I have a lot of work to do but my mind is pinging away like a pinball machine on things that are not that productive. (For a sense of what this sounds like inside my obsessive little brain, read my AFG post on "Monkey Mind" from a few weeks back. I am beginning to apply for jobs while still working on my dissertation. I find myself compelled to check job postings, read job-search message boards, and daydream about living in various other locations instead of doing what I need to do -- transcribe interviews. I am trying to set a timer for 15 minutes and transcribe until it goes off, but even 15 minutes at a stretch is more than my brain can handle right now. Transcription is not only boring, it's distressing, because I have to listen to my own voice and hear myself make interviewing mistakes. As a result, about every 5 minutes I start feeling the urge to check my email, or look at a web page, or go get a snack. I'm going to try 10 minutes. Maybe I can do that much at a time.
I know the feeling - I find myself searching job sites and planning who to invite to my going away party when I haven't even applied for a job yet. It's hard to stay focused on the here and now, isn't it? Let's go for 10 min. instead of 15 and see if that works.
ReplyDelete