It's December, which means one of two things. If you are ages 1-14, you're probably very excited for Christmas. If you're 15-25 however, you're probably pooping your pants RIGHT NOW in fear of exams. Which brings me to what this little essay is all about: the myth of productivity.
What makes you productive? For lots of people, it's sitting down in a quiet space and ridding themselves of any distractions, namely television and internet pages. Currently, I'm sitting in a coffee shop for my second consecutive hour, drinking a cup of joe and listening as they blast Stevie Wonder. Who's to say that this isn't an equally productive work environment?
I'm a full believer in the fact that studying is an art that takes practice. You have to figure out what works the best for you, personally. I think this also extends to the setting in which you study. For myself, I can't get much of anything done in a library. It's not a setting that keeps me focused, it's one that depresses me and straight-up bores me to tears. A coffee shop however, has music, coffee, and hipsters that will judge me if they see me on Twitter.
In short: putting myself in a location that I don't want to be to do work I don't want to do just makes me unhappy; Why do that when I could go somewhere with a good atmosphere? It makes doing the work significantly less dismal.
Where do you go to study? Have you found that one place works better for you than another?
Also: consider this blog post a reminder to go study. And do work. And kick this semester's butt.
Productivity is the illusion created by the industrial age.
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