We have all shared the moment.

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A wayward lecturer gazing at us benevolently as we attempt to force our eyelids open at the end of an hour session and wishing us a “restful break”; “Don’t forget it’s supposed to be a holiday too!”

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“Of course!” we mentally groan, carrying our stack of un-filed work like we belong to an appeal for mistreated mules.

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Hyperbole aside, it is difficult to balance the obligations of seeing family and friends, ensuring we will be able to pass exams (“formative year” or not) and eating enough Easter chocolate to regain those few pounds that we found via Christmas and lost via New Year’s resolutions.

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When it comes to this task I find that university students fall into one of two camps. The first group suffer from what my Senior Tutor once (mis)diagnosed me with – A-level syndrome. This woeful ailment leaves its victims believing that every piece of secondary reading they are given must be done, every practice question completed and that a formative assessment grade will truly judge their worth as a human being.

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For these poor souls, Easter is looking pretty bleak. You will be able to recognise them as the paler students – the only UV rays they will be catching are from their computer screens. To these translucent specimens, all I can do is bid you to please filter your work load, don’t waste the spring weather and try and spend enough time downstairs that your poor mother remembers what your face looks like again.

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The latter crowd are of precisely the opposite disposition. “Life is formative!” they cry, planning another day of Netflix and red pepper hummus. These are my people and therefore, whilst I have no tips on cutting down one’s chickpea intake, I may be able to help alleviate the worst excesses of procrastination.

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A good friend of mine once told me that in order to force himself to achieve anything he has to put himself into an immovable position – for example, he will promise himself that if he doesn’t get a certain amount of work done in a day that he will not be allowed to socialise that evening.

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For my own purposes, this punishment may be more of a treat – there would be no need to move from the swamp I call my bed – so instead perhaps I would force myself to refrain from taking a nap that day. It may seem inhumane, but when it comes down to it, what sensible person would deprive themselves of something – and it can be anything – that they have been looking forward to all day for the sake of an hour of extra work that will have to be done at some point anyway? That’s right, the kind of person who would write an article about the concept instead.

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However, whether you are over or under-zealous when completing your workload, a walk with the family, a decent chat with a school friend and a touch of mental spring cleaning will never go amiss. So, perhaps the most important thing of all on our Easter to-do lists is to be productive in the ways we forget matter.