I've been at my internship for awhile, and this week I found my enthusiasm for programming waning. Frankly, I was sick of trying to get the new statistical software package that I am using to work with me and not against me. My muttered pleas to the macro to coerce itself from a string to a number seemed to be in vain. I put the task of programming with this software on the back burner for a few days and focused on my other summer project.
I couldn't really build up enthusiasm for the other project either, though. I really just wanted to be lazy and read the New York Times all day long.
Today, I came up with a solution for my productivity problem. Last night David and I were talking about drinking coffee in the morning, and he mentioned how drinking caffeine when you are beginning a task makes you more excited about the task. I've convinced myself that this was the problem I was having. When I came into work for the first few days this week, I perused the New York Times website while drinking my cappucino. Then, the rest of the day all I wanted to do was read the New York Times. This morning, while I still might have glanced at a New York Times article and sipped at my cappucino upon arriving at work, I waited until I was engaged in my project to really drink up, and I had a very productive day.
Is it a placebo effect or is there really something to drinking coffee when starting a task? I don't care. I just want effective strategies for getting to work when I feel like being lazy even if it means manipulating my own mind and doing a pigeon dance.
No comments:
Post a Comment