Table of Contents

Introduction11. Stress12. Time Management23. Time and Stress Management in Mozambique24. Causes of Stress and Deficient Time Management45. Time Management Mechanisms56. Stress Management Mechanism6Conclusion7Bibliography8

IntroductionOwning to the new dynamics of the 21st century society worldwide, time is getting scarcer and scarcer to people and most particularly to university students. Advancements in technology have greatly increased socio-economic needs as well as the level of stress leading to the emergence of new trends in peoples life style and a neglect of some activities that once sustained communities. Writing has over the past centuries played a vital role in the society in recording keeping, sharing of ideas as well as expressing feelings. Actually, in an ever fast changing world the need of writing is of paramount importance. However, time scarceness and stress constraints hinder the development of this art. We observe with certain accuracy a steep fall in numbers of people who write worldwide. At the same time, a good number of students around the world face many difficulties in academic writing. This phenomenon is taking alarming proportions at the Universidade Pedagogica of Mozambique. In Gaza branch for instance, a sharp growth of graduate students opting to sit for the final examination instead of writing the end course monograph is systematically observed. As a matter of evidence, in 2011, 23 students out of 70 who had completed their degree program opted to sit for the last examination and 47 decided to write their monography which means that 32.9 % of degree candidates choose not to write academic paper. In 2013, 22 students out of 49 sat for the final exam and 27 wrote their monography which means 55.1% of degree candidates choose not to write the monography. It seems that time and stress management deficiencies are the core causes. The present essay aims to discuss time and stress management in academic writing among the under graduate students in Mozambique with a view to empowering them to write the end course monography in keeping with the institutional standards.For the purpose of this paper, I will briefly discuss the concepts stress as well as time management, identify the causes and suggest mechanisms to manage time and stress in academic writing and then present some recommendations. 1. StressThe concept stress is broadly used to refer to unwanted feelings that bring discomfort. The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary 8th edition defines stress as the pressure or worry caused by the problems in ones life. Stress may be a consequence of lack of relaxation, fear or failure to meet a set expectation. It consumes a lot of energy as well as time, and people suffering from it are unable to produce efficiently.Although this term is quite old, people in the past were less exposed to the factors leading to stress. In other words, people were less prone to stress. Susan and Richard argue that long ago, the concepts stress, anxiety, conflict, frustration, emotional disturbance, trauma, strain and alienation were most often than not used interchangeably (1).In a nutshell, stress is a feeling that crops in the human being as a result of disappointment, differences and trauma. It is caused by unhealthy living practices systematically lead by people in busy societies of which Mozambique is not an exception. In fact, with the high rate of poverty and political dissatisfaction stress is likely to increase in Mozambique.2. Time Management The term time management is a straight forward concept which simply means ways in which people handle and control their time according to priorities they have in life and value they give to different activities.Whereas some societies have improved significantly in time management, others, particularly African societies are lagging behind due to their cultural principles as well as philosophy of life. John S Mbiti quoted by Bert Hamminga argues that events are more important than time for Africans. Put it simply, there is no time concept in Africa. When there is an event people will not be interested in the time it takes place but rather the fact that the event took place (1). This principle is however, changing in some urban areas as people see the need of disciplining themselves and managing well their time with a view to fostering efficiency and success in their accomplishments. 3. Time and Stress Management in MozambiqueAccording to the UN report recently published, Mozambique is the third poorest country in the world. The level of poverty and frustration is increasing in a country known to be rich in natural resources and opportunities. This dichotomy mounts up to the level of frustration as well as unhappiness and therefore stress. With globalization and the culture of competition societies are becoming more and more demanding. Efficiency and quality in production are the new trends characterizing 21st century communities. Thus, people need more time and skills to endure the challenges of their world. Likewise, 21st century students ought to consider the nature of the world they live in and double their efforts to catch up with the demands of the rapid changing world. As a matter of evidence, a significant number of university students today are either part time students or students with family responsibility, be it the family breadwinner or the family caregiver. This phenomenon has to be taken into account when we consider time and stress management. In other words, whatever mechanisms taken up should be in consonance with the context in which the writer is found. Furthermore, sociological and cultural values have to be taken into consideration in this discussion. It is far much easier to manage time in an individualistic society, in the Mozambican society and culture it is all the more difficult to keep time since the society ideals and positions weigh much heavier than the personal convictions. It is also worth taking into account that writing is a painstaking process with ups and downs that writers ought to be prepared to face realistically not necessarily because it is difficult or impossible but it is rather challenging. According to Gail Craswell students ought to take different mechanisms so as to cope with stress in the process of academic writing because writing is a challenging feat that has to be faced realistically but at the same time optimistically. He argues that writers ought to be prepared to face the difficult spots of their writing process with optimism and use their past success as a way of boosting their inspiration (6).I think it wise to discuss from the onset with the students the need of facing writing realistically; as a difficult skill and yet a possible feat to pursue so that students get into it knowing what success in writing entails. No matter how difficult and time consuming writing an academic paper may appear it is a feat any determined university student well supported by the faculty team, family, as well as peers can successfully attempt.Although one can minimize the level of stress and manage their time more efficiently, not all stress can be avoided. While we make the effort to set a stress free environment for writing to take place it is healthy to address issues realistically. (Smith and Segal 3)In fact, that is the reason I am presenting academic writing as a challenging feat to pursue. As the Bible puts it the truth will set you free it is in my opinion the realistic way of approaching the challenges of academic writing that will set undergraduate students free from stress and time constraints. 4. Causes of Stress and Deficient Time Management Changes in social, political and economic life are in my opinion the main causes of increased stress among Mozambicans. This phenomenon brings discomfort and insecurity to people, among them university students, who were comfortable with the way things were done in the past but now they are forced to adopt new mechanisms to cope with the new challenges the new society calls for. New dynamics in global economics associated with the world economic recession calls for a busy and stressful life style due to the scarcity of resources and the new demands of society. In other words, with the shortage of financial resources Mozambicans find themselves forced to be more aggressive at the market of labour and business by overworking themselves. Consequently, their time becomes insufficient to run the businesses they need in order to sustain the family therefore, significant increase of stress level of stress significantly increases. The oral culture predominant in Mozambique as well as lack of reading culture hampers the development of the writing skills. The culture of writing is still not well developed in Mozambique and university students lack models and social support. Whereas the oral culture of people may hinder the development of their writing skills, by the same token it may be used to foster the development of writing when efficient pedagogic approaches are called to place. Students ought to be encouraged to use the richness of their oral culture wisdom in writing. Besides, they ought to be encouraged to read on daily basis to foster their writing skills. With regards to time management, People in Mozambique are faced with the same problem, namely cultural, socio-economic and pedagogic. As a matter of illustration, people grow in social communities with hardly any decisive powers. It is the society decision that counts more in peoples lives. It is not part of the culture to manage common things like time. People are expected to sacrifice their personal plans for the sake of the community goals; it will sound strange and unnatural to tell people not to see you because you are busy. This traditional principle ends up influencing the way university students manage their time. Phil Race suggests that students ought to decide that they are in charge of their time which means that they get good value from using it (20). In my opinion this is a practice you need to put into practice so as to empower them in managing time and lessen stress levels. It could then be stated that cultural, economic and pedagogical factors are not only affecting the quality of writing in Mozambique but also increasing the levels of stress and making time management less feasible.Needless to say, stress and deficient time management mechanisms hinder the development of writing in general and academic writing particularly. That is why undergraduate students ought to adopt sound time management mechanisms and create a stress free environment so as to overcome the challenges around the writing process. 5. Time Management MechanismsThe adoption of realistic time management mechanisms is a key factor in the development of the academic writing process. Mozambican degree Students intending to pursue academic writing should consider mastering time management mechanisms with a view to coping with the challenges of academic writing.Race argues that being good at time management will improve ones quality of life, make one more efficient, more effective, and under a lot less pressure from other people. He suggests that writers should not keep postponing their writing; waiting to get enough time for time is never enough. He suggests that writers must start with the time they have, set their own deadline and make it realistic and plan time off (19-22).Apart from the mechanisms suggested by Race, students could make a timetable according to the time available to you and the context in which you are found. Considering the a good number of Mozambican university students have family responsibilities and the society you live in keeps putting pressure on their time, it is wise to consider dead hours to concentrate on the writing; late evening and early mornings. A further advice could be taken from Craswell argument that everyone has their peak writing periods (6). In this case I advise university students to identify their own peak period and invest energy to come up with the most desirable performance in academic writing. This period could be taken into account in the timetable I suggest degree students to set prior to their monograph writing. I do understand that the Mozambican culture does not allow much for individual principles and self determination. However, I encourage university student to take the lead and be the agents of change by setting their timetable and inform people around them that they are busy and do not expect much disturbances. This will foster productivity in their endeavours and will in the long run help the society to understand better academic people. 6. Stress Management MechanismIn Mozambique a good number of undergraduate students live under stressing conditions. In Gaza branch, for instance, a great good number of students are mid-aged and at in-service training with barely any spare time to invest in writing because they are studying as part-timers. As you move towards the end of their degree program you become over concerned with getting the degrees as soon as possible for job application or salary increase. You regard studying not as an opportunity to learn new things and change their life style as a result of the new knowledge but as a platform to increase the salary and widen your career prospects. As a result, most of you write monographs under pressure. In fact, you just write for the sake of getting papers that will guarantee financial gains associated not with the acquired knowledge but with the certificates they get. David Nunan suggests that relaxation fosters mental productivity (243). I think that undergraduate students considering writing your monographs ought to control your level of stress with a view to fostering your level of mental productivity in the writing process. I am of the opinion that students intending to write a monograph should seek for support among their peers, lecturers, alumni and family members as a way of managing your stress as well as overcoming moments of tension and frustration. Assistance should be sought regularly, not only in times of crises. Race suggests that acknowledge ones limitations, plan the task ahead of time and share with an experienced person, break the workload, not to concentrate for long on any one thing, regard problems as things one can overcome, re-examine the expectations regularly, build on the experience, regardless the level of frustration you are still the same person are among the mechanisms one can adopt to cope with stress (117-131).It is worth considering these mechanisms with a view to coping with stress in the process of writing degree monographs in the Mozambican context. Students ought to plan time for relaxation, avoid any distracters, balance their life, share their objectives with family members, get enough sleep, avoid leading bad life and avoid alcohol or any drug abuse.

ConclusionAlthough the Mozambican context most particularly in the rural areas is not all that conducive for writing due to cultural, socio-economic, pedagogic factors as well as the level of stress, university students pursuing their undergraduate can adopt realistic time and stress management mechanisms so as to make the process of monograph writing feasible. Hence we recommend Mozambican university students considering writing your degree monograph to adopt the mechanisms suggested in this essay with a view to making your writing viable.

BibliographyBert, Hamminga The Western versus the African Time Concept. London: Heinemann 1969 http://laofutze.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/667/

Craswell, Gail. Writing for Academic Successful: A Postgraduate Guide. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.. 2005

Folkman, Susan and Lazarus, S, Richard. Stress, Appraisal and Coping. New York: Springer Publishing Company. 1984http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Appraisal-Coping

Michael, Keene and Hairston Maxine. Successful Writing. Lodon: Norton & Company, 2003

Nunan, David. Language Teaching Methodology. Great Britain: Cambridge University Press. 2000

Race, Phil. Practical Tips for Students. London: Blackwell Publishing. 1988.

Smith, Melinda and Segal Robert. Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent and Coping with Stress. 2013http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm