Month: March 2019

Me

Laundry

patmcgLeave a comment

I actually kind of like doing laundry these days. It’s something you can just do, and you always end up with a good result.

You start out with a pile of smelly clothes, and you end up with a pile of fresh clean clothes, every time without fail. And it doesn’t take that long. And it’s not very hard to do. And fresh, clean clothes are awesome.

Laundry is the best.

Music · The World

Yaaas! GarageBand turns 15

patmcgLeave a comment

I can’t even describe how amazing Garageband is. It’s lets you record almost anything. And it sounds good! And it’s free! And easy to use! And it has basically all the guitar amps and pedals in the world. And real professional musicians use it to record real music. And it works on the iPhone and iPad.

I just recored a punk-inspired version of Bruce Springsteen’s No Surrender with it. I sang (yikes!) and played two guitar tracks, Drums were compliments of Garageband. It took like half an hour. I mean, what the hell?!?!

Here is Steve Jobs introducing GarageBand in 2004. “Garageband is a major new pro music tool. But it’s for everyone.”


Via https://512pixels.net/2019/01/garageband-turns-15/

And here’s an interesting list of milestones for Garageband.

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/01/04/garageband-turning-15/

You

Why You Procrastinate — And What You Can Do About It

patmcgLeave a comment

HIghlights

Procrastination is emotional

We put something off when there is a negative mood about it. By putting it off, we (1) get some momentary relief and (2) increase negativity about the task. This makes us want to put it off more. So it becomes an “especially vicious” cycle. We momentarily feel better by putting off an unwanted task, and we learn to dislike the task more the more we put it off. 😑

This only compounds the negative associations we have with the task, and those feelings will still be there whenever we come back to it, along with increased stress and anxiety, feelings of low self-esteem and self-blame.

Procrastination is irrational

When we procrastinate, we’re not only aware that we’re avoiding the task in question, but also that doing so is probably a bad idea. And yet, we do it anyway.

With procrastination, we are overly focused on the present and tend to look at our futures self (who has to do the task) as a different person, and the thing we’re putting off as “somebody else’s problem”. 🤷🏻‍♂️😳

Dealing with procrastination

Aka “The Bigger Better Offer”. Make it easier and feel better to not procrastinate than to procrastinate.

Procrastination is about emotions, not productivity. The solution doesn’t involve downloading a time management app or learning new strategies for self-control. It has to do with managing our emotions in a new way.

Do it!

  • Consider only the next action
  • Make your temptations more inconvenient
  • Make the things we want to do as easy as possible
  • Forgive yourself for procrastinating. This can actually break the cycle!
  • Practice self-compassion. (Side note, this also “boosts motivation, enhances feelings of self-worth and fosters positive emotions like optimism, wisdom, curiosity and personal initiative.”)
  • Be curious about your own feelings on the procrastination