Assignment 26A Celebrating Failure
Ok, so I have had some epic fails in my history, but this semester's series of defeats is just a continuation of a battle that I have been fighting my entire adult life. I continually set out to redefine myself as one who does not procrastinate. This has become a weekly mission, I even bought a Passion Planner with adorable fine-tipped markers so I could map out my week's schoolwork with colorful precision. I started strong. I submitted work early, I broke assignments into digestible chunks and chipped away at a leisurely pace. Until I didn't. Next thing you know, it's 11:48 and I'm trying to convert documents into Word and feverishly submitting and resubmitting until the clock strikes 12.
There're a few things at play here. First of all, I am overbooking. Legitimately, I am trying to do too much. That may actually be where the deficiency lies, in my inability to say no to myself. I want to do so many things at once: complete my degree, run marathons, plant a garden, run a business, cook earthy gourmet meals, learn to jive, brush up on my high school Russian, blah, blah, blah. That brings me to my next problem, I have typically compensated by sacrificing essentials like sleep, downtime, and sex with my husband. The other issue is that these techniques have kinda been working. I may not turn out my best work but I can usually muster up some contribution that ranges from acceptable to slightly above average.
History would indicate that I have learned nothing from my eternal attempts ( and failures) to strategically map out my actions in pursuit of my goals. I could argue that what I have learned to do is to be a bit more forgiving of this flaw. I have learned to reframe this stunted area of my professional and personal development as perennial opportunities for growth in time management. After all, today's Monday. This isn't due until Friday. I am way ahead of schedule. I have a fresh pack of sharpie markers and a week full of days in planner just waiting to be told what to do. See....progress!
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYou are the second person I have seen that has complained about the due date/time being 12 pm and not 11:59 pm, as most other classes and assignments abide by. It got me in the beginning several times too until I finally learned my lesson. I set reminders for myself until I just stopped forgetting and that really seemed to help. The struggle of procrastination is definitely real, although hopefully we can learn to manage it better.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI completely am with you on the procrastination aspect of this class. I started out strong, and then at some point it all crashed and burned. I am amazed at how much you are able to do in your time though. I am still trying really hard to manage my time a bit better, and maybe I could learn a thing or two from you.