A Discussion of Procrastination
Procrastination (verb): to put off doing something, especially out of carelessness or laziness.
I've reached a new level of procrastination genius. I'd like to think that I've mastered the art and I could delay just about anything...but even I recognize that there has to be a point where the work STARTS. I've never really been one of those people who "just can't relax".
Today I got to the point where my place is so clean that I could eat off the floor, the closet just can't be rearranged again, the walls are officially decorated, I'm already going to the gym four or five times a week, and I've even filed all the old bills. In short, there is no alternative; I must start working on my thesis.
Now you'd think that this revelation would have been useful about three months ago, but who works during the summer? So I dusted off my thesis proposal and reread it with the expectation that I'd (more or less) remember what I wrote. Apparently that was hoping for too much, given the time that has passed. However, I can recognize that I wrote the damn thing (who else would use the word mitigate like it's going out of style?).
I've identified a key formula: A1VEC1 = d (mpt) x mp. If anyone out there recognizes this formula, and wants to give it stastical run, please drop me a comment, and I'll be glad to let you have my data. There was also the concordance analysis formula: cii = (E Wj + 1/2 E Wj/)/(En Wj). There were some superscripts and subscripts in there too, but I don't know what they mean, and I really don't care.
So by now, a few bright sparks will be thinking "hey, she's really only writing this entry to procrastinate more". And you'd be right, except, you're wrong. I am not, in fact, procrastinating more, I'm simply informing those of you concerned about my (theoretical) thesis that progress is continuing (or at least, kickstarted).
A common grad school motivator is fear. Not fear of never finishing the thesis (although, I'm sure that is a valid concern for many), but more of a concern that the supervisor may discover the (lack of) progress. I'm now officially avoiding my supervisor in the halls, and if I had one of those little mirrors to peak around corners, I'd be using it. I know I have to meet him this week though, and hence, el progress! One day I might motivate myself like I did in my undergrad degree, or even high school. But until then, I'll continue work in a state of apprehension that my supervisor might actually ask "how is the thesis going?"
P.S. Bram, if you're reading this, I can't wait until our meeting!
I've reached a new level of procrastination genius. I'd like to think that I've mastered the art and I could delay just about anything...but even I recognize that there has to be a point where the work STARTS. I've never really been one of those people who "just can't relax".
Today I got to the point where my place is so clean that I could eat off the floor, the closet just can't be rearranged again, the walls are officially decorated, I'm already going to the gym four or five times a week, and I've even filed all the old bills. In short, there is no alternative; I must start working on my thesis.
Now you'd think that this revelation would have been useful about three months ago, but who works during the summer? So I dusted off my thesis proposal and reread it with the expectation that I'd (more or less) remember what I wrote. Apparently that was hoping for too much, given the time that has passed. However, I can recognize that I wrote the damn thing (who else would use the word mitigate like it's going out of style?).
I've identified a key formula: A1VEC1 = d (mpt) x mp. If anyone out there recognizes this formula, and wants to give it stastical run, please drop me a comment, and I'll be glad to let you have my data. There was also the concordance analysis formula: cii = (E Wj + 1/2 E Wj/)/(En Wj). There were some superscripts and subscripts in there too, but I don't know what they mean, and I really don't care.
So by now, a few bright sparks will be thinking "hey, she's really only writing this entry to procrastinate more". And you'd be right, except, you're wrong. I am not, in fact, procrastinating more, I'm simply informing those of you concerned about my (theoretical) thesis that progress is continuing (or at least, kickstarted).
A common grad school motivator is fear. Not fear of never finishing the thesis (although, I'm sure that is a valid concern for many), but more of a concern that the supervisor may discover the (lack of) progress. I'm now officially avoiding my supervisor in the halls, and if I had one of those little mirrors to peak around corners, I'd be using it. I know I have to meet him this week though, and hence, el progress! One day I might motivate myself like I did in my undergrad degree, or even high school. But until then, I'll continue work in a state of apprehension that my supervisor might actually ask "how is the thesis going?"
P.S. Bram, if you're reading this, I can't wait until our meeting!
posted by Lisa at
5:29 p.m.
3 Comments:
I feel your pain Lis. As a new recruit into the world of procrastination, I can no longer brag about being the anti-procrastinator. I've learned that there's nothing like a distance-ed Philosophy course in Critical Thinking to keep one's ass on the couch and in front of online cribbage. However the exam looms ever closer so I must get cracking! It's a good thing you don't live in Vancouver, otherwise we'd be enabling each other...
By
Anonymous, at 10:40 p.m.
See, the difference between you and me is that I'm organizing my closet and filing old bills because I have nothing else to do (but I got offered a job today so the end is in sight) where you do these things because you have too much to do. Very interesting...
By
Courtney, at 1:10 a.m.
What an awesome post. I invite you to my blog to read my long and way too descriptive account of my trip to Grasslands yesterday, which I wrote in lieu of working on my scholarship application. Blogs are amazing for that, aren't they?!?
By
Shannon, at 4:26 p.m.
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