Ill disciplined brain beaten into submission

[bunn]

I find that one effective method of forcing my brain to do the things I want it to do (ie, work), rather than the things it wants to do (ie write long confused posts about undocumented Cornish history, doublecheck exactly what the Ring of Barahir looked like, rashly offer to foster a coonhound, Hack All the Garden Things,  and write short stories including ravens)  is to tell the bloody thing that it will just have to stay up all night, and I *will not allow it to go to bed until it has done its homework*. 

Eventually the damn thing knuckles under.  This technique is not great for getting things done the next day, but at least I do actually get a really surprising amount of stuff *done*.  I do wish my brain would be more cooperative. Sometimes it seems like the thing belongs to someone else entirely. *kicks brain* 

So far I have resisted the temptation of fostering the coonhound.  He looks very cute in his photos, but I think my hounds are quite enjoying being a twosome for a bit.

Comments

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I had an attention span once. Then somebody invented the internet, and suddenly I found myself possessing a mere attention inch. :-(

I do sometimes wonder if I would ever have got through O and A levels, let alone got a degree, had the internet been around back then. Would I have had the discipline to lay aside that fanfic that's crying out to be written or stop playing that long computer-based RPG, and instead spend the week reading up on the causes of the Dutch Revolt? I sometimes toy with the idea of starting an OU course just to relearn such discipline, but I fear it would all go Hideously Wrong, as soon as a shiny new fandom came bouncing along, saying, "Heya! Over here! Over here!"

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I think I've always had an attention inch... :-(((

Actually, I am feeling quite dubious about this claim that you worked industriously and undistractedly to achieve your degree.

I seem to remember that during our finals term, a certain banquet took up rather a lot of thought and energy - and if it was only ME getting distracted by that, then you, Mme Astolat, are a better actress than I had previously appreciated. :-p

I mean, admittedly you got away with it, but that is NOT the same thing. :-D

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I definitely got distracted loads - I often used to pop into Blackwells en route for library and forget to emerge for a few hours - but I'm sure I'd have got distracted a LOT more had internet fandom and Wikipedia been waving alluringly at me.

The banquet happened two or even three weeks after Finals finished, and I don't remember too much banquet-related distraction happening while Finals were still happening - though during Finals, I did make a point of always stopping revision before 7.30 every night, and still going to all my societies. But it was a very long time ago, so, really, I have no idea. As well as an attention inch, I sometimes seem to have a memory millimetre. Pretty much all I clearly remember is the boar's head...

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Yes, same here... I have an overwhelming impression of doing a phenomenal number of things in a very short space of time. Many of them not degree-related - but all of them very much learning experiences!