Right now, there is one thing and one thing only that I should do: I should write an academic essay/paper that is my last remaining assignment on an education I started yearsago. And what am I doing? I'm orging... What will I do tomorrow? Meet a friend probably. Maybe take some pictures. Perhaps work on my latest screenplay. Will I work on my essay? Probably not.

I should make it clear that I'm not a procrastinator when it comes to most things. In fact, I can be a bit of a workoholic, typing away on all kinds of work through the night until I realize that I should get some sleep before the morning rush hour wakes me up again.

I should also point out that finishing this particular paper is crucial to me right now. If I don't do it really soon then I might have to kiss goodbye to my plans to go to work in Japan this fall. So there is no lack of motivation.

And yet I can't even get started on the damn thing. I've started on it three or four times the past few years and gotten stuck every time. I know what I want to write and I definitely have the knowledge and ability to do it. But. I. Just. Can't. Get. Started. For some reason. It's a curse, I say.

My questions to all of you are these:

1. What the hell should I do to lift this curse?
2. Have you ever been in a similar situation? How did it work out?

i wanna respond to this thread but

i gotta weed whack

Iris said:

Orging was a boon. Though you must watch it.

How long is your task that you must do?

2the9s said:

It's quite extensive actually. Usually it takes around ten weeks to complete. I know I could do it in five though if I could just seek my teeth into it properly.

Maybe it is small enough to complete in a reasonable time, and yet large enough to intimidate me? Maybe that's where the problem lies.

.

I do everthing else first until there is nothing else to do. After that the inclination to start usually comes naturally, especially if you have been thinking about what you will write in the time you have been doing everything else. This is what I like to call productive procrastination. It is also nice to have a tidy desk when you start, and with this method your study will be spotless before you start.

I should introduce you to my partner. you both could spend hours procrastinating together.

retina said:

By "long" I signify word # and such...

This was of aid to 9s:

http://www.amazon.com/exe...2?v=glance





damn.
[Edited 7/26/05 16:34pm]

charlottegelin said:

So it's actually possible for you to complete everything else that needs to be done? Won't new things pop up along the way? That's one of my problems. Little things pop up. They don't take too long to complete, but they seem (to me at least) more urgent than my essay at the time. And if my essay keeps slipping down to number two on my priority list I'll never get finished.

It's definitely a good thought though. I'll try my best to follow it.

The desk thing is good too. Better than it sounds even! It amazes me how much the work environment can affect the work sometimes.

Soon you too will post sans fifth digit.

2the9s said:

I don't usually go for those "self help" books, but it looks interesting actually. And I really am pretty desperate. Here's hoping the book won't take ten weeks to read...

retina said:

yes, I know that all those new things can be tempting when they pop up, usually they are much more fun especially if the sun is shining. I have confidence that you will get it done sooner rather than later.

2the9s said:

Even better, I'll cut out every word that contains it. That way my essay will be shorter, snappier and maybe even finished quicker!

retina said:

and completely abstract!

charlottegelin said:

Thanks! Advice and encouragement...I really couldn't ask for more.

charlottegelin said:

Well, the subject is Swedish so I could fool my instructors into believing I'm "reinventing" the language.

2the9s said:

God you ARE a git.

retina said:

retina said:

that's a great idea!

retina said:

But you want Org-assist, so this might work too.

What topic is this trick in?

2the9s said:

Org assist is da bomb.

retina said:

i'm a bad procrastinator
but some suggestions??

if the size of the job is daunting then cut it up in to pieces

how about just scribbling down some of your thoughts as to what you want to write? nothing formal - just getting your ideas out on paper.
then organize it into an outline...
then maybe you will be inspired to work on one part of the essay

and hang a big poster of japan up in front of the computer so that everytime you are on the org
you have incentive to be quick and and not fall into this huge time black hole

2the9s said:

The Swedish language. I'm supposed to study subtitles to Swedish movies and detect patterns in how they shorten and change the language to fit the screen. The next step is to see what is lost and what has received a shift in meaning that is beyond what is acceptable. Third step is to suggest a method, a template if you will, for subtitling in order to avoid these problems.

Iris said:

Thought of joining circus?

You just described my life.

emm said:

Thanks emm. I can always count on you to post something worthwhile.

I have actually tried to divide it up into sections. They keep shifting around a bit though as I dig deeper into the topic, which made me decide to focus on the reference literature section first (since it is quite self-contained). This is where I really get stuck though. I hate referencing other people's work just for the sake of it. Asking someone to write a section like that is like asking them to sculpt creatively with their hands tied behind their back.

Then I thought of skipping that section for the time being, which created other problems since I'll need to refer back to it every now and then...

I won't bore you any further with the details of this, but I can assure you that it's tough to deal with.

At the same time you make perfect sense. I really have to get a proper overview of what I'm doing. Then it will start to look like it actually has a beginning, an end and a middle section with a defined length. It will take away a bit of the psychological drama.

And the Japan idea is excellent! It's so hard to keep motivated when the means and the end are so seemingly loosely connected. I have to keep reminding myself of that connection.

Thanks again!

2the9s said:

Actually, yes. I was approached about three years ago by a woman who was working at a travelling circus. She asked if I'd be interested in working as a stage hand and join them on their tour. At that time I was involved in something completely different and had to decline. I sometimes regret that. I would have loved to see the world with them, chat with the bearded lady (don't know if they had one), pet the bears, party with the clowns... Damn, now I'm starting to regret it again!

minneapolisgenius said:

Really? Are you working on an academic paper too?

retina said:

I saw The Lion King in Thai with English and Mandarin subtitles - covered the bottom half of the picture and made not a lick of sense, now go study that!

retina said:

on one hand - you get to watch movies

on the other hand oh that hurts my head just reading that