jmiskill
April 2, 2023 Quick Thoughts:
It’s been quite a while. This semester has certainly been very, very crazy. I, unfortunately, feel like that is my fault. I never seem to make the time work in my favor during the semester.
Most of the time, I just end up bouncing from class to class, assignment to assignment, etc just to find out that the week has flown by. I should always have the time to write and to play music and to do things that I genuinely find fun, fulfilling, and a soul patch for myself. However, being a computer science student, I find it to be a bit difficult sometimes.
My problem is where I feel like I need to do “xyz” before I can do an assignment. I am a CS student that did not grow up coding (unlike many of my peers), so intrinsically, I feel like I need to read articles, do practice, and take notes before I can actually go about completing an assignment.
However, I know this is not the case. I just need to jump into the work and get it done. For whatever reason, this has been difficult. Maybe it’s because of COVID. Maybe it’s from the nearly 2 year break I took from math and heavy science courses. Don’t get me wrong, I am not doing horribly- I’m an A and B student within a top 10-30 (depending on the source) University in the United States. I have experience and absolutely love coding. However, I find that maybe it’s difficult some of the times. And maybe I spend my time in a way that exhausts me rather than energizes me.
I’ve done some reading on that recently. I think there is something to be said for doing work that energizes you and lifts you up rather than crushes you and you don’t look forward to. Here is what lifts me up:
Writing Planning, Developing, Implementing, and Testing code (no matter what it does; I just find all of it intrinsically amazing). Creating music (even if just small licks to play over top of old songs Running (I think lifting is important, I just don’t get the same feelings that I get from running- the literal runners high). Collaborating with a group to develop a project (something I’m doing in my Human-Computer Interaction class) Socializing somehow- whether that’s by getting coffee, going for a walk, just getting on the phone, etc Getting outside into nature (even if literally just sitting outside) Going to talks and concerts (I find a ton of natural inspiration from live events- I always come home with new ideas and excitement). Volunteering (I normally despise getting out there, but once I do, I love being there- especially if the weather is nice) Listening to entire records I’m sure this list goes on further, but I think I will stop there at 10 for now. I enjoyed making that list. If you read this, maybe you can do it too.
I am also going to write a list of 10 things I find absolutely draining that I do.
Spending the whole day in one spot doing work (I have gotten in the habit Scheduling my day to the T. Every hour accounted for. Planning for meetings Required readings (I know, this is maybe not the best thing to find draining, but whatever) Going to lectures that are so dry it brings me to tears Logistical, quick things: financial aid forms, fraternity forms, UVa forms. Social Media: this is kind of a big one. Social media is so quick and easy, but it’s been draining. The only thing I have is LinkedIn, but I still go on that a good amount (unconsciously, too). This sort of includes text and email. It stops my brain from functioning as it resorts back to some sort of caveman like state. Video media: I spend way too much time on YouTube. It’s not draining as much as it blocks my flow of thought. Every time I watch, it takes me 30 minutes to get back on track. Life hacking. I read and watch a lot about “how to …. better” (study, sleep, workout, etc). All of these are “life hacks”. It’s draining. The reason is because I try these things out for a week, two weeks, etc, and eventually give up and then it makes me feel bad about that. Memorizing things for class for quizzes and tests. Yuck. I’m tired of that. Anyways, those are some thoughts from recently. I have had a bunch of gigs for the band recently that have been super fun. It’s been a blast to play. I will put some pictures here now.