Due to a mix of laziness, depression, social anxiety and loneliness, I'm not doing too great in school. I really need to get it together, and I just don't know how to do it. I feel tapped out at the end of the day and I'm tired of it. I like art, but going to school for it just isn't very fulfilling. I'm thinking I just need to get through it and I'll be okay, but how do I develop the work ethic that my classmates have?
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posted by malapropist
on Mar 19, 2013 -
23 answers
I recently finished a lengthy project. I thought I did really well, and nothing indicated during the process that there was anything wrong. But I just got my review and it was poor. I feel like dying. Basically, when you've really fucked up and got no-one else to blame for it than your own incompetence, how do you shake it off and go on with your life?
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posted by anonymous
on Mar 15, 2013 -
48 answers
It doesn't have to 100% match the sentiment, but I'd love if it has the same general lesson (and is more concise than the following): "An idea that you keep in your head, incessantly perfecting, is worth nothing. Whereas the person who is willing to actually act on an idea, even if it's imperfect, has accomplished something. So instead of getting hung up on perfection, just DO something and learn from it for the next time." I'm kind of looking for what, say, Diablo Cody would say to her hipster haters who have never finished a screenplay. Or what you'd tell your friend who wants to be a writer but has been tinkering with their novel for the last 200 years. Oh, and I know about "perfect is the enemy of the good."
posted by Anonymousness
on Mar 10, 2013 -
52 answers
When I'm racing to meet a writing deadline, I feel a sense of exhilaration, momentum, and flow. How can achieve that state on a regular basis so I can make steady progress on my writing?
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posted by incandescentman
on Feb 27, 2013 -
17 answers
Having trouble figuring out what I want and committing to a career path and figuring out how to decide 'what I am', and crippled by perfectionism. About to finish a PhD and could use guidance on now to navigate the next step.
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posted by anybodys
on Dec 7, 2012 -
10 answers
Friend stuck in a deep rut. Increasingly concerned he may never escape. Anything I can do to help?
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posted by u2604ab
on Nov 28, 2012 -
23 answers
The time is drawing near when I have to make a name for myself, put myself out there, promote myself as a capable, dependable, charming, motivated, talented, creative, expressive, innovative, hirable grownup. But I'm having a bit more difficulty with this than I'd anticipated. I can't remember the last time I felt proud of anything I've done.
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posted by The Biggest Dreamer
on Nov 12, 2012 -
3 answers
What are some cognitive hacks to interrupt yourself when you can tell you're falling into a borderline obsessive behavior?
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posted by StrawberryPie
on Oct 9, 2012 -
16 answers
I supervise a person who has enormous difficulty finishing her case notes. My efforts to remediate her so far have been unsuccessful. How can I help her finish her work?
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posted by The Elusive Architeuthis
on Sep 12, 2012 -
39 answers
I haven't been able to use certain items or do certain things until I feel my life has "started." How can I break this thought pattern?
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posted by anonymous
on Mar 31, 2012 -
54 answers
I think I procrastinate on projects as a dysfunctional way to manage my anxiety about them. Can you help me manage that anxiety more productively?
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posted by colfax
on Dec 8, 2011 -
8 answers
The bin is out front, my reciprocating saw is ready... too bad we haven't settled on a floor plan for our reno. AskMe, we need your votes!
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posted by Popular Ethics
on May 7, 2011 -
28 answers
My lifelong dream and driving force has turned into a source of bitterness and disappointment for me. Not sure what happened, how to fix it, or if I should even bother.
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posted by anonymous
on May 3, 2010 -
25 answers
I really want to start living my life now, as is, instead of waiting until things are "right" and obsessing about perfection - but I keep falling into this way of thinking - help!
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posted by Chrysalis
on Mar 27, 2010 -
21 answers
I'm starting to exercise some control over my time. Help me make this work.
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posted by parudox
on Mar 13, 2010 -
6 answers
As a 30-year old who is a part-time grad student and a full-time office worker, are my goals to get control over my life (weight loss, finances, home, work, etc) really unrealistic? Is there a way to just be NORMAL and balanced, or is it really just normal not to really have things together, even as an adult?
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posted by dumbledore69
on Nov 13, 2009 -
27 answers
How do I stop setting ridiculous expectations of myself and then either beating myself up when I don't meet them, or feeling more stressed during the process than is warranted?
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posted by anonymous
on Aug 20, 2009 -
10 answers
How do I kill the perfectionism, the precious and fearful impulses, and the self-doubt that keeps me from completing my creative writing projects.
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posted by mizrachi
on Aug 2, 2008 -
50 answers
I'm a grad student. I like the subject(s) I'm studying, I like research, and I know I'm capable of doing the work... except when I sit down to actually do it, I choke. I know I'm not the only one suffering from both
imposter syndrome and perfectionism - how do you manage to get your brain to stop spinning its wheels and get to work?
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 31, 2008 -
33 answers
I have a huge mental block when it comes to writing songs that is the direct result of being ridiculed or sometimes even punished by my father when I was little. It's so bad that even when I try, a little voice in my head screams, "no, no, no!" and I just shut down.
Freewriting is great, but I need to be able to ignore that voice even when I'm writing thoughtfully and paying attention to conventions like rhyme, rhythm and melody.
I have plenty of ideas, but I need help learning how to get them out onto paper.
Any ideas?
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posted by freshwater_pr0n
on Dec 27, 2007 -
21 answers
Chasing grades is no longer working for me. I feel terrible when I get less than perfect grade, even if I have put in a great effort, even if I get the next best grade.
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posted by b33j
on May 24, 2007 -
16 answers
