Growth

Last semester, fall 2018, I implemented a “reset button.” If I was working unproductively just because I felt guilty if I wasn’t working, I’d hit “reset” and would let myself go do something else or go to bed and start again tomorrow. It took me a while to train myself to not feel guilty when I did this, but I quickly realized that my work was much more efficient and effective when I used this method. People always say “as soon as you think to yourself ‘I’ll just go to bed and do it tomorrow morning’ you’ve already lost” but for me, that’s not losing at all, and my work will be better quality if I do so (granted, part of this just comes from me being a morning person). One of the best things I learned this semester was that it’s OK not to be zoned in all the time, and it’s okay to put something off if forcing it won’t be your best quality work (assuming there isn’t a pressing due date, in that case, get it done even if it’s unfinished or unpolished). This semester, I want to keep implementing this, but I also want to implement the opposite: I want to train myself to be able to switch from “relax mode” (sometimes synonymous with zombie mode) to work mode, because right now I’m not great at swapping out.

I guess this falls under the umbrella of time management. I function more time-efficiently when I’m busy. If I have a lot of free time, it’s harder to remind myself that I’m not just messing around, I still have work to do, even if it’s not as much as it has been in past semesters. On top of my 17 credits (14 of which are engineering), I also have been working about 25 hours a week. This has strangely enough done really good things for my time management. I know I have to prioritize certain assignments and get them done sooner if I have to work because in my brain, even though I know with 100% certainty that school is more important than my part-time gig, assignments can be procrastinated and work can’t be. Working essentially creates 3 additional self-imposed deadlines for assignments that serve as good checkpoints for me throughout the week. But it’s also why it’s so important for me to practice snapping out of a chilled-out mindset.

In this case, practice makes perfect. They say it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, so I have to finish 3 weeks of “practicing” studying when I don’t want to or feel unproductive. I think the best way to do this is to isolate myself and put myself in an environment with no distractions. At least once a week, I want to go to the tech center without my laptop or phone (aka cutting off all communication with the “outside world”) to eliminate distractions. Not only is this a healthy habit, but I think it’ll serve as an interesting experiment, too. I will definitely get a lot more work done this way and I’ll be forced to work even if I don’t want to without any distractions to rely on as a crutch. We’ll see how this goes!

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