Saturday, May 24, 2008

Thesis Procrastination Log

1:00pm – Sat down at the computer. Opened up my thesis documents, including the work I've done so far and my rough outline. Organized my ipod and downloaded music.
1:18 – Printed a relevant article for the thesis. Chatted with two friends online.
1:40 – Prepared to read the article, then decided to stay with the writing. Instead of writing, I ate some cherries. Then I read a bit of the thesis draft so far. Got up to eat more cherries, looked in the fridge, and prepared to wash the cutting board. Realized I wasn't hungry and was clearly wasting time.
1:50 – Started this journal entry to document my procrastination. Anxiety level: yellow-orange.
1:57 – Attempted to write again. Continued re-reading what I've already written. Thought about some themes of death and chaos in Chagall's paintings and in Bunuel's films. Looked up shit online.
2:15ish – watched/skimmed through Un Chien Andalou on YouTube. Watched someone's short version of the film overdubbed with the Pixies' "Debaser."
2:30 – Began to write! Became extremely anxious; a knot formed in my chest. Wrote about three sentences. Anxiety level: red! Got up to walk around. Grabbed some relevant books and notebooks. Talked to Astrid about non-related logistical matters. Thought about eating lunch. I was actually hungry this time.
2:40 – Paused to ground myself by touching my "transitional objects" – a book my therapist lent me for my writing process and my silver baby cup. Looked up at the lovely birthday flowers Astrid gave me. Read a recent relevant journal entry to Astrid. Anxiety level: back down to yellow.
2:45 – Made myself some lunch. Ate it on the couch, then took a "break" during which time I chatted with Astrid, downloaded music, organized my school supplies, and ate vanilla ice cream out of the carton. Before I knew it it was...
6:00pm. Impressive, no?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Got me a movie! Ha-ha-ha-ho!
Slicin' up eyeballs! Ha-ha-ha-ho!

Anonymous said...

The O's tip for writing #1: Disconnect the Internet.

The O's tip for writing #2: Never attempt to write on anything approaching an empty stomach. Preferably eat a burrito or a big bowl of pasta before even *attempting* to write. You want to make sure you won't be hungry for at least 5 hours, because the first hour--at least--will be spent in procrastination.

The O's tip for writing #3: Just write. Don't edit. Rereading is allowed, but only to get yourself up to speed on what you were thinking last time you sat down to write. Repeat: Don't spend your time editing.

That's all for now. Why are you reading this? Get writing!

Bree said...

You're so very right, on all points. And yet, the internet is still connected...