Week two of MIT.
Routine was working. Morning exercise and a pre-class working session really helped set the course for the day.
Social took a hit. I had to skip a few events because there is too much school work. My updated priority stack looks like this:
p1: health
p2: class
p3: social
This is an evolution from my original priority stack where I had "meeting people" ranked higher than "good work." I know lots of people prioritize social over class. For me, class is intrinsically interesting and a valid meaningful way to meet people. I'm willing to build my identity around it. Social events for their own sake aren't my cup of tea.
This week, I understood the saying
Getting an Education from MIT is like taking a drink from a Fire Hose
because I experienced it myself. I'm taking How To Make (Almost) Anything (HTMAA) in addition to taking and being a TA for Tangible Interfaces. Besides, I also have group research and personal research responsibilities. HTMAA is notorious for a heavy course load. In the first week, I learned CAD, laser cutting, vinyl cutting, and construction kit design. It's going to be the same amount of work every week. The course also requires us to make progress towards a final project somehow, as well as keep everything documented in a blog.
A quick gut check left me dreading: if I do everything to a satisfying standard, I'd still be at high risk of not finishing on time. This means I have to either sacrifice sleep or quality. Using my newly minted priority stack, I will prioritize sleep. But this kind of difficult trade-off is exactly the pain of drinking from the fire hose.
Sometimes I feel jealous of people who are ignorant of the project management issues. They don't have the mental stress from making the impossible trade-offs. They just have to suffer a few all-nighters in the end. Isn't procrastination a form of information avoidance? Similar to people who refuse medical exams to avoid the possibility of finding out they have a terminal illness. Such behavior is irrational on the surface, but explainable if we consider the mental burden of knowing.
Wish I was ignorant enough to procrastinate.
Next week, I'll focus on focus. Identify things that are truly worth my time. For the rest, do what I can, but I'll try not to be a perfectionist.