Day 387

I write more than an average amount of papers thanks to graduate school, and I generally don't mind doing them. Sure, there are sometimes things I would rather be doing than writing papers (taking a nap is the main one), but I accept that as a part of my life right now. What I do not typically do is complain endlessly about writing a paper rather than actually writing it. That's just not my style.

Well, it was yesterday.

I had a three-page article review to write, and it was like pulling teeth just to sit down and type the thing out. I struggled with the length and wondered aloud when the last time I had to write a paper of such a length. I lamented to several of my SnapChat friends that writing a three-page paper was more difficult than I remembered. Once I was done, I wrestled with words and brainstormed synonyms with fewer characters to shorten my paper. Eventually, I got it done, though it would have been much faster if I had stopped whining and pitying myself long enough to write. My Pomodoro app tells me that I spent about 3.5 hours writing this paper, excluding reading the articles and proofreading the final product.

While I am usually motivated by checking items off of my to do list, yesterday was a tough lesson in what happens when I would rather complain than finish a task. The satisfaction of submitting my proofread paper this morning will hopefully give me the momentum I need to avoid another day like yesterday. Also, I am making an extra effort this week to remember that sometimes I have to do things I don't want to do, and whining too much is not particularly helpful in accomplishing my goals. Here's to a productive week with minimal whining!

I don't know this baby, but this photo was a result on Pixabay when I searched for "complain," and I like it.

Something that made today great: The weather was fabulous for walking to class!
Time I woke up: 7:25 am