Beginning

Life is a whole series of procrastinations and overcoming procrastinations. You start by putting off your middle school essays for later, because you can always do them later. Then you put off studying for the SAT, because you can always do it later, and you can always retake the test. And then you put off writing some of your supplemental essays for college applications, because they aren't due for another month. And then you put off writing the PiG paper, and then you put off writing your thesis paper, and then you put off studying for your medical school tests, and you're a brain surgeon with no idea how to operate on the human brain and everything is a mess thanks to procrastination! So here's the trick: how do you break out of the cycle of procrastination?

I'm definitely guilty of procrastinating. I started this post yesterday (Friday, December 12th), but decided to wait for a time when I was actually procrastinating to write the rest of this post and interrupt the flow. That time came...well, I suppose ti came about an hour and a half ago. I went up to the attic/my room to finish my last two supplemental essays, and found Google Maps open on my computer. Naturally, I screwed around on Google Maps for a few minutes, using the Street View feature to explore Cape Town. After that, I checked Facebook with a John Oliver bit in the background. I read the photography article for STAC and then pulled up YouTube, put on a documentary, and started playing a round of my favorite board game, Risk-solitaire. And even now, I'm tempted to put off my focus on this post to explain what Risk-solitaire is. The fact is, there are always things that we'd all rather be doing than what we are doing. I'd rather be watching Last Week Tonight than doing my supplementals. I'm sure you'd all much rather be on the beach or at a museum somewhere instead of cooped up in front of your computer. And with the Internet, it's easy to distract ourselves with any number of things. And these procrastinations and distractions are what keep me from starting things like supplemental essays or blog posts or PiG paper drafts or any number of things.

So, how do I deal with this? The first thing I do is I eliminate all distractions. I'll close out of any internet pages I have up, get any books I may be reading up on the shelves, and hide all non-work related objects from my line of sight. After that, I force myself to work. That sounds a bit more extreme than it actually is - I tell myself, "Okay, Brian, this has to get done. Get it done." And I do. I've found that that mindset helps me overcome a variety of things, particularly procrastination. Even when I'm working, I'm often tempted to distract myself by opening up Facebook or checking my email. "After I'm done," is always my mindset while I'm working. I can open up Google Maps later on, and conquer Russia in Risk-solitaire after my essays are all done. Every time I start working, I tell myself that I have to get this done. I don't give myself the option. Because given the option, there are very few people who wouldn't choose to distract themselves. After I'm finished with this post, I'll tell myself that I have to finish my supplemental essays. After that, I'll tell myself that I have to edit my PiG paper. After that, I'll tell myself to finish the English essay I have due later in the week, and then to continue editing my film, and then to study for Calculus and Physics, and so on and so forth. And at the end of the day (or perhaps the end of the weekend), I'll get it done.