In case anyone needs reasons focus on thesis
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Tony H S Chu
Oct 14, 2012, 11:11:08 PM10/14/12
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http://www.paulgraham.com/procrastination.html
"The most impressive people I know are all terrible procrastinators. So could it be that procrastination isn't always bad?"
"No matter what you work on, you're not working on everything else. So the question is not how to avoid procrastination, but how to procrastinate well."
"There are three variants of procrastination, depending on what you do instead of working on something: you could work on (a) nothing, (b) something less important, or (c) something more important. That last type, I'd argue, is good procrastination."
"That's the sense in which the most impressive people I know are all procrastinators. They're type-C procrastinators: they put off working on small stuff to work on big stuff."
'What's "small stuff?" Roughly, work that has zero chance of being mentioned in your obituary. It's hard to say at the time what will turn out to be your best work (will it be your magnum opus on Sumerian temple architecture, or the detective thriller you wrote under a pseudonym?), but there's a whole class of tasks you can safely rule out: shaving, doing your laundry, cleaning the house, writing thank-you notes—anything that might be called an errand.'
"Good procrastination is avoiding errands to do real work."
"The most impressive people I know are all terrible procrastinators. So could it be that procrastination isn't always bad?"
"No matter what you work on, you're not working on everything else. So the question is not how to avoid procrastination, but how to procrastinate well."
"There are three variants of procrastination, depending on what you do instead of working on something: you could work on (a) nothing, (b) something less important, or (c) something more important. That last type, I'd argue, is good procrastination."
"That's the sense in which the most impressive people I know are all procrastinators. They're type-C procrastinators: they put off working on small stuff to work on big stuff."
'What's "small stuff?" Roughly, work that has zero chance of being mentioned in your obituary. It's hard to say at the time what will turn out to be your best work (will it be your magnum opus on Sumerian temple architecture, or the detective thriller you wrote under a pseudonym?), but there's a whole class of tasks you can safely rule out: shaving, doing your laundry, cleaning the house, writing thank-you notes—anything that might be called an errand.'
"Good procrastination is avoiding errands to do real work."
Tony
Tash Wong
Oct 15, 2012, 2:38:40 PM10/15/12
to mfa-ixd-t...@googlegroups.com
Great conclusion:
I think the way to "solve" the problem of procrastination is to let delight pull you instead of making a to-do list push you. Work on an ambitious project you really enjoy, and sail as close to the wind as you can, and you'll leave the right things undone.
Nicole Sylianteng
Oct 17, 2012, 10:15:43 AM10/17/12
to Tash Wong, mfa-ixd-t...@googlegroups.com
great article! love the conclusion.
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On Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 2:38 PM, Tash Wong <mei...@gmail.com> wrote:
Great conclusion:
I think the way to "solve" the problem of procrastination is to let delight pull you instead of making a to-do list push you. Work on an ambitious project you really enjoy, and sail as close to the wind as you can, and you'll leave the right things undone.
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Nikki Sylianteng
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