June
Productivity was not a word that was associated with the holidays this time around. Not that they ever are, but yeah. The trend is fairly obvious: 'There’s still time'. Be it any job we need to complete, passing it off until tomorrow just feels natural. It doesn't feel good if you start something today that was meant for today. That’s the sort of thinking we grow up with. Most of us, anyway.
However, any job that is not meant for the same day as today feels just right to be executed that day. In that very moment. Now. ‘Coz that just feels good. It’s not meant to be done right now, it probably isn't even as important, but what the hell, it feels right. Let’s do it. That’s how it goes down. Nearly every day of summer.
Obviously, the main reason for doing any task not meant to be done is basically the fun leisure of putting off the real job until another day. The brilliant excuse being “I need to get my wardrobe sorted today, writing can wait” or “I’m too tired from playing Halo 2, I don’t think I can complete my project research today”. And procrastination never seemed simpler. After all, it’s all about keeping your day reasoned, right?
This is precisely how I've managed to put off writing, practicing, strengthening, playing and actually getting my college paper done this summer. Which is why, among the panic attack I’m having every few hours, I decided to finally get something productive done this summer. A post after a long time isn't a first here, but it’s been a while since I was devoid of ideas. That’s actually something which bothers me more than anything else this summer. I've had loads to write about, probably even an amazing topic I had in mind the other day in the shower(more on that in the next post) but just couldn't get myself to sit and type. Well, there’s always a first time. So I guess it takes a lot of frustration and panic for one to really get working on the job that was meant for the same day. Much like everything else.
Panic isn't so far behind fear, in my opinion. There’s a difference, alright, but they are fairly co related and co-dependent. Not that a monster first checks if you’re panicked to see it and then scares the pants off you. It’s sort of given that you’re probably going to be screaming out loud and be scarce of any survival tactics when a Godzilla is about to step on your head in the street. Even though our films try to show us how our heroes are always ready with a contingency plan, that’s not how things unravel in real time. So yeah, panic isn't all that important in a street fight, but it sure hell is when you still have a few hours left before your finals and are having your worst hangover ever. Coz that’s what gets you to start running around crazy looking to find the books you buried the moment your new semester started. The very thing you said you would change this semester. Or so you thought. Like every other sem.
Anyway, fear and panic, in my humble opinion, belong in the same equation. Just on the opposite sides. You see, fear fueled with anger will give you panic. Which is where the term "Panic Buy" arises. It is used for teams who, in a transfer window, make less than sensible buys at the very last moment, having been turned down by their top targets. A lesser crude example will be that of picking your electives in college. Its the last day of choosing and every decent subject is gone. You're left with a choice between the Military Camp or Biology of Nanotechnology. As a computer science student. So much wowe.
But still, anger has its positives in the equation of panicking. It somehow gives you an added bit of adrenaline to get things done, no matter how hard they might have become. The anger you feel towards the injustice of getting a tougher subject might actually get you to passing it well. Better, too if you're fuming enough. And we all know about the day-before-exam-I-don't-know-anything feeling. If your fear finds anger, you know you're gonna make it through to the passing marks. It just gives you a lovely little 'push'.
Now, there's another variable in the panic equation. The problem is, it is dependent on the situation which will formulate the frenzy. Which means that our previous equation is a parallel running one. 'If-this-is-that' statements and all. Moving on.
So, fear remains constant. It is the single greatest thing required to formulate panic. Now that anger is out of the setting however, we can look to the other side. Sadness. That too, self-deprecating sadness. Let's shorten that to SDS. This implies that, Fear + SDS = Panic(Version 2).
Panic-V2, I believe, is generally the one that screws us over. You see, when we go into that confused state last-minute-stuff, if we do not manage to find Anger, our mind sort of flips. Literally, flips on to the other extreme and goes into self-critical mode. And this is where stuff gets dangerous. You start being over critical of yourself and say stuff that doesn't even make sense. I mean, you ring up old memories of your stupidities and how they were the worst mistakes of your life and make yourself feel even worse. Its sort of a quicksand. It keeps getting accumulated in your head. And that takes you all the more away from the task you were initially afraid of not being able to complete. But that's a distant memory by now. You have all but declared yourself useless to the world. Yeah. I've been there too. Loads of times.
Which is why I thought of jotting this down. And that's when I found the answer to the equation as well. Sometimes, there is no way of avoiding the hysteria headed towards you. Sometimes, you have to make the best of scraps. That means conjuring up a plane out of a tree. That means passing the chemistry exam when you've only just found out it is tomorrow. Means acing the Nanotech class better than a biologist (Or at least trying to). It means standing up on your feet when you've been shot down-Not the second time, not the fifth time, but even the hundredth time. Even though you know you're going to fail.
It is always going to be better to face Panic-V1 than even considering taking a dip into the quicksand of Panic-V2. Coz you can use V1 to turn the tide. But V2, no. V2 will use you to make you feel the tide is a Tsunami. And there's no extraction team for a brain Tsunami, mate.
Better grab the Anger lifeboat.
However, any job that is not meant for the same day as today feels just right to be executed that day. In that very moment. Now. ‘Coz that just feels good. It’s not meant to be done right now, it probably isn't even as important, but what the hell, it feels right. Let’s do it. That’s how it goes down. Nearly every day of summer.
Obviously, the main reason for doing any task not meant to be done is basically the fun leisure of putting off the real job until another day. The brilliant excuse being “I need to get my wardrobe sorted today, writing can wait” or “I’m too tired from playing Halo 2, I don’t think I can complete my project research today”. And procrastination never seemed simpler. After all, it’s all about keeping your day reasoned, right?
This is precisely how I've managed to put off writing, practicing, strengthening, playing and actually getting my college paper done this summer. Which is why, among the panic attack I’m having every few hours, I decided to finally get something productive done this summer. A post after a long time isn't a first here, but it’s been a while since I was devoid of ideas. That’s actually something which bothers me more than anything else this summer. I've had loads to write about, probably even an amazing topic I had in mind the other day in the shower(more on that in the next post) but just couldn't get myself to sit and type. Well, there’s always a first time. So I guess it takes a lot of frustration and panic for one to really get working on the job that was meant for the same day. Much like everything else.
Panic isn't so far behind fear, in my opinion. There’s a difference, alright, but they are fairly co related and co-dependent. Not that a monster first checks if you’re panicked to see it and then scares the pants off you. It’s sort of given that you’re probably going to be screaming out loud and be scarce of any survival tactics when a Godzilla is about to step on your head in the street. Even though our films try to show us how our heroes are always ready with a contingency plan, that’s not how things unravel in real time. So yeah, panic isn't all that important in a street fight, but it sure hell is when you still have a few hours left before your finals and are having your worst hangover ever. Coz that’s what gets you to start running around crazy looking to find the books you buried the moment your new semester started. The very thing you said you would change this semester. Or so you thought. Like every other sem.
Anyway, fear and panic, in my humble opinion, belong in the same equation. Just on the opposite sides. You see, fear fueled with anger will give you panic. Which is where the term "Panic Buy" arises. It is used for teams who, in a transfer window, make less than sensible buys at the very last moment, having been turned down by their top targets. A lesser crude example will be that of picking your electives in college. Its the last day of choosing and every decent subject is gone. You're left with a choice between the Military Camp or Biology of Nanotechnology. As a computer science student. So much wowe.
But still, anger has its positives in the equation of panicking. It somehow gives you an added bit of adrenaline to get things done, no matter how hard they might have become. The anger you feel towards the injustice of getting a tougher subject might actually get you to passing it well. Better, too if you're fuming enough. And we all know about the day-before-exam-I-don't-know-anything feeling. If your fear finds anger, you know you're gonna make it through to the passing marks. It just gives you a lovely little 'push'.
Now, there's another variable in the panic equation. The problem is, it is dependent on the situation which will formulate the frenzy. Which means that our previous equation is a parallel running one. 'If-this-is-that' statements and all. Moving on.
So, fear remains constant. It is the single greatest thing required to formulate panic. Now that anger is out of the setting however, we can look to the other side. Sadness. That too, self-deprecating sadness. Let's shorten that to SDS. This implies that, Fear + SDS = Panic(Version 2).
Panic-V2, I believe, is generally the one that screws us over. You see, when we go into that confused state last-minute-stuff, if we do not manage to find Anger, our mind sort of flips. Literally, flips on to the other extreme and goes into self-critical mode. And this is where stuff gets dangerous. You start being over critical of yourself and say stuff that doesn't even make sense. I mean, you ring up old memories of your stupidities and how they were the worst mistakes of your life and make yourself feel even worse. Its sort of a quicksand. It keeps getting accumulated in your head. And that takes you all the more away from the task you were initially afraid of not being able to complete. But that's a distant memory by now. You have all but declared yourself useless to the world. Yeah. I've been there too. Loads of times.
Which is why I thought of jotting this down. And that's when I found the answer to the equation as well. Sometimes, there is no way of avoiding the hysteria headed towards you. Sometimes, you have to make the best of scraps. That means conjuring up a plane out of a tree. That means passing the chemistry exam when you've only just found out it is tomorrow. Means acing the Nanotech class better than a biologist (Or at least trying to). It means standing up on your feet when you've been shot down-Not the second time, not the fifth time, but even the hundredth time. Even though you know you're going to fail.
It is always going to be better to face Panic-V1 than even considering taking a dip into the quicksand of Panic-V2. Coz you can use V1 to turn the tide. But V2, no. V2 will use you to make you feel the tide is a Tsunami. And there's no extraction team for a brain Tsunami, mate.
Better grab the Anger lifeboat.
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