A faculty support newsletter I recently read said I should keep track of my resistence, especially that which takes the form:
"For academic writers, it means that you want to finish your ____________ (dissertation/book/article/grant proposal) so that you can ______________ (finish your degree/move on with your life/get a job/get tenure/move your ideas into the world), and yet, you’re just not doing it! It may be that you keep procrastinating the act of sitting down to write."
- Dr. Rockquemore, National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity
She gives many examples of procrastination, avoidance, and denial, including:
- strong urges to check email, Facebook, or the news
- bodily needs (hunger, thirst, too cold, too hot, etc.)
- sudden desire to clean or organize your space
- sudden focus on an unresolved conflict (that has nothing to do with your writing)
- pondering the meaning of life, "wondering whether you are wasting yours cranking out work that very few people will read"
She suggests that each day, I should:
- Use a timer for my writing time
- Notice my resistance and record the thoughts, urges, and feelings of the resistence itself and how I'm reacting to its existence
- Look over the log periodically to find patterns
Personal note: I should do the same with meditation!
Aug 10 '17
- check Facebook
- read about international news dramas
- check Twitter