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Procrastination

solarpwer

Another project "LATE"!

Have you ever procrastinated, and did not complete your homework (project, final project)? If you were a "super-procrastinator" like me, and somehow changed, can you please share your experience.

Before I could stay all night and do my work at night (non stop 10hrs in a row), but now I can't, I feel bored. I love architecture, but I think I am not too exposed to this field. I live in Detroit, and what I see everyday is same "garbage", 1 story builder's 1970's dream homes, and shopping plaza upon plaza......It is like the architecture you might see in hell, i guess.

Anyways, I appreciate your advice on how to overcome procrastination, beyond trying the usual method ("just start")

Thanks,

 
Feb 23, 05 1:51 am
Alaninabox

To remind me to get to work I have a sign over my desk that says "Procrastinate Now"
It doesn't really help though...

Feb 23, 05 2:39 am  · 
 · 
aemkei

I've tried to 'just start' for well over 28 years now, and so far I have not. I'll do anything before I get started on school projects or work or whatever. I think that if you have this problem you could do pretty much ANYthing for a living and still not be able to get anything done. I bet this problem even exists in the porn industry.
"Would you please get started already? Just stick it in there, man!"
"Wait, I'm on level 13 on Tetris here..."

Feb 23, 05 4:21 am  · 
 · 
domestic

I took a course on cognitive psychology and in one section of the text it talks about how external motivation (making cash, getting good grades, winning a competition, impressing other people, making deadlines) destroys internal motivation. So basically when you start to make the thing you love to do about anything more than itself your internal motivation leaves and eventually it becomes just work (something to abhor).

perhaps procrastination is a symptom or indicator of lost love.
I noticed that as I progressed through architecture school that the time I spent procrastinating, that the more inspiration I need to get work done rose proportionately and parallel to the rise in the competitive nature of school.
This is could also explain the phenomena of how in some architecture schools the best work is done by first years.
Their internal motivation hasn't been corrupted yet!














Feb 23, 05 3:44 pm  · 
 · 
tect75

i would answer but i think i'll do it later

Feb 23, 05 5:34 pm  · 
 · 
evilplatypus

sometimes in school you try to be too perfect on small details and end up missing the big picture - like a model only 80% complete but really detailed or supporting graphics a mess. Try to convey the big picture as broadly and simply as possible - I wish I did when I was in school - it would have saved me a couple embarassing reviews. You'll find it usually presents better anyways. If that doesnt work, try wearing a bow tie, or maybe a black turtle neck.

Feb 23, 05 5:52 pm  · 
 · 
sameolddoctor

domestic

do you teach??? your long convoluted sentences surely suggest you do!!!
but your overall point is really good

Feb 23, 05 6:03 pm  · 
 · 
citizen

Solar,

I struggle with procrastination as most of us do, probably.

One thing that I've found really helpful is to break up the huge, frightening monolith of "the project" (paper, drawings, model, whatever) into much smaller, manageable pieces. Write a paragraph on what I know so far? No problem. Sketch two elevation alternatives? I can do that in ten minutes. Cut uniform lengths of strathmore? No sweat. That's how I get started. Once I've done one little task-let, it's easier to do a second.

Oh, and don't blame a lack of motivation on the supposed hell of mundane residential or retail design. Major cop-out. If anything, that's a motivator to get going!

Feb 23, 05 7:51 pm  · 
 · 
vado retro

wednesday is black turtle neck day here at the residence.

Feb 23, 05 9:37 pm  · 
 · 
b3tadine[sutures]

domestic, you hit the nail on the head. my professor would listen to me go on and on about my issues and he said to me that anger while extremely motivating and contributing to the creative energies, can never be maintained and is draining. he also said to me god loves a pugilist, so with that the fight to be my own motivation rages on...

Feb 23, 05 10:32 pm  · 
 · 
c

1- putt off job 1 by doing job 2 ex: i have 2 papers due last week, i should be doing them,but nooo(my inner smeegle) we donts want to , narsty papers ... So i get a head start on my philosophy paper, which is due next tuesday....
sometimes i wind up doing very productive yet utterly irrelevant things...i once read Phaedra, The collected late poems of Elliot, cleaned my entire apt, laundry etc, restocked my liquor supply, restrung my squash rackets and started to research a non-existant but fascinating paper that i could maybe write the next semester just to avoid writting a paper that was allready late. maybe not all for one paper, but you get the point...

2- Work around other people- whether it is a question of competetive drive or being a show off, or i don;t know what- but when other people are watching i perform better- i do by work better i work harder. wierd i know- or i talk to friends of mine- (who sadly have no interest in what i'm doing ) about what i'm doing, and get all excited about the project. - this , though, requires a somewhat, or once-exciting project to begin with....

3- Adderall...

Feb 23, 05 11:43 pm  · 
 · 
e909
"Would you please get started already? Just stick it in there, man!"
"Wait, I'm on level 13 on Tetris here..."


"and look at this backlog of game releases that's been growing since I started work on Tetris in 1985. I'll never catchup."

Feb 24, 05 4:20 am  · 
 · 
e909
i would answer but i think i'll do it later

we were going to wait awhile before we looked for your answer.

Feb 24, 05 4:23 am  · 
 · 
e909
Once I've done one little task-let, it's easier to do a second.

yeah, that works for me. soon, the results of those tasklets beget tasklets beget tasklets beget tasklets. too many. :-)

Feb 24, 05 4:26 am  · 
 · 
solarpwer

Thank you all for your responses, I have a mid-term crit review on Tuesday next week, and will try to divide the work into little tasks, hopefully it will work for me too. (crossing fingers, praying to God...)

Will post the outcome on Wednesday,

Thanks again,
solar.

Feb 24, 05 11:13 am  · 
 · 
solarpwer

Hey all!

Well, as usually i did procrastinated till last day! Spent all night!!! doing my model, was late for the Mid-term crit! Didn't enough floorplans, sections. BUT! THEY LOVED THE IDEA!!! and the model!
YAY!! i am saved for a while......OK I WILL STOP TO PROCRASTINATE (GOD DAM!!)

Mar 2, 05 10:08 pm  · 
 · 
e909
BUT! THEY LOVED THE IDEA!!!

you are a god!
you can do no wrong!

Mar 2, 05 11:58 pm  · 
 · 

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