Executive Functioning Failure
21 Feb 2011, 4:35 am
Well, it seems like I'm going through another period of executive functioning failure. I've always had problems with time-management and decision making, and now is one of those times where it feels like it's really becoming a problem again. I get like this about once or twice a year, usually, but it can last anywhere from weeks to months, depending. It's almost like depression, except it's not my overall mood, it's just my executive functioning, if that makes any sense. It just kind of breaks down, you know?
Right now, I just can't seem to get motivated to get anything important done on time, especially when it comes to school. Well, particularly when it comes to school. The classes I'm taking require a lot of out-of-class reading this quarter, and we have multiple large projects to work on simultaneously in every class. I have a history of avoiding homework, and not getting class work done when I have the time, so this isn't really anything new to me.
For some reason or another, I just can't seem to focus on the work, in or out of class at least not for more than a couple hours at a time, anyway (each of my classes is four-and-a-half hours long). Normally, with my interest in this kind of stuff, if I really wanted to, I could sit down and work on the same thing for six or eight hours straight or more, if I felt it was going well and that I was making progress.
But that's the thing: I feel like I'm not really making any substantial progress on the projects I'm working on, or I'm unhappy with the quality of the work, so I just bored or frustrated, and shove it aside to work on something else for a while, and my mind never gets back to it. And by then, I'm out of time to work on it, and it just frustrates me even more, making me want to work on it less and less, as well.
I hate this, and I'm probably going to discuss it with my instructors this week, to see if we can come to some kind of compromise and action-plan to help pull me out of it and keep me out of it when it comes to school. Only problem is, I don't really have an action-plan that wouldn't make me sound like I want an exemption from the standard late work policy, at least until I get caught up with all the work I'm currently behind on.
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21 Feb 2011, 6:55 am
Right now, I just can't seem to get motivated to get anything important done on time, especially when it comes to school. Well, particularly when it comes to school. The classes I'm taking require a lot of out-of-class reading this quarter, and we have multiple large projects to work on simultaneously in every class. I have a history of avoiding homework, and not getting class work done when I have the time, so this isn't really anything new to me.
For some reason or another, I just can't seem to focus on the work, in or out of class at least not for more than a couple hours at a time, anyway (each of my classes is four-and-a-half hours long). Normally, with my interest in this kind of stuff, if I really wanted to, I could sit down and work on the same thing for six or eight hours straight or more, if I felt it was going well and that I was making progress.
But that's the thing: I feel like I'm not really making any substantial progress on the projects I'm working on, or I'm unhappy with the quality of the work, so I just bored or frustrated, and shove it aside to work on something else for a while, and my mind never gets back to it. And by then, I'm out of time to work on it, and it just frustrates me even more, making me want to work on it less and less, as well.
This indicates to me that you are indulging a desire to avoid the whole thing, rather than confront that frustration. I would ask you, what is so wrong with being unhappy and frustrated with the quality? Most people feel that about their own work, some people about everything they do, though there's perhaps nothing wrong with it. I used to think everything I did was terrible, but I would often receive praise from my lecturers.
Is the quality of your work actually poor, or are you just the victim of some kind of perfectionist streak that you cannot get over?
My advice would be to try and be more objective about observing your feelings around your work. Don't procrastinate because you aren't entirely happy with it. Let yourself be less than completely satisfied with it, and be free to get on with it. Let go of the need for things to be perfect.
While that seems like a decent idea, if you are anything like I am, I fear that any accomodations the instructors make can only lead to more procrasination (giving you extra time for example).
But it might not hurt. Maybe they can help give you some insight into the problem.
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