Amko
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Your plans for this year are undoubtedly ambitious – you're going to learn to play the ukulele or invest your assets in the Balearic Islands. As for me, I'll spend the next few months fighting procrastination – the main reason why world peace hasn't arrived yet.
Procrastination – just in case, because half of the "Afisha" editorial staff apparently haven't heard of this word – is a psychological state where important tasks are postponed, and time is spent on trivial things that no one really needs. When, instead of getting up and taking out the trash, you polish your iPod – that's procrastination. When, instead of answering work emails, you read Google Reader – that's procrastination. Humanity spends twice as much time on procrastination as on actual work, and the situation is getting worse every year.
There are many reasons for procrastination. Some people can only act under adrenaline and subconsciously wait for the deadline to hit them. Some are afraid of responsibility and can't make a decision. Some simply have a clogged mental pipeline. But that's not even important.
What's important is that half of modern civilization is built on procrastination. For example, the popularity of social networks is a direct result of this harmful habit. A normal person needs to read the news once a day, check LiveJournal once a week, and watch TV once a year. But what actually happens? Millions do this non-stop – simply because they can't force themselves to write a letter to a client.
Our external and internal enemies are doing everything they can to make it easier to procrastinate. They set traps for us – "Related Videos" on YouTube, "Popular Posts" on Yandex. But even completely disconnecting from the internet won't help. Even Chekhov had moments when, after sitting for two minutes at "Ward No. 6," he would jump up to the buffet for a glass of rowanberry liqueur. The problem needs to be solved in other ways.
There are many methods that have been devised. For example, there's the "(10 + 2) x 5" approach. The idea is this: first, you set yourself a task – for example, write a paragraph of text. Then, honestly, without getting distracted and gritting your teeth, you spend ten minutes on it, using a stopwatch. Then, for two minutes, you wander around the room, smoke, drink coffee, and contemplate plans to emigrate to Bhutan. Then, it all starts again. By the end of the hour, you have five paragraphs – a good result for a zombie.
But these methods rarely work because they imply the presence of willpower, and many of us have long since lost our willpower. That's why fighting procrastination should be included in your list of goals for the year, and by next December, you should aim to reduce your visits to LiveJournal by 80%, smoking by 40%, and searching for your own name on the internet by 3%. At a minimum.
Frankly, I can't even imagine what will happen if the population of the earth simultaneously stops procrastinating. The world as we know it will cease to exist. It will immediately become clear that everything we do can be done twice as fast. What will happen next – will GDP double, will the crisis subside – I don't know. But if I finally find time for the series "The Wire" – I'll consider that one of my small victories.
Procrastination – just in case, because half of the "Afisha" editorial staff apparently haven't heard of this word – is a psychological state where important tasks are postponed, and time is spent on trivial things that no one really needs. When, instead of getting up and taking out the trash, you polish your iPod – that's procrastination. When, instead of answering work emails, you read Google Reader – that's procrastination. Humanity spends twice as much time on procrastination as on actual work, and the situation is getting worse every year.
There are many reasons for procrastination. Some people can only act under adrenaline and subconsciously wait for the deadline to hit them. Some are afraid of responsibility and can't make a decision. Some simply have a clogged mental pipeline. But that's not even important.
What's important is that half of modern civilization is built on procrastination. For example, the popularity of social networks is a direct result of this harmful habit. A normal person needs to read the news once a day, check LiveJournal once a week, and watch TV once a year. But what actually happens? Millions do this non-stop – simply because they can't force themselves to write a letter to a client.
Our external and internal enemies are doing everything they can to make it easier to procrastinate. They set traps for us – "Related Videos" on YouTube, "Popular Posts" on Yandex. But even completely disconnecting from the internet won't help. Even Chekhov had moments when, after sitting for two minutes at "Ward No. 6," he would jump up to the buffet for a glass of rowanberry liqueur. The problem needs to be solved in other ways.
There are many methods that have been devised. For example, there's the "(10 + 2) x 5" approach. The idea is this: first, you set yourself a task – for example, write a paragraph of text. Then, honestly, without getting distracted and gritting your teeth, you spend ten minutes on it, using a stopwatch. Then, for two minutes, you wander around the room, smoke, drink coffee, and contemplate plans to emigrate to Bhutan. Then, it all starts again. By the end of the hour, you have five paragraphs – a good result for a zombie.
But these methods rarely work because they imply the presence of willpower, and many of us have long since lost our willpower. That's why fighting procrastination should be included in your list of goals for the year, and by next December, you should aim to reduce your visits to LiveJournal by 80%, smoking by 40%, and searching for your own name on the internet by 3%. At a minimum.
Frankly, I can't even imagine what will happen if the population of the earth simultaneously stops procrastinating. The world as we know it will cease to exist. It will immediately become clear that everything we do can be done twice as fast. What will happen next – will GDP double, will the crisis subside – I don't know. But if I finally find time for the series "The Wire" – I'll consider that one of my small victories.
Arandor
