Stress levels keep people pinned to their desks either in rooms or libraries, whilst possibly trapping them in paralysing inactivity. Meals with friends, sports activities, TV shows, and sometimes even tea breaks are traded in for a few more minutes of bookishness in an effort to claw a way to a better grade. But how much do we lose by being swamped in the big picture of exams and results, by missing out on the little pleasures? I reckon it’s quite a lot.
I’m sure we’ve all read, or been verbally fed, exam stress advice like this offered by the BBC. And believe me, as somebody who has a birthday that falls during exam term, people greatly appreciate it if you make the effort to include a few drinks one evening in your hefty revision schedule. But this says nothing about the sweet five minutes you could take to glance out of your window, or the break you could take to enjoy a popular snack named after a furry/cute/much-videoed animal. Besides the science that suggests having a five minute break every half an our is beneficial to the brain, finding pleasure in small little things we do away from work helps to keep moral up and make life a little more bearable. If we begin to see life as a series of 'little moments,' rather than the ‘pathway’ to our targets and goals that so many self help authors clamour to point out, then we can feel less deprived of what we want to “get” and where we have to “be”, and become more fulfilled. In essence, forget about seeing the wood through the trees, and find a pretty leaf instead. If you feel like you’re enjoying your day more because you’re taking some time to yourself, then that motivation is far more likely to feed back into your work.
The day that I post this you will be able to find me in Cambridge. As a result of persuasive (Blake) friends, wine with dinner and tactical ignorance of my bank account, I’m flying back for the weekend on a flight I booked yesterday. In the big picture world, I’m doing something far too spontaneous, and paying more money for it. I should be using my time to explore more of Austria, practising more of my German and getting more of my Year Abroad Project done (see: started). I have goals that I should be focused on, and distractions are a no-no. But on the other hand my friends are finishing their exams, I’ve been promised a party and the whole time is going to be hilarious. So after writing a whole blog post to justify my actions I’m pretty sure I am the winner here. I’ll just need a good bacon sandwich to top it all off.
Alex Matthews
I’m sure we’ve all read, or been verbally fed, exam stress advice like this offered by the BBC. And believe me, as somebody who has a birthday that falls during exam term, people greatly appreciate it if you make the effort to include a few drinks one evening in your hefty revision schedule. But this says nothing about the sweet five minutes you could take to glance out of your window, or the break you could take to enjoy a popular snack named after a furry/cute/much-videoed animal. Besides the science that suggests having a five minute break every half an our is beneficial to the brain, finding pleasure in small little things we do away from work helps to keep moral up and make life a little more bearable. If we begin to see life as a series of 'little moments,' rather than the ‘pathway’ to our targets and goals that so many self help authors clamour to point out, then we can feel less deprived of what we want to “get” and where we have to “be”, and become more fulfilled. In essence, forget about seeing the wood through the trees, and find a pretty leaf instead. If you feel like you’re enjoying your day more because you’re taking some time to yourself, then that motivation is far more likely to feed back into your work.
The day that I post this you will be able to find me in Cambridge. As a result of persuasive (Blake) friends, wine with dinner and tactical ignorance of my bank account, I’m flying back for the weekend on a flight I booked yesterday. In the big picture world, I’m doing something far too spontaneous, and paying more money for it. I should be using my time to explore more of Austria, practising more of my German and getting more of my Year Abroad Project done (see: started). I have goals that I should be focused on, and distractions are a no-no. But on the other hand my friends are finishing their exams, I’ve been promised a party and the whole time is going to be hilarious. So after writing a whole blog post to justify my actions I’m pretty sure I am the winner here. I’ll just need a good bacon sandwich to top it all off.
Alex Matthews