CSE 2021: Plan / Strategy / Daily Routine

I feel caught in a quagmire of non productivity. I remember stealing time for optional preparation before prelims, also delayed prelims exclusive prep till the last moment possible. My reasoning was, what’s point of clearing prelims if you’re not ready for mains.

Fast forward to now after clearing prelims, I find my pre-prelims productivity no where around.  In past one month, anxiety has subdued efficiency. In frustration and desperation, I even speculated about the flimsy chance of mains getting postponed due to Omicron for which I was rightly scolded by @Purplesunbird.

Now there are 30 more days left and piles of backlogs and to-do lists. I have heard umpteen number of folks calling this exam as our battle against ourselves. So much so that I almost wrote it off as just another cliche. But with each passing day, I have begun to realise it’s profoundness and my stupidity.

Consistency, time management, efficiency, emotional intelligence, strategy. Clichés  are cliche for a reason.

Someone told me that you can give write an email to the upsc if there has been an error in your Daf-1. But she told me to give it if I qualify mains. My error is about my date of joining in a job, i did put the wrong date there.

Please someone clarify, do they entertain such things ?

How did you block websites for 30 days without being able to unblock before that?

Although I have shared it earlier ,but when ever you feel you can’t-just read it

गति प्रबल पैरों में भरी 

फिर क्यों रहूं दर दर खडा 

जब आज मेरे सामने 

है रास्ता इतना पडा 

जब तक न मंजिल पा सकूँ, 

तब तक मुझे न विराम है, 

चलना हमारा काम है। 

कुछ कह लिया, कुछ सुन लिया 

कुछ बोझ अपना बँट गया 

अच्छा हुआ, तुम मिल गई 

कुछ रास्ता ही कट गया 

क्या राह में परिचय कहूँ, 

राही हमारा नाम है, 

चलना हमारा काम है। 

जीवन अपूर्ण लिए हुए 

पाता कभी खोता कभी 

आशा निराशा से घिरा, 

हँसता कभी रोता कभी 

गति-मति न हो अवरूद्ध, 

इसका ध्यान आठो याम है, 

चलना हमारा काम है। 

इस विशद विश्व-प्रहार में 

किसको नहीं बहना पडा 

सुख-दुख हमारी ही तरह, 

किसको नहीं सहना पडा 

फिर व्यर्थ क्यों कहता फिरूँ, 

मुझ पर विधाता वाम है, 

चलना हमारा काम है। 

मैं पूर्णता की खोज में 

दर-दर भटकता ही रहा 

प्रत्येक पग पर कुछ न कुछ 

रोडा अटकता ही रहा 

निराशा क्यों मुझे? 

जीवन इसी का नाम है, 

चलना हमारा काम है। 

साथ में चलते रहे 

कुछ बीच ही से फिर गए 

गति न जीवन की रूकी 

जो गिर गए सो गिर गए 

रहे हर दम, 

उसी की सफलता अभिराम है, 

चलना हमारा काम है। 

फकत यह जानता 

जो मिट गया वह जी गया

मूंदकर पलकें सहज 

दो घूँट हँसकर पी गया 

सुधा-मिक्ष्रित गरल, 

वह साकिया का जाम है, 

चलना हमारा काम है। 

When my friend asks how is preparation going and say "tumhara toh pehla mains haina, bhai fod kar aana"

Yesterday was much better :)

Managed to complete Complex Analysis + CA class + half of internal security 

Today's targets:

1) wrap up GS 3 

2) PDE complete 

3) CA class 

Hello everyone! Wasn't posting here since last few days as I thought of doing so after completing at least One GS paper, but still that day has not come yet. I am reading decently (in terms of hours) but whole day got diffused between optional, some new exotic resource, Watching videos and all but NOTHING COME OUT CONCRETELY. The result is, after so many days not completed even a single GS paper and only 60% of Optional. Still 35 days are left, something could be done but when and how!!! So guys, how did you go through GS? Before writing a test approx how many hours did you put for each GS papers? My prep is very scattered, don't know how to consolidate it!

@Master Small suggestion i was faced with same problem a week back here is how i handled it

Leave everything aside and just completely focus on 1 thing either gs or optional whole day at keast 10hrs/day

I did gs it hardly takes 4-5 days to fully complete gs with good grip move on to next next and then optional 

Doing multiple things for me ended up in me doing nothing full day rather if i concentrated on one subject it allowed me to grasp it and develop good interlinkages in the gs portion itself

Then move on to optional i know its risky as days left are less but thats how i did it 

Managed to finish all my targets

I spent the entire October doing optional paper 2 and gs -1... At the end of the month, when I sat down to give the gs mock, I had nothing to write.. I could just answer two questions.. And that particular mock is still pending.. 

It felt so disheartening and felt like I have just wasted entire October... This is after the fact that I did not really take a break after prelims. 

So ideally I should have been done with all the papers till now.. But Of course, it is going to take some more time

I honestly don't feel that those who are giving first mains are able to adjust time between optional and mains smoothly.. And this is especially true if your notes are not prepared before hand or if you have not giving gs mocks before prelims.. 

I really think that there is no one size fits all approach for this.. But I remember, you recently also mentioned how you are finding it difficult to manage both the subjects together..  I think it is time that you accept the fact that maybe juggling both the papers together is not your thing.. Even I accepted this fact two weeks ago.. Now I denote one week to gs and next to optional.. This has really helped me.. What I could not achieve in those 20 odd days in October, I could do it with a lot of efficiency in one week.. 

If you don't feel brave enough to denote one week completely to one paper, then I would suggest giving three days in a week to gs and then three days to optional.. (This is what I read on the telegram channel JayantRishabh).. 

This is really working for me.. I hope it works for you too.. 

Always remember, there will be 180 IAS every year and 180 different ways to do it.. Find your own way that helps you in optimum utilisation of resources. 

Good luck!! 

Also if someone has been able to improve time management in answer writing, I could use some tips. 

I feel like I’m writing too much in 10 markers, but what if kam likha and woh 3.5 marks se bhi kam milne lage 😒