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OCT 22: Recipe for Getting Work Done

 


So, you've got a big writing assignment you've been stewing on for the past couple of weeks. Now it's due in two days and you know you're not fucked because you've got this flawless recipe that makes A's and won't tire you out.

This method works for me, and it is the way that I've worked in school since I hit puberty. I pull out the "big guns" for writing assignments but employ the same way for working in every endeavor and project I do.

Recipe Notes: Thinking time will vary based on the quantity and depth of work you must complete. It may take one day, It may be weeks. DO NOT EXHAUST YOURSELF unless if it's dire. if you feel the quality of your work declining, stop and go to bed. 

Step 1: Think. Think about the project you have coming up and how you will complete it. Go over every component in your head, spend time thining about how you will write a paper, exactly what type of wood and what screws you will use for a construction project, how big your paper will be, ad=nd what composition you will use. Think about everything. If you want your ideas to stick, think before bed. Chew on your ideas like bubble gum. Do all of the work in your head before you start, but do not let your expectations of how the project will go hinder how it actually goes. Learn how to be predictable. DO NOT FORGET WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.

Step 2: If it is a computer project, open and name every document you will create. Make a notes and bib page, a page for your writing, the indesign or photoshop document. Have these made during your time thinking. If it is a physical project, write a list of all the materials you can imagine needing. Do not purchase these materials until you are confident that they are what you need.

Step 3: Take as many physical notes as you can/want. Writing with a tactile object makes your ideas feel final and more "real".  NEVER TYPE YOUR NOTES. Sketch as much or as little as you need to be able to visualize and critique your thoughts before jumping into making.

Step 4: If you are writing, start slow. If you are making, DIVE. When writing one must contemplate what they will be citing, thinking about information and credibility of it. Start by reading sources and compiling them into a bib, then picking out the most important information from each and dumping it into a "potential citations" document. if making, start your process, if you have thought enough you will know exactly what the timeline and process will look like. Adjust this timeline if your predictions are not the same. 

Step 5: The loudest, most noisy music. It can be really shit. when I write my music must be noise cancelling and full of words. MF DOOM or AJR or something else with a lot of bass and lyrics all the way through. It helps me to not have my thoughts splinter and distract me. it's like writing in a tunnel. When I paint it also must be loud, but often classier shit without words. Chaotic jazz or lilting Classical. Because I must be able to hear my thoughts since the making process isnt as predictable as writing. if you are using power tools do not have music, because focus is key.

Step 6: take breaks that are deliberate. Do not turn on a timer. if you have a timer you will only spend your break watching your timer. Do not go on serotonin-boosting addictive apps like instagram or tiktok. 
if you have entered flow do not take a break. If you disrupt your flow you may as well just be done with what youre doing and take care of something else. 

Step 7: Do not wait to turn something in. If you wait to turn something in you will only look at your work too hard and have to scrap the whole project even if it is acceptable work. Writing itself can be split into many days. Drafting and submission must be during the same day. An Artwork must sit for a day before submission so that it can "cool down". Make sure you have time set aside to revisit your work in case you notice something that needs adjusting once a painting has cooled down. This means that a work must be "finished" at least two days before it is due.

Step 8: Have confidence in yourself. The system is tried and true. It produces grade A work. You work fucking hard, gears always turning.

Step 9: Start thinking about the next project you have to do.

Serve either warm or cold with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. It gets better with time so make enough to have leftovers.

By Ellie Eklof






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