<\/p>\n
I think sometime last week the driver of my train of thought started drinking and then she fell asleep. The train didn\u2019t crash; it slowly lost steam and veered at a snail\u2019s pace off course into some rather large bushes.<\/p>\n
The derailment happened a little before my birthday earlier this week. I have been graciously granted an extension by my loved ones for said birthday -\u00a0I get to be special for the rest of the week. But I still have a lot of work to do. To catch up on. I literally have no idea what is happening.<\/p>\n
This post was affected by the derailment. I had, or have, no idea what to write about. One potential idea was the concept of \"me time,\" given the whole birthday thing. Unfortunately, that threatened to become a dissertation on me time being a misnomer, because what we really want to have is \"life time.\" That would have led to more whining about my unfulfilled artistic ambitions and how U of T sometimes feels like a big fat waste. That would have to have been reconciled by some kind of \"follow your dreams\" compromise. And then I would have forgotten to include...<\/p>\n
Alright, well, yeah. Back to the train. Though there was no large crash, passengers aboard felt a slight jolt upon impact with a passing baby elephant (who is doing fine, despite the lawsuit). Only one passenger, Indomitable Fighting Spirit, sustained an injury as the jolt made her trip over a suitcase and fall out of a window. Oh, and the train driver has a hang-over.<\/p>\n
While both recover, I can only offer you some stuff, some stress-related suggestions, I suppose. At crazy end-of-the-semester time, just gun it. Listen to Bruce Lee<\/strong><\/a>* and just get everything out of the way any way you can. Focus on some endpoint, one that you will actually experience in a reasonable time frame (for 20-something undergrads, \u2018retirement\u2019 does not work).<\/p>\n So, the stuff I promised. Here\u2019s one thing: Time Management For Anarchists! How to get t'ings together for non-conformists, renegades and the like. It\u2019s by Jim Munroe<\/strong><\/a>, it comes in seminar<\/strong><\/a>, flash animation<\/strong><\/a> and comic-book format<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and it\u2019s pretty awesome. Time management is easier to do at the beginning of the year, when everything is not-yet-late-or-in-a-pile, but I think it can be a good motivator for the I\u2019ll-just-wing-it-non-keeners at the college level. A lot of it applies to jobs, but I think the flash animation and parts of the comic can apply to one\u2019s mentality while in school.<\/p>\n Case in point: page 19. <\/span>Social acupuncturist Darren O\u2019Donnell, who looks like a more-balding version of Anthony Head, does not work a 9 to 5 job. But rather than do the whole stereotypical \"work-when-inspired thing\" that everyone thinks artsy people do, Darren has made some deals with himself where he can\u2019t work after 6 pm and\u00a0he has to take off one day a week (all nighters = no). I especially like the line, \u201cThe more I do, the less I become afraid of doing it. The less I put it off.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It works. Proof? This post exists!<\/em><\/p>\n Here\u2019s one more thing. Breathe, realign, strangle a teddy bear. Remember why you are putting yourself through this and if the reason ain\u2019t so nice - gun it. Enjoy the process if you can, I guess. Either way, our lives have to become ours again at some point. Whether now or later.<\/p>\n Preferably now.<\/p>\n -Liesl<\/p>\n *I realize that \"Empty your mind\" has far deeper implications than just \"get everything out of the way,\" but I\u2019m pointing out the quote because it definitely applies to emptying one\u2019s brain of all that anxiety crap in order to be able to act. So you don\u2019t hide under the bed.<\/p>\n ** This sounds scarily like the schedule of the Grey Zone Man Lucy told us about. Which my body is instructing me to leave for another post\u2026 on\u2026 time\u2026 managemzzzzzzzzz.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"