“Inspired” Procrastination

Well, with the week nearing its halfway point, and not a whole lot of the things-I’m-supposed-to-be-doing getting done, I figured it’s time to revisit the idea of productive–or, as the author of this blog calls it, “inspired”–procrastination (there are two separate posts: Inspired Procrastination: 1 & Inspired Procrastination: 2).  
NP

What I Didn’t Do on My Summer Vacation

Write. That’s what I didn’t do. Or what I haven’t done so far. Every summer I promise myself that I’ll get back to one scrap of text or another that I somehow—how?—managed to trick myself into jotting down…the previous summer?…or, no, could it really have been three or even four summers ago?…  If others are like me (and one of the comforts of the internet in general, but of blogs in particular, is the extent to which they reveal that we are not alone in our musings—especially those of a more, er, self-critical nature), then they might find hope in this collection of writers’ suggestions on how to overcome writer’s block. I guess it’s not autumn yet…(sigh).
NP

Not for the faint-of-heart (or exam anxious)…

I suppose it might be a good idea, one of these days, to look at some other issues that can get in the way of achieving academic success. Exam anxiety is certainly one of the more troubling ones. Putting that off for another day, though (ah, it was ever so!), for those of you who don’t break into a cold sweat at the words ‘multiple’ and ‘choice,’ here’s a procrastination ‘test’ .
NP

Häagen-Dazs®

Tag surfing, I came across a piece by Timothy A. Psychl that presents a slightly different “take” on procrastination. The problem might not (just) lie with the individual psychology of the procrastinator: it’s sometimes worth having a look at whether you’re trying to begin, to sustain or to complete a task. What this seems to mean, practically, is that the motivator that got you going—whether it was Chris’ egg-timer or some other “trick”—isn’t necessarily going to work as a tool to help you complete the same task. In order to find the wherewithal to finish that task, you might, for instance, have to engage in his fifth suggestion: to indulge in a little daydreaming … about opening your freezer … and finding a pristine container of  cold, creamy Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean ice cream (hey, you’ve got your fantasies, I’ve got mine)….

NP

Procrastination: The Dark Side

Well, there’s much out there (or is it “in here”?) that presents a compelling argument for procrastination as a potentially useful, productive behavior. But it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that it’s a habit that (like so many habits) can be costly.  In our work at the counselling service, we frequently see students who, because they’ve put off working on something…and put it off…and put it off… (for any number of seemingly “good” reasons), find their academic careers in jeopardy.  It’s worth remembering that there are sometimes serious negative consequences attending procrastination that far surpass the pleasure of searching the web for clever blogs about…procrastinating.  That said, while summoning of the determination to kick the procrastination habit, you might want to check out an interesting piece on “How We Got a Word for ‘Putting Things Off’” in the special Slate edition on procrastination.
NP

Bird by Bird, Card by Card: Tricking Yourself into Getting Started

Anne Lamott, in her dare-I-call-it-”cult” book on writing, Bird by Bird, talks about always having index cards at hand to jot down ideas before they vanish into the ether (as ideas—those frustratingly elusive will-o’-the-wisps—tend to do). Often, as we’ve already observed, getting started on something can be the really tricky part. Index cards can be a great way to find a small, but secure, portal into a seemingly impenetrable project. If, for example, you’re working on an essay or an article (or even the great Canadian novel—or a tenure-track worthy doctoral dissertation!), you can pick up an index card that you’ve written the scrap of an idea on and use that to inform the writing that you are working on…right now. Sometimes a detailed outline—although it, too, can be a useful (even a necessary) tool—can seem daunting. It’s too easy to say, “I’m not ready to write my introduction yet.” But to pick up a random idea that will fit into the larger project…somewhere, at some point…can be a very liberating way to approach the task. The following is a link to the passage from Lamott, courtesy of Orange Crate Art.
NP

PhD ( “Piled Higher & Deeper” )

A very quick post: graduate students who are not familiar with the comic strip “Piled Higher & Deeper” (aka PhD) probably should be; it has sometimes frighteningly accurate depictions of life as a graduate student−

with particular (and frequent) reference to the tendency to, yes, procrastinate while engaged in graduate, er, “research”:“Piled Higher & Deeper”

NP

Ever Hopeful: More on Productive Procrastination

While avoiding doing…any number of things, I came across yet another piece on productive (or “structured”) procrastination−this time as an audio file (good to listen to while, uh, scrubbing that bathtub). This call-in radio show explores some of the more complex aspects of procrastination: perfectionism, creativity, avoidance, fear of failure, performance anxiety, compulsion, etc: NPR Media: Productive Procrastination. 

NP

On Your Mark. Get Set….

Okay. So here I am … in the thick of it.  I’m supposed to be editing a manuscript—in fact, I’ve been reassuring people that it’s well under way. But … what I’m really doing is checking my several email accounts, checking Facebook, checking stats on this—and my other—blog.  I’m toying with the idea of having a look at the j.crew summer sale—not because I want anything, but because it’s somehow … bright … and cheery … and, well, it’s most definitely NOT that “other job” that I’m supposed to be doing.  The trick for me, as it is for many people, is getting started.  Here’s a link to a pretty nifty site, 43 Folders, that often has very useful suggestions about ways to become more organized and, in this instance, it has some good advice about getting a jump-start on all those things you’ve been meaning to get to:

43 Folders: Run a Dash

Now, to sharpen my blue pencil and get to work!

NP

15 Minutes A Day or Some Other Way?

I came across a great recommendation on the “Phinished” website to try rotating ways of working.  15 minutes a day is great for a while. Then it’s often helpful to switch to, say, a goal of 2 pages a day for a while, and so on.  See “Erika’s post”: “The 40 minute system and research on productivity (somewhat long),”

http://www.phinished.org/showthread.php?t=4184

For grad students—the “Phinished” website:

http://www.phinished.org/  

MF