Being a Responsible Adult Really Blows!

I made a vow not to go anywhere near the computer until I finished studying and taking my GMAT in March.  I made an exception today because I really missed you and needed a break from being a responsible adult.

I actually should still be studying, considering I have an exam in an hour. And so should a lot of people logged on to Facebook right now, according to many of my friends' statuses.

Which reminds me of how winter the always brings forth a breed of statuses that consist of complaining.  If you're in school, you're complaining about having to study and how you wish you were out of school; and if you've graduated, you're complaining about not being in school and how the real world sucks.

Well, a recent study at the University of Waterloo pretty much summed up what I've thought all along: if you're going to complain, your friends will hate you.

I know that Facebook asks "What's on your mind?" and Twitter wants to know "What are you doing?". But in reality, I don't know anyone that has the attention span to actually want to know in-depth details of your every day life, especially if it's going to bring down their day by listening to yours.

So instead of risking being de-friended or unsubscribed, use your procrastination time wisely.  If you create compelling content on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., you'll feel more productive and your friends will support your procrastination by engaging in your posts.

You're probably thinking, "Gee, Dia, how on earth can I possibly accomplish this?!"

Well, today's your lucky day! Here's a list of 5 things you can do that don't involve complaining:

• Procrastinate on a site that specializes in procrastination.  I'm stealing this idea from my best friend, who is known as the comedian within our circle of friends simply because she can cheer anyone up by re-posting the absolute most random things from this site.
• Read the news.  I don't have the patience to read through things that I could care less about (like politics and Nicki Minaj's exorcism), so I go on The Daily Beast to read snippets of important things that seem to cause a stir on my Timeline or News Feed.
• Blog.  Practice your writing skills, market yourself, express your ideas.  Posting entries on other social media drives your audience and inspires you to communicate in a more effective way that's interesting to your readers.
• Complain about something else.  If you absolutely need to complain, maybe start with that horrible book you just read or that awful song that came on the radio.  Writing reviews for other things can not only be an outlet, but can link back to you and make you more searchable.
• Do what you're supposed to be doing.  Plain and simple. If you need to study, go study.

Which reminds me that I need to go take my exam now.  Wish me luck!

http://beerbatteredramen.blogspot.com

Trichotillo-what?!

When dealing with stress, I find that I have coping mechanisms similar to the ones people use when dealing with death. Except I'm perpetually stuck in the "denial" stage.

So instead of dealing with things that stress me out, I kinda just close my eyes, tap my ruby shoes three times, and hope that I wake up in Kansas again. Which never works and essentially leads to other ridiculous habits, like cracking my jaw or incessantly playing with my hair.

I hadn't thought much about it, even when I noticed that my hair slightly starting thinning in one particular spot. I figured it was just the stress, so I put in a deep conditioner and soon enough it was back to normal.

Then today, I find this article on my newsfeed.

I don't believe it ever got to this extreme, but with midterm season here, it's definitely a must-read.

Stress management is probably as important as time management, especially for those (like me) that have no sense of the latter. 18 credits, an internship, work, living with my parents, a relationship, and friends to make time for is incredibly difficult.

...

I'll let you know how this story ends, hopefully there's a lesson to be learned here soon.

http://beerbatteredramen.blogspot.com/