A little self-control

I'm not even halfway through the quarter and I already feel behind. True, I'm only taking two classes, but  13 hours at my paid job and an out-of-town internship three days a week have me in the mood for nothing more than episodes of Voyager and scarfing junk food. (Extra significant because I've now seen every episode of Voyager. Bah.)

I googled "frustrated woman." I love stock images so much.

I recently re-read an interview I heard in the first week of the year on Marketplace with a financial planner who links loosing weight to controlling finances. The basic necessities are the same: You need self-control, planning, and good motivation. The trip-ups can be similar — a cute top at a high price can be just as tempting as a plate of cookies.

I've got the opposite problem — I have issues keeping weight on rather than keeping it off — but I think the basic suggestions are useful for a lot of what I'm trying to cope with, including my scholastic procrastination. The idea is to do the small, routine things necessary to achieve your goal while taking breaks to give yourself a chance to recover. The way the financial planner explains it, willpower "operates like a muscle in that if you use it a lot at one point, it'll tire itself out." So while we need breaks (we need to splurge or grab a slice of cake), we're also "gradually building up" our willpower.

I really like this analogy. What I like even more is that it defeats one of my classic procrastination techniques: After a surge of productivity, I tend to reward myself too much and take too long of a break. But as Brokamp says, "a period of going very extreme for a while will show you enough progress to provide the motivation you need to keep going." Seeing results will give you a glimpse of your goal, and that will give you the help you need to get there. So after pushing myself harder, I'll be closer to my goal and want it even more, rather than feeling like I can slack off.

In the next few months, I'll be working toward the mental spot Brokamp describes: When you encounter a challenge to your goal, "hopefully you've made so much progress that you don't want to give it all back, so that time when [...] you say, 'OK I just did this one little slip-up,' but now I'm going to get back to habits that are healthier for me physically and financially.

Because this was such a serious post, here's a picture of an adorable, adoptable puppy my roommate took. Enjoy!

He peed on the background after the picture was taken. And I still want him.