The end of the school year has brought some interesting things to mind, one of which is the ability to apply one's self to the task at hand. Throughout the year I had to do this to keep up with my courses and honed that skill more than I ever had before. Sometimes it was hard because I wasn't very interested in what I needed to do, but I still applied myself and got it done, eventually. I even finished one of my classes a month early!
Then there are my brothers, who had a lot more time on their hands than I did, yet did nearly all their coursework in about a week, the last week or two that they could. They were driving me insane. While I guess they did apply themselves in a different way, it sure caused them a whole lot more stress than if they had done it earlier.
While I know that some people work better under pressure (I know at times I do), I would rather get my stuff done and be able to do other things instead of putting it off and having it weigh on my mind or completely forget it to be reminded of it at the last second. I know that I'm not perfect at it, or else this post would not have been written on the last day of the month, but I try to work on it, and get into whatever it is that I need to do.
I seem to have a real problem of distractions, especially when I'm working on the computer. Even if I am trying to apply myself I can get distracted by thinking I need to look up something, or I haven't really applied myself and I check the news or watch a video from my favorite YouTube channel. The internet is a blessing, but it can also be a curse, depending on how you control your time on it. The problem gets worse if I'm not really into what I'm doing, or don't really know how to proceed. While writing this post I have checked the news, watched YouTube videos, checked my email, and read my previous blog posts, mostly because I knew I wanted to write on this topic, but didn't know where to take it.
I think that one of the biggest enemies to application is procrastination. You think that you can do something later, and then you realize that you put it off to the last minute and you just have to get it done, you can't really put yourself into it anymore. I am so glad that I did something earlier this week that had to be done by the end of the week. I got it done, had fun with it, and I don't have to worry about it anymore, I can put my mind to other things, like writing.
I think that one thing that comes from applying yourself is that you learn something from it. It becomes part of you. The projects I've done that I really applied myself and put part of myself into have stuck better than the ones where I just went through the motions. Projects that I got excited over or had a lot of fun doing have stuck better than the ones that I just had to do to move on in the course. Think about how this principle fits into the definition of the word apply, as in applying a coat of paint. I have found it interesting.
You don't even have to really enjoy something to apply yourself to it, you may want a skill, but it might not be the most pleasant experience to gain that skill. For instance, I decided almost two years ago that I wanted to learn how to type. My sister got a learn to type program/game for school, and I started using it too. It was definitely geared to younger kids, but I still found it useful. I didn't master typing from that program, in fact, I didn't go through the whole thing, I got stuck on the shift key and couldn't get past it, but I learned which fingers press which keys, and I started using the home row method while typing other things. It has been very frustrating at times, and sometimes I have to look at the keyboard still, but I usually keep my fingers where they belong now, instead of only using my index fingers. While writing this post I have tried not to look at the keyboard, and succeeded for the most part. I should probably see what my WPM (Words per Minute) is now, and maybe see if I can finish that game now. It's been a slow process, and I'm still nowhere near proficient, but I'm glad that I've worked on this skill.
Hey, look at that! I finally applied myself to this post and it got written really fast and I enjoyed it too! What's something that you have applied yourself to that you're proud of? Leave me a comment!
