Author: Fallton Havenstonne

Due dates give us an incentive to finish, to wrap up whatever we’re doing before we proceed further. Even though there can be pressure and anxiety associated with due dates, they push us to work harder, to focus on the task at hand until the work is completed.

But due dates can have a negative effect as well. Depending on the amount of work there is in proportion to the due date, that due date can add undue stress and fatigue, especially if the work far exceeds what can be accomplished by the due date. This can make the work/project unbearable, unenjoyable, and make us want to never return to that kind of work or project again.

On the flip side, without due dates, the initiative isn’t there to finish a project. We can take as much time as we need, but on the assumption that we’ll be working on it consistently, and that we’re not pulled away by other things that distract us or demand our attention. But how often are we distracted, and how often do new things come up that demand our attention? Daily, of course.

Thus, there must be a middle ground between the two extremes of unreasonable due dates and no due dates at all. That middle ground exists where experience shows what can be achieved given what is humanly possible. Exceeding that limit can cause us to sacrifice quality for completion, or to sacrifice completion for quality. But the question is how far can that limit be pushed?

Without something to fix, our day would seem fruitless. Whether if it’s an intellectual question, a practical situation, a mechanical/engineering problem, or a work of art, we need something to fix, something to invest our energy and labor in to repair or rebuild what was imperfect and flawed. If we don’t have something to fix, it’s as if our talents would go wasted and untapped.

When a problem presents itself to us, we’re engaged in the process of solving it, of bringing a resolution to it. This process activates our minds, taps into the creative parts of our being, and brings about a chain reaction of events that can go on for days or weeks or months until we’ve fixed the problem.

Sometimes that problem could be as simple as changing a flat tire on a car. It requires us knowing what tire to replace it with and how to replace it efficiently according to the correct steps. We have to carefully consider how we’re going about it, and apply our knowledge to complete the task. When it’s done, we feel satisfied, relieved. But that will be short lived when the next problem arises. Solving problems and fixing things seems to be an innate part of who we are. It’s as if without problems to solve or fix, we’d languish in inertia.

Inspiration is something we all need. Inspiration emboldens us to go beyond the norm, of pushing us to (or beyond) our limits to achieve our goals.

Inspiration can come from art, movies, books, history, and those around us. Inspiration gives us the resolve to pursue something beyond the requirements that come from discipline and habit. Although those are great things, inspiration can turn discipline and habit into boundless creativity and energy, a persistence that will not waver despite the hurdles and setbacks that come our way.

When I’m stuck on a chapter or I’m struggling to progress in a story, I’ll write down notes and ideas to help me get moving along. I’ll write what I had originally planned out, and when I see it down on paper, it becomes apparent as to why I struggled to progress.

My initial idea was lacking something. Either it was too generic, wasn’t exciting, or it would’ve slowed down the story more. I needed to change it or add in some ideas that would give more life to the story. In essence, when I can’t progress, I go back to the drawing board.

I thought it would make sense to write a post on late sleep after a post on early sleep. Late sleep is obviously sleeping late rather than sleeping on time, or the time we need to sleep at in order to wake early for the next day.

A late sleep can have a myriad of effects on us such as tiredness, trouble waking up, exhaustion, etc. But if it causes all these effects that can negatively impact us the next day, why do we sleep late? Why don’t we sleep on time instead?

Unlike an early sleep, which can be caused by fatigue or tiredness, we might stay up late because we still have a lot of things to finish up–things that we need to do. It can be work related, chore related, or project related. It’s as if we didn’t have enough time during the day to finish what we started. Or maybe it’s that we’re overextended in what we need to accomplish that day, or maybe we just needed more time to finish everything.

In the end, it’s really about time, and trying to beat time to finishing everything in a day. Is 24 hours really enough to finish everything on our to-do list, or is it that we’re just busier more than ever?

When we haven’t gotten enough sleep or if we’re exhausted from a long day of work, we’ll sleep early, breaking the pattern of our sleep cycle. Our goal is to make up for the hours of sleep we lost, to restore our energy for the next day.

But what if we end up getting the same amount of sleep as before? What if sleeping early didn’t work as we intended, but only worked in getting us to wake up earlier than before?

When this happens, and I’m awake before dawn, I use that time as an opportunity to do something productive, to get an early start on the day. Maybe to get some writing or reading done, or to make some breakfast before the sun comes up.

There’s something about doodling that gives our minds something to do while we’re sitting still and doing nothing. I used to doodle in college and in high school when the professors/teachers would give their lectures. Doodling helped me to listen to what they were saying, even though I wasn’t writing it down (I was doodling, of course). Even though it didn’t look like I was paying attention, I was, since doodling gave my mind something to do.

I’d draw tessellated patterns or landscapes that were cartoonish and had random objects in them like a surrealist image. Even though they had nothing to do with what the lecture was about, I could still grasp what was being said, even though my imagination was elsewhere.

I doodled because it was a way of keeping my mind from completely drifting off or daydreaming. I knew I had to pay attention, but it was hard to if my mind wasn’t stimulated by the lecture. There’s something about sitting still for long periods of time and listening to a speaker that just causes me to feel restless after awhile. I have to stay engaged somehow, and doodling was just a way for me to do so.